Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: Grey-headed Woodpecker
- Scientific name: Picus canus, Dendropicos spodocephalus, Eastern gray woodpecker, Grey-headed woodpecker
- Classification: Climbing birds
- Genus and family: Order Piliformes, Family Piliidae, Genus *Grey Woodpecker*
Vital signs data
- Body length: 26-32 cm
- Weight: 105-159g
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
Distribution and Habitat
The Grey-headed Woodpecker is distributed in Albania, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, North Korea, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam.
The Grey-headed Woodpecker is distributed in the eastern, central, and southern provinces and regions of China, including Northeast China, North China, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Tibet, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Gansu, Southwest China, East China, South China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Hainan Island.
It mainly inhabits low mountain broad-leaved forests and mixed forests, and also appears in secondary forests and forest edges, but rarely in primary coniferous forests. In autumn and winter, it often appears in sparse forests along roadsides and farmland edges, and also frequently ventures into small woodlands near villages.
Appearance
The male has a greyish-black forehead with a reddish-brown crown and a greyish-black or dark grey crown with black shaft streaks on the back of the head, nape, and nape. The lores are black, the supercilium is greyish-white, the ear coverts and sides of the neck are grey, and the malar stripe is broad and distinctly black. The back and upper wing coverts are olive-green, while the rump and upper tail coverts are yellowish-green. The central tail feathers are olive-brown with greyish-white semi-circular spots on each web, the tips of which are black, and the shafts are glossy black. The outer tail feathers are dark brown with dark horizontal bars. The primary flight feathers are black with white square horizontal bars on the outer webs and white horizontal bars at the base of the inner webs. The outer webs of the secondary flight feathers are tinged with olive-yellow, and the white spots are indistinct. The underparts are greyish-white on the chin, throat, and foreneck, greyish-green on the breast, belly, and flanks, and greyish-green on the undertail coverts with grass-green tips. The female has a dark greyish forehead to crown with black shaft streaks and tips, otherwise similar to the male. The male juvenile has a greyish-brown bill base, a red forehead with a nearly circular patch and orange-yellow feather edges. The crown is dark greyish-green with pale black spots on the feather shafts; the sides of the head to the nape are dark grey; the flanks, lower abdomen to the undertail coverts are greyish-white with pale black spots and bars. Otherwise, it is the same as the adult. The iris is red, the bill is greyish-black, and the legs and toes are greyish-green or brownish-green.
Size measurements: Weight: ♂ 120-159 g, ♀ 105-150 g; Body length: ♂ 265-311 mm, ♀ 273-321 mm; Bill length: ♂ 29-40 mm, ♀ 31-40 mm; Wing length: ♂ 133-150 mm, ♀ 138-153 mm; Tail length: ♂ 91-123 mm, ♀ 90-121 mm; Tarsus length: ♂ 24-30 mm, ♀ 25-32 mm. (Note: ♂ male; ♀ female)
Detailed introduction
The grey-headed woodpecker, scientifically known as Picus canus or Dendropicos spodocephalus, is also called the Eastern grey woodpecker or Grey-headed woodpecker. It has 11 subspecies.
Grey-headed woodpeckers are usually solitary or in pairs, rarely in flocks. They fly swiftly, moving in a wave-like pattern. They often forage on the lower and middle parts of tree trunks, and also frequently on the ground, especially on fallen logs and anthills. They rarely sing, and their call is simple, consisting of only a single syllable, 'ga-ga-'. However, during the breeding season, their calls become very frequent and loud, with longer and more varied tones, sounding like 'gao-gao-gao'.
The Grey-headed Woodpecker primarily feeds on insects such as ants, bark beetles, longhorn beetle larvae, and insects belonging to the orders Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera. When foraging, it often spirals upwards from the base of tree trunks, then flies to the base of another tree to continue its search. It uses its long tongue to hook out pests that are under the bark or have burrowed into the wood. Occasionally, it also eats plant fruits and seeds, such as wild grapes, red pine nuts, yellow pine cones, and grass seeds.
The Grey-headed Woodpecker's breeding season is from April to June. Pairs appear as early as April, their calls increase, they chase each other, and emit a "cawing" sound. They nest in tree cavities, which are jointly dug by both parents. They build a new nest each year and generally do not reuse old nests. Nesting sites are typically chosen in mixed forests, broad-leaved forests, secondary forests, or forest edges on decaying broad-leaved trees such as ash, aspen, chokecherry, oak, and elm. The nest is 2.7-11 meters above the ground, with a round or oval entrance, 5-6 cm in diameter, an internal diameter of 13-15 cm, and a depth of 27-42 cm. There is no lining inside the nest. They breed once a year, with egg-laying beginning in early May. Each clutch contains 8-11 eggs, most commonly 9-10. The eggs are milky white, smooth, and spotless, oval in shape, measuring 28.5-30.7 mm × 21-22.9 mm, with an average of 29.5 mm × 21.6 mm, and weighing 6.5 grams. Incubation begins only after all eggs have been laid, and is undertaken by both parents alternately for 12-13 days. The chicks are altricial, and both parents participate in raising them. Initially, they spend more time warming the chicks and feed them less frequently, often entering the nest to feed them. Later, they stop warming the chicks and feed them more often, standing at the entrance of the nest and sticking their heads inside to feed them. After 23-24 days of feeding, the chicks are ready to fly and leave the nest.
Listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012 ver 3.1.
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