Species group · Birds
Woodpeckers
WAnimals has 2 species of woodpecker, all in the family Picidae.
- 2 species
- 1 family
- 49 countries
- 211 parks
- Weight
- 176 g – 321 g
- Length
- 30 cm – 46 cm
- Lifespan
- 15 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 2.
All 2 species of woodpeckers on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 49 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…
The largest woodpecker in Europe; the roomy holes it cuts in trunks are later taken over by owls and squirrels.
From Black Woodpecker
Its holes are the largest excavated by any bird in Europe, which is why it is considered an ecosystem engineer: Tengmalm's owl, the stock dove, the greater noctule, the pine marten and numerous saproxylic beetles and fungi depend on them.
From Black Woodpecker
It has expanded its range in the European Mediterranean over recent decades, and studies in Catalonia show that the decisive factor was connectivity between mature woods with trees over 35 cm in diameter.
From Black Woodpecker
It is the largest woodpecker in the British Isles.
It feeds mainly on ants and their grubs, drawn out of the ground on its long sticky tongue.
It lives in open woodland, farmland and parks of the western Palaearctic.