Details
Dryocopus martius
A large black woodpecker of northern Eurasian forests, excavating big cavities that become important shelter for other wildlife.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Lives in mature conifer, deciduous, and mixed forests within large wooded landscapes, using big trees and ant-rich dead wood.
Plumage is black with red on the head. The bill is long and pale, and the bird is much larger than most European woodpeckers.
It gives loud calls and powerful drumming, chiseling trunks and dead wood to reach ants and beetle larvae.
Large ants, beetle larvae, and insects inside dead wood form the main diet, extracted from deep holes with a long tongue.
Large nest cavities are cut into thick trunks. Old holes are reused by owls, ducks, martens, and many other animals.
Globally low-risk, but shortage of mature forest and dead wood can lower local density. It is an important ecosystem engineer.
