Grey-Headed Woodpecker

Picus canus

Also known as: Gray-Headed Woodpecker, Grey-Faced Woodpecker, Gray-Faced Woodpecker

About This Species

Listen first for its distinctive laughing call and steady drumming on dead wood, then look for a grey-headed bird working along trunks and lower branches in open woodland or forest edges. Unlike many woodpeckers it spends real time foraging on the ground, probing for ants in short grass and clearings. Late winter into spring, during peak drumming and calling activity, is the most reliable window.

Ethical Viewing Guidelines

Keep a reasonable distance and let the bird continue its foraging route rather than approaching a drumming tree directly, since disturbance during the breeding season can cause nest abandonment.
Many woodpecker species are protected under national wildlife laws in parts of its Eurasian range, though the specifics vary by country, so check local rules if a nest cavity is involved.
Avoid tapping on trees to imitate drumming, which can provoke unnecessary territorial responses.

LCAvesPiciformesPicidae

Seasonal Activity

324,100 sightings · 2000–2026

Citizen science records via GBIF

All monthsThis month

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae

Photo

CC-BY-NC-4.0

Occurrence data from GBIF.