Photo: Sławomir Staszczuk (info [AT] photoss.net) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos major
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) is a member of the Picidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 74.9 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Piciformes
- Family Picidae Woodpeckers
- Genus Dendrocopos
- Species major
Quick facts
- Weight
- 74.9 g
- Diet
- Omnivores
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Behaviour
A bird of dense woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) belongs to the Picidae family of the order Piciformes. It is found across Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL widespread.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 74.9 g, with a wing length of about 13.6 cm and a tail of around 8.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 24.4 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Great Spotted Woodpecker?
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 74.9 g.
Where does the Great Spotted Woodpecker live?
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL widespread, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Great Spotted Woodpecker belong to?
The Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Great Spotted Woodpecker eat?
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.
Does the Great Spotted Woodpecker migrate?
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Great Spotted Woodpecker endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Great Spotted Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Great Spotted Woodpecker — including its flight call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Great Spotted Woodpecker's range?
The Great Spotted Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 24.4 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Best Suet Feeders for Woodpeckers
How to choose a suet feeder for woodpeckers — the styles compared, why a tail prop helps, and how to keep starlings off. A decision framework with the woodpecker species in the Birbs encyclopedia.
Meet the Picidae
A field guide to the Picidae family — 239 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.