Piciformes / Picidae / Dryocopus
Black Woodpecker
Dryocopus martius · 黑啄木鸟
Introduction
A large woodpecker and the sole representative of its genus in the northern Palearctic. It inhabits mature forests across Europe and parts of Asia, preferring old-growth stands. The species is non-migratory and acts as a keystone species by excavating large tree holes used by other wildlife. Its diet consists primarily of carpenter ants.
Description
Measures 45 to 55 cm in length with a wingspan of 64 to 84 cm. Body weight averages 250 to 400 g. Plumage is entirely black except for a red crown. Males have a fully red crown, while females have red only on the top hindcrown. Juveniles are less glossy with a duller red crown, paler grey throat, and paler bill. Eyes are piercing yellow.
Identification
Distinguished by its large size and all-black plumage with a red crown. Flight is characterized by slow, unsteady wing beats with the head raised, lacking the dipping, bounding flight of other woodpeckers. Vocalizations include a loud, whistling 'kree-kree-kree' given twice in a row and a screech-like shrill call during flight.
Distribution & Habitat
Range extends from Spain across Europe (excluding Great Britain, Ireland, and northernmost Scandinavia) to Asia, including Korea, Japan, China, Iran, and Kazakhstan. Found in coniferous, tropical, subtropical, and boreal forests at elevations between 100 and 2,400 m. More uncommon and discontinuous in the Asian part of its range.
Behavior & Ecology
Feeds on carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle grubs by hammering into dead or diseased trees. Excavates nesting chambers in live poplar or pine trees, often those with heart rot. The female lays two to eight eggs. Both parents incubate and feed chicks. Young leave the nest after 18 to 35 days. Predators include pine martens, Ural owls, Eurasian eagle-owls, Eurasian goshawks, common buzzards, and golden eagles. Western jackdaws may usurp nest holes.
Culture
Adopted as the title bird of Nurmijärvi municipality in Finland and appears in the literature of Aleksis Kivi. It is also the logo of the local football club NJS. Thought to be the species referred to as 'peiqu' in the early Italic Iguvine Tablets, prominent in Umbrian religion and mythology.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Dryocopus
Subspecies (2)
-
Dryocopus martius khamensis
Tibet and southwestern China
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
