One of the 7 woodpeckers on WAnimals
Birds · Piciformes · Picidae
Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker
Picoides tridactylus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
A medium-sized woodpecker with only three toes on each foot instead of the four usual in the family, the feature from which it takes its name. It is adapted to the cold: a boreal species that in southern Europe survives only in mountain forests.
Weight
66 g on average
Size
21 cm – 24 cm
Lifespan
5 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- It is one of the very few woodpeckers in the world with only three toes: most woodpeckers have four, arranged zygodactylously.
- It is a glacial relict in southern Europe: its southern populations were left isolated in the mountains as the ice retreated.
- It is a cold-adapted species, which makes it especially vulnerable to warming: modelling projects that it will lose on average 90% of its suitable habitat in the Balkans.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Widely distributed across northern Europe. In the south of the continent it is a glacial relict confined to high mountain forests: in the Balkan peninsula its distribution is limited to those upland habitats
- Birth weight
- Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
- Size at birth
- Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
- Sexual maturity
- 1 year
- Gestation / incubation
- 11-14 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 3-5 eggs per clutch
Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; estudio de modelización de distribución de especies sobre el impacto del cambio climático en los Balcanes (Animals/NCBI, 2024); SEO/BirdLife
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round in boreal and mountain forests
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 48 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridis
Least ConcernBlack Woodpecker
Dryocopus martius
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocoptes medius
Eurasian Wryneck
Jynx torquilla
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos major
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Dryobates minor
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about eurasian three-toed woodpecker.
Comments
Share an experience, a fun fact or a tip for seeing the eurasian three-toed woodpecker.
Be the first to comment.