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Grey-headed Woodpeckers are medium-sized woodpeckers. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. In both sexes, except for a black loral stripe and a fine black moustachial stripe, the head is grey. The difference between the two sexes is that males have a red spot on their forehead, while females don't. Their forehead is grey instead. The chin is creamy, the rest of the front is greyish-buff to creamy; the back is mostly moss-green. Tail and flight feathers are olive-brown. The irises of both sexes are orange-brown. The straight, pointy bill is yellow with a black tip and a black base to the upper mandible. Legs and feet are dark-grey.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Grey-headed Woodpecker is available HERE .

Grey-headed Woodpeckers are a sedentary Eurasian species with a wide range. There are 10 recognized races, 9 of which are found in various parts of Asia (for details see a field guide). Their overall distribution ranges from central Europe and southern Scandinavia in the West through palearctic Asia to far-eastern Asia, up to Hokkaido, Japan, and into South-east Asia (up to Vietnam and parts of Malaysia).

In Europe only the nominate race, "canus", is found. They populate the low mountain ranges of central Europe, from just eastward of Normandy, France, into eastern and southern Europe. They are also present in parts of southern Scandinavia, in southern Norway, Sweden and Finland, via the Baltic states into mid-latitude European Russia. In south-eastern Europe their range extends from the Balkans to near-coastal areas to the East and North of the Black Sea.

Grey-headed Woodpeckers can be found in deciduous forest with lots of dead or decaying trees, often near water, but also in more open environments.

Race "canus"