Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) - HBW 7, p. 484
French: Pic épeiche
German: Buntspecht
Spanish: Pico Picapinos
Other common names: Greater Pied Woodpecker
Taxonomy: Picus major Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.
Genus sometimes merged into Picoides. Forms a superspecies with D. syriacus, D. leucopterus, D. assimilis and D. himalayensis. Hybridizes rarely with first two, and named race tianshanicus from C Tien Shan considered to refer to offspring of mixed pairs of present species and D. leucopterus; has also interbred with more distantly related D. leucotos. Variation over vast range is largely clinal, with races intergrading extensively and many intermediate populations. Many additional named races thus not certainly identifiable, and considere.. View all taxonomy...
Taxonomy: Picus major Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.
Genus sometimes merged into Picoides. Forms a superspecies with D. syriacus, D. leucopterus, D. assimilis and D. himalayensis. Hybridizes rarely with first two, and named race tianshanicus from C Tien Shan considered to refer to offspring of mixed pairs of present species and D. leucopterus; has also interbred with more distantly related D. leucotos. Variation over vast range is largely clinal, with races intergrading extensively and many intermediate populations. Many additional named races thus not certainly identifiable, and considered unacceptable: anglicus (Britain), italiae (Pyrenees E to Switzerland and Italy), parroti (Corsica), lynesi (Atlas Mts in Morocco), candidus (S Russia, Romania, Bulgaria), paphlagoniae (N Turkey), tenuirostris (Crimea, Caucasus, Transcaucasia), tscherskii (Ussuriland and Sakhalin), hondoensis (N & C Honshu and smaller islands), beicki (Gansu, in W China), mandarinus (S & SE China) and hainanus (Hainan I). Fourteen subspecies recognized.
Genus sometimes merged into Picoides. Forms a superspecies with D. syriacus, D. leucopterus, D. assimilis and D. himalayensis. Hybridizes rarely with first two, and named race tianshanicus from C Tien Shan considered to refer to offspring of mixed pairs of present species and D. leucopterus; has also interbred with more distantly related D. leucotos. Variation over vast range is largely clinal, with races intergrading extensively and many intermediate populations. Many additional named races thus not certainly identifiable, and considered unacceptable: anglicus (Britain), italiae (Pyrenees E to Switzerland and Italy), parroti (Corsica), lynesi (Atlas Mts in Morocco), candidus (S Russia, Romania, Bulgaria), paphlagoniae (N Turkey), tenuirostris (Crimea, Caucasus, Transcaucasia), tscherskii (Ussuriland and Sakhalin), hondoensis (N & C Honshu and smaller islands), beicki (Gansu, in W China), mandarinus (S & SE China) and hainanus (Hainan I). Fourteen subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- major (Linnaeus, 1758) - Scandinavia and W Siberia E to Urals and S to N Poland and N Ukraine.
- brevirostris (Reichenbach, 1854) - from W Siberia E to lower R Amur, Manchuria and Sea of Okhotsk, and S to C Tien Shan and Mongolia.
- kamtschaticus (Dybowski, 1883) - Kamchatka and N Okhotsk coast.
- major (Linnaeus, 1758) - Scandinavia and W Siberia E to Urals and S to N Poland and N Ukraine.
- brevirostris (Reichenbach, 1854) - from W Siberia E to lower R Amur, Manchuria and Sea of Okhotsk, and S to C Tien Shan and Mongolia.
- kamtschaticus (Dybowski, 1883) - Kamchatka and N Okhotsk coast.
- pinetorum (C. L. Brehm, 1831) - Britain, France and C Europe E to R Volga and S to Italy, Balkans, Turkey, S Ukraine and Caucasus.
- hispanus (Schlüter, 1908) - Iberia.
- harterti Arrigoni, 1902 - Sardinia and Corsica.
- canariensis (König, 1889) - Tenerife, in Canary Is.
- thanneri le Roi, 1911 - Gran Canaria.
- mauritanus (C. L. Brehm, 1855) - Morocco.
- numidus (Malherbe, 1843) - N Algeria and Tunisia.
- poelzami (Bogdanov, 1879) - S Caspian region and Transcaspia.
- japonicus (Seebohm, 1883) - C & E Manchuria to Sakhalin and Kuril Is, and S to Korea and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Tsushima).
- cabanisi (Malherbe, 1854) - S Manchuria S to E Myanmar, N Laos, N Vietnam (NW Tonkin), SE China and Hainan.
- stresemanni (Rensch, 1924) - C China (E Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan) S to SE Tibet, NE India, W & N Myanmar and Yunnan.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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Adults feed their juvenile with little dead chicks. Locality Dülmen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Christian Wiesmann 18 May 2012 47 weeks ago 1 min 57 sec 5 -
Male side view Locality Lunner, Oppland County, Norway (ssp major)
Per Johan 23 January 2011 2 years ago 44 sec 4.9 -
Male approaching a feeding female - quite interesting behaviour Locality Lunner, Oppland County, Norway (ssp major)
Per Johan 8 April 2011 2 years ago 32 sec 4.8 -
A female pecking a branch and flying away Locality Dayet Aoua, Meknès-Tafilalet Region, Morocco (ssp mauritanus)
Josep del Hoyo 31 March 2007 5 years ago 13 sec 4.7 -
A male taking a pine cone from a pine tree and open it using an electrical post as an anvil. Locality Kaamanen, Inari, Lapland Province, Finland (ssp major)
Josep del Hoyo 31 March 2010 2 years ago 35 sec 4.6 -
A male bringing prey at nest cavity, and feeding chicks Locality Essonne, Île-de-France, France (ssp pinetorum)
Julien Rochefort 14 May 2007 5 years ago 39 sec 4.6 -
Dendrocopos major visiting tits nest without parental consent Locality Gotland County, Sweden
LaureC 1 June 2010 2 years ago 28 sec 4.6 -
A bird feeding on the trunk. Locality Kampinos National Park, Masovian Province, Poland
Jeremiusz Trzaska 3 November 2012 31 weeks ago 34 sec 4.5 -
A male at anvil Locality Linderud Gård, Oslo & Akershus, Norway (ssp major)
Eric Roualet 21 October 2005 4 years ago 18 sec 4.5 -
A female and then a male bringing preys at nest cavity, feeding chicks and flying away Locality Essonne, Île-de-France, France (ssp pinetorum)
Julien Rochefort 14 May 2007 5 years ago 45 sec 4.4 -
A male perched, looking around and flying away. Locality Shukunitai Wild Bird Sanctuary, Nemuro Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan (ssp japonicus)
Josep del Hoyo 6 February 2010 2 years ago 21 sec 4.4 -
A female perched on a feeder. Locality Shukunitai Wild Bird Sanctuary, Nemuro Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan (ssp japonicus)
Josep del Hoyo 6 February 2010 2 years ago 21 sec 4.3 -
A male Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) ogles at a Blue Tit’s tree hollow. Locality Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (ssp pinetorum)
Thomas Voekler 8 May 2009 4 years ago 22 sec 4.3 -
A bird excavating a hole in a tree Locality Boadilla del Monte, Madrid, Spain
Juan Sanabria 25 May 2013 2 weeks ago ADDED LAST MONTH 1 min 33 sec 4.3 -
A male feeding on a trunk. Locality Oulanka National Park, Finland (ssp major)
Josep del Hoyo 29 March 2010 2 years ago 27 sec 4.3 -
A close-up of a male taking fat from a feeder. Then flying away (50% speed). Locality Shukunitai Wild Bird Sanctuary, Nemuro Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan (ssp japonicus)
Josep del Hoyo 6 February 2010 2 years ago 18 sec 4.3 -
A male feeding a chick at the entrance of the nest hole Locality Forêt de Fontainebleau, France (ssp pinetorum)
Julien Rochefort 28 May 2007 5 years ago 21 sec 4.3 -
Looking for food. Locality Casa de Campo Park, Madrid City, Madrid, Spain
Eduardo Tejeda Lima 5 February 2013 13 weeks ago 31 sec 4.3 -
Working to get some food. Locality Casa de Campo Park, Madrid City, Madrid, Spain
Eduardo Tejeda Lima 3 February 2013 19 weeks ago 22 sec 4.3 -
Male feeding on branch Locality Lunner, Oppland County, Norway
Per Johan 6 May 2011 2 years ago 1 min 6 sec 4.3 -
A male foraging on a trunk. Locality Oulanka National Park, Finland (ssp major)
Josep del Hoyo 29 March 2010 2 years ago 27 sec 4.3 -
A female perched on a branch and looking around under snowy weather. Locality Yuyado Daiichi Spa Ressort, Shibetsu District, Hokkaido, Japan (ssp japonicus)
Josep del Hoyo 7 February 2010 2 years ago 23 sec 4.3 -
The male leaving the nest and the female feeding the chicks twice. Locality Izmailovsky Park, Moscow, Western Russia, Russia (ssp major)
Josep del Hoyo 2 June 2009 2 years ago 44 sec 4.3 -
A male with food,on a tree Locality Tajuña, Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain
Javier Ortas 28 May 2006 4 years ago 31 sec 4.3 -
pecking tree Locality Wuyuan County, Jiangxi, China (Southern)
Vicky Cheng 12 May 2011 1 year ago 56 sec 4.2 -
A male drumming in an electrical post, using metallic parts. Locality Kaamanen, Inari, Lapland Province, Finland (ssp major)
Josep del Hoyo 31 March 2010 2 years ago 28 sec 4.2 -
A male on a feeder. Locality Shukunitai Wild Bird Sanctuary, Nemuro Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan (ssp japonicus)
Josep del Hoyo 6 February 2010 2 years ago 23 sec 4.2 -
A bird drumming on a dry trunk. Locality Stare Masiewo, Bialowieza Forest, Podlaskie Province, Poland
Jeremiusz Trzaska 24 July 2010 2 years ago 34 sec 4.2 -
A female on a tree looking for food close to a feeder, under snowy weather. Locality Yuyado Daiichi Spa Ressort, Shibetsu District, Hokkaido, Japan (ssp japonicus)
Josep del Hoyo 7 February 2010 2 years ago 31 sec 4.2 -
A male drumming on a trunk and hiding behind Locality Sceaux, Île-de-France, France
Robert Mouchard 16 February 2008 3 years ago 1 min 1 sec 4.2 -
A female in a perch near a tree cavity, then flying up to feed its nestlings Locality Burgenland State, Austria (ssp pinetorum)
Malcolm Mark Swan 22 May 2006 5 years ago 35 sec 4.1 -
A female foraging on a tree trunk, then flying away while calling Locality Sidi Bettache, Chaouia-Ouardigha Region, Morocco (ssp mauritanus)
Josep del Hoyo 30 March 2007 5 years ago 36 sec 4.1 -
A female feeding its nestlings Locality Lower Austria, Austria (ssp pinetorum)
Malcolm Mark Swan 26 May 2006 5 years ago 19 sec 4.1 -
A chick at the entrance of the nest hole Locality Forêt de Fontainebleau, France (ssp pinetorum)
Julien Rochefort 28 May 2007 5 years ago 15 sec 4 -
A female catching caterpillars in a tree. Locality Tofte Skov og Mose Reserve, Lille Vildmose, North Denmark Region, Denmark
Josep del Hoyo 28 May 2011 1 year ago 37 sec 4 -
An adult male feeding two juveniles from a garden peanut feeder Locality Northwich, Cheshire, England, Great Britain (ssp pinetorum)
Greg Baker 10 July 2002 1 year ago 1 min 21 sec 4 -
A juvenile in a trunk hole, fed by a male Locality Sceaux, Île-de-France, France
Robert Mouchard 29 May 2010 2 years ago 43 sec 4 -
A female perched on a branch and looking for food, under snowy weather. Locality Yuyado Daiichi Spa Ressort, Shibetsu District, Hokkaido, Japan (ssp japonicus)
Josep del Hoyo 7 February 2010 2 years ago 18 sec 4 -
A male perched on a trunk, resting. Locality Shukunitai Wild Bird Sanctuary, Nemuro Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan (ssp japonicus)
Josep del Hoyo 6 February 2010 2 years ago 18 sec 4 -
A male eating a walnut Locality Ariège, Midi-Pyrénées, France
Robert Mouchard 20 August 2009 3 years ago 1 min 57 sec 4 -
Juvenile male foraging on birch limb is sprayed by ants but eats them all. Locality Buskerud County, Norway (ssp Dendrocopos major)
cbramham 31 July 2008 3 years ago 41 sec 4 -
a male performing drumming on a gate light Locality Bærum, Oslo & Akershus, Norway (ssp major)
Eric Roualet 8 April 2007 4 years ago 22 sec 4 -
A male extracting wood pieces from the nest hole. Locality Manzanares River, Madrid, Spain (ssp hispanus)
Javier Ortas 13 May 2007 5 years ago 30 sec 4 -
A female feeding a chick in the nest Locality Spa, Liège Province, Belgium (ssp pinetorum)
Jean Hupperetz 9 June 2001 9 years ago 20 sec 3.9 -
Even a woodpecker lives dangerous on a stromy day.Dülmen-Borkenberge Locality Dülmen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Christian Wiesmann 26 January 2008 3 years ago 25 sec 3.9 -
Different shots of a male feeding its chick at the nest. Locality Tajuña, Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain (ssp hispanus)
Javier Ortas 27 May 2007 5 years ago 32 sec 3.9 -
A female with caterpillars in the beak, perched in a trunk, calling and flying away. Locality Tofte Skov og Mose Reserve, Lille Vildmose, North Denmark Region, Denmark
Josep del Hoyo 28 May 2011 1 year ago 21 sec 3.9 -
It seems like this female bird is trying to eat the seeds from a pine cone. Locality Het Roggebotzand, Dronten, Flevoland Province, Netherlands
Yoel Jimenez 20 October 2011 1 year ago 1 min 37 sec 3.8 -
A fledgeling comes out of the nest and flies away, while an adult is calling. Locality Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (ssp pinetorum)
Thomas Voekler 27 May 2008 4 years ago 26 sec 3.8 -
A female hanging while feeding with fats Locality Rambouillet Forest, Yvelines, Île-de-France, France
Alain Beaufils 22 January 2013 15 weeks ago 37 sec 3.8 -
Juvenile female working on a tree stump Locality Wylam, Northumberland, England, Great Britain (ssp pinetorum)
Joe Angseesing 31 July 2010 29 weeks ago 43 sec 3.8 -
A female at the nest hole. Locality El Pardo, Madrid, Spain
Javier Ortas 18 June 2007 4 years ago 30 sec 3.8 -
a few birds around the nest Locality Mittenwald, Bavaria, Germany (ssp pinetorum)
Daniêl Jimenez 28 April 2012 1 year ago 27 sec 3.7 -
A bird feeding on a tree Locality Madrid, Spain
Javier Ortas 20 March 2009 3 years ago 32 sec 3.7 -
Bird on feeder in Inshriach Forest region. Locality Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, Great Britain
Antonio Silveira 23 September 2012 37 weeks ago 20 sec 3.7 -
A female bird perched in a tree. Locality Tatzelwurm, Bavaria, Germany
Yoel Jimenez 28 April 2012 1 year ago 39 sec 3.7 -
A bird drumming on a trunk. Locality Beijing Botanic Gardens, Beijing, China (Northern) (ssp japonicus)
Jeremiusz Trzaska 5 January 2011 2 years ago 19 sec 3.7 -
A male at anvil, bringing a new cone, then foraging on it Locality Linderud Gård, Oslo & Akershus, Norway (ssp major)
Eric Roualet 28 September 2005 4 years ago 24 sec 3.7 -
Juvenile female cacheing a hazelnut Locality Wylam, Northumberland, England, Great Britain (ssp pinetorum)
Joe Angseesing 31 July 2010 29 weeks ago 31 sec 3.6 -
A male foraging on a tree trunk Locality Borsbeek, Antwerp Province, Belgium
Jeremiusz Trzaska 11 May 2009 3 years ago 27 sec 3.6
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