Photo: Ekytza / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Grey-headed Woodpecker
Picus canus
Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) — Woodpeckers & Toucans of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 15 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) is a member of the Picidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia and South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 137 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 Picus
- Species canus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 137 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Picidae
- Order
- Piciformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Grey-headed Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Grey-headed Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) is a member of the Picidae family, within the order Piciformes. Its range spans Europe & Northern Asia and South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers PAL, OR widespread.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 137 g, with a wing length of about 14.3 cm and a tail of around 10.3 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 11.5 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Grey-headed Woodpecker?
The Grey-headed Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 137 g.
Where does the Grey-headed Woodpecker live?
The Grey-headed Woodpecker is found across Europe & Northern Asia and South & Southeast Asia with a range covering PAL, OR widespread, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Grey-headed Woodpecker belong to?
The Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) belongs to the Picidae family, in the order Piciformes.
What does the Grey-headed Woodpecker eat?
The Grey-headed Woodpecker is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Grey-headed Woodpecker migrate?
The Grey-headed Woodpecker is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Grey-headed 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 Grey-headed Woodpecker make?
1 real field recording of the Grey-headed Woodpecker — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Grey-headed Woodpecker's range?
The Grey-headed Woodpecker has a mapped global range of about 11.5 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.