A striking woodpecker found across parts of Europe and Asia, especially in older forests with plenty of dead or decaying trees. It is larger than many spotted woodpeckers and has a bold black-and-white pattern, but its most important feature is the pale white area on its lower back, which gives the bird its name. Males usually have a red crown, while females have a dark crown, and both have a reddish area under the tail. Compared with the great spotted woodpecker, the white-backed woodpecker often looks a little bigger, longer-billed, and more strongly tied to wild, mature forests.
One thing that makes the white-backed woodpecker different from many other woodpeckers is its close connection to dead wood. While some woodpeckers can live in parks, gardens, and young woodlands, this species depends much more on old forests where fallen trunks, dead branches, and rotting trees are common. These places are full of beetle larvae and other insects hiding inside soft wood. The white-backed woodpecker uses its strong bill to dig into decaying wood and pull out food that many other birds cannot reach. In this way, it is a specialist of forests that are allowed to grow old and natural.
The white-backed woodpecker is also important because it helps other forest animals. When it digs nesting holes in trees, those holes may later be used by small owls, tits, nuthatches, bats, or insects. Its feeding holes also open up dead wood, making it easier for other creatures to use. This makes the bird a kind of forest builder, even though it is simply searching for food and shelter. It is usually shy and not as easy to see as some common woodpeckers, but its presence can be a sign of a healthy forest with rich natural life.
Distribution
Albania
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia And Herz.
Bulgaria
China
Croatia
Czechia
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Korea
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Moldova
Mongolia
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Korea
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Turkey
UkraineAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
