Range

Black woodpeckers are found across Europe and Asia. Here they are found in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, Korea, Republic of, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.

Habitat

They make their home in forests which are not overly dense. In parts of their range they make use of the forest edge. They are dependent on large trees such as pine, oak and beech trees.

Reproduction

Mating takes place from mid-January with egg laying occurring from mid-March to mid-May.

A nest is created in a cavity which is pecked in to the trunk of a dead tree. This will be created each year by a breeding pair and they then abandon this which provides a valuable habitat for other bird species. The base of the nest may be covered with woodchips and it may take as much as 2 weeks to incubate.

Up to six eggs will be laid in this nest and both parents work together on incubating the eggs for 12-14 days.

At hatching the chicks are unfeathered and helpless. They are reliant o the parents bringing them food. They will spend a month in the nest being care for by the parents.. After fledging they remain with their parents for another month.

Behavior

Pairs may remain together outside the breeding season. They separate by a short distance to feed though remain in vocal contact during this time.

When perched or landing their primary call sounds like “ke-yaa” and in flight they make a "krry-krry-krry" call.

Black woodpeckers maintain a home territory which is highly variable in size based on the availability of food. Their habitat may be shared with other species of woodpecker.

They move along the ground using a clumsy hopping motion.

Predators and Threats

Black woodpeckers are affected by humans primarily due to the logging and habitat destruction. They are reliant on dead trees for habitat and if these are removed they struggle to survive.

Their wide range means a large number of these animals remain.

Quick facts

The black woodpecker is part Finnish folklore. It is believed that if the woodpecker pecks your house someone within will soon pass away.

Another tale was that if you picked your teeth with a toothpick made from the tongue of a woodpecker it would make a toothache go away.