Bird Guide

Great Slaty Woodpecker

Mulleripicus pulverulentus

VulnerableInvertebratesForestCavity nestLarge · 450 g

About the Great Slaty Woodpecker

The great slaty woodpecker is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. A unique and basically unmistakable bird, it is the largest confirmed living woodpecker species, behind the likely extinct imperial woodpecker and ivory-billed woodpecker.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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With the probable extinctions of the imperial and ivory-billed woodpeckers, this species, at 45–55 cm (18–22 in) long and a weight of 360–563 g (0.794–1.241 lb), is the largest woodpecker in the world, though the northern Eurasian black woodpecker is nearly as large with some overlap in size. The average weight was claimed in one study as 430 g (15 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 21.5 to 25 cm (8.5 to 9.8 in), the tail is 13.4 to 16.2 cm (5.3 to 6.4 in), the bill is 6 to 6.5 cm (2.4 to 2.6 in) and the tarsus is 3.6 to 4.1 cm (1.4 to 1.6 in).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where the Great Slaty Woodpecker lives

Regular rangeRare visitor

Recorded as a rare visitor in Bhutan.

When to see the Great Slaty Woodpecker

Peak activity in March · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

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