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Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) German name(s): "Buntspecht" Size: 20-24 cm; wing span: 34-39 cm Body mass: 66-100 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.25-0.28

Europe: Family Group 15 Family Group 15 Table Hoopoe Eurasian Wryneck Eurasian Treecreeper Short-toed Treecreeper Wallcreeper Black Woodpecker European Green Woodpecker Grey-headed Woodpecker Great Spotted Woodpecker Syrian Woodpecker Middle Spotted Woodpecker Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Great Spotted Woodpeckers have an almost all black and white plumage, which is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Male Great Spotted Woodpeckers have an almost all-black back, from forehead to tail, except the nape of the neck, where they have a prominent crimson spot. The frons, sides of the head (apart from a black fringe around the ear coverts, from the black base of the bill to the neck), the chin and much of the chest and belly are off-white to creamy. Only the vent and undertail coverts are red (race "numidus" also has a red chest patch). Apart from a broad white wing bar and prominent white spots on the flight feathers that give the species its name, the wings are black. The tail is also black, with several large white spots on the outer edges. Females are almost identical with males; however, they lack the crimson spot at the nape of the neck, which is black instead. The irises of both sexes are brown. The straight, pointy bill is dark-grey. Legs and feet are grey. Like all other treecreepers and related species they have long toes, with two pointing forward and two backward.

Taxonomy, classification See Great Spotted Woodpecker at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range 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 Great Spotted Woodpecker is available HERE . There are several races of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, with a wide-ranging distribution through mid-latitude Eurasia (for details see, e.g. Wikipedia ). Their total range encompasses almost all of Europe, all of mid-latitude Asia, to the Sakhalin peninsula and most of Japan in the East and large parts of south-eastern Asia, including all of eastern China, except the far South. There are also populations in parts of near-coastal north-western Africa and on some of the Cape Verdian islands. In Europe Great Spotted Woodpeckers of nominate race "major" populate almost the entire continent (including recently again Ireland), except northern Scandinavia and the highest regions of the South-Norwegian mountain range, Greece and most of the Mediterranean islands. Their range extends around most of the Black Sea coastline into the Caucasus mountain range. Race "hispanicus" resides in Iberia. Great Spotted Woodpeckers are at home in a variety of woodlands and forests, often - especially in winter - with conifers. During the winter they can also often be found in parks and gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "major" M. Thomas reports spotting Great Spotted Woodpeckers, race "major", in the township of Eltville, Hessen, Germany, in January 2013. D. Wilczynska reports finding Great Spotted Woodpeckers, race "major", semi-regularly in the area from Ostrow Mazowiecka to Brok, Masovia, Poland. M. Eaton found Great Spotted Woodpeckers, race "major", at Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, in September 2019. H. Dahlem-Senger spotted Great Spotted Woodpeckers, race "major", near Oberkirch, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in September 2020. Others were spotted in or near Eltville, Hessen, Germany, in April 2021, and again in May 2025. Yet another was found at Aurich, Ostfriesland, Germany, in June 2021. Race "hispanicus" J. Pires reports finding Great Spotted Woodpeckers, race "hispanicus", semi-regularly in the area around Mora, Evora, Portugal. Race "pinetorum" G. Normand found a Great Spotted Woodpecker, race "pinetorum?", in Budapest, Hungary, in March 2019.

Photos

Race "major"

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Male Great Spotted Woodpeckers, left, have a crimson spot at the back of their head; in females the back of the head is black.

MALE

Frontal/ventral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, August 2016]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Biebrza NP, Poland, May 2017]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Lateral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker foraging for wood-boring grubs; note the characteristic crimson spot on the nape of the neck (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, August 2016]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Biebrza NP, Poland, May 2017]

Dorsal view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Dorsal view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, March 2019]

Dorsal/ventral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

FEMALE

Near-lateral/ventral view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, April 2019]

Near-lateral view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker; note the black back of the head (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, April 2019]

Lateral view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, April 2019]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, April 2021]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Dorsal view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, April 2019]

Dorsal view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Race "hispanicus"

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Male Great Spotted Woodpeckers, left, have a crimson spot at the back of their head; in females the back of the head is black.

Frontal/dorsal view of a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, male at upper left (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, December 2025]

MALE

Full-frontal view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker; the bird has been sexed based on other photos (below) showing its scarlet-red spot on the nape of the neck; note the bifurcated tail that provides sideways stability when used as a prop
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Divor River, Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Lateral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Divor River, Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Lateral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Divor River, Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Lateral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Divor River, Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Lateral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Divor River, Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Lateral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Divor River, Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Divor River, Mora, Evora, Portugal, December 2022]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker looking backwards (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Divor River, Mora, Evora, Portugal, December 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Divor River, Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

FEMALE

Near-lateral view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Parque Regional del Sureste, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain, December 2019]

Dorsal view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker looking towards the observer hindneck (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Parque Regional del Sureste, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain, December 2019]

Dorsal view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker - note the all-black hindneck (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Parque Regional del Sureste, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain, December 2019]

Race "pinetorum?"

ADULT

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo courtesy of G. Normand)
[Budapest, Hungary, March 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Mar - July

Eggs: 4 - 6

Incubation period: 10 - 12 days

Fledging age: 20 - 23 days

The breeding season depends on geographic latitude.

Nest building: Male & female

Incubation: Male & female

Dependent care: Male & female

Nest

Type: Tree hollow

Material: Unlined or wood chips

Height above ground: 0.3 - 8 m

View into the nest hollow of a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2014]

Eggs

Size: 27 x 20 mm

Colour: Glossy white

Shape: Elliptical

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary

Only when cone crops fail in the north-eastern part of their European range, Great Spotted Woodpeckers will migrate south-westward within their core range.

Female Great Spotted Woodpecker doing what woodpeckers do, sending wood chips flying (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Saint Minver, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Food, Diet

Great Spotted Woodpeckers feed primarily on wood-boring grubs.

Lateral view of a female Great Spotted Woodpecker taking a grub (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil Dam, Ponte de Sor, Evora, Portugal, October 2021]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

gswoodp_dw_20160806.m4a	major (Poland)	Contact calls? (male)	© DW
gswoodp_dw_20160806_2.m4a	major (Poland)	Contact calls? (Q&A)	© DW
gswoodp_dw_20190428.m4a	major (Poland)	Contact calls? (female)	© DW
gswoodp_jp_20251109.m4a	hispanus (Portugal)	Contact calls?	© JP
gswoodp_jp_20240713.m4a	hispanus (Portugal)	Contact calls?	© JP
gswoodp_jp_20201030.m4a	hispanus (Portugal)	Contact calls?	© JP
gswoodp_jp_20250206_2.m4a	hispanus (Portugal)	Contact calls?	© JP
gswoodp_jp_20251128.m4a	hispanus (Portugal)	Contact calls?	© JP
gswoodp_jp_20200824.m4a	hispanus (Portugal)	?	© JP
gswoodp_jp_20190606.m4a	hispanus (Portugal)	Pecking	© JP
gswoodp_jp_20250206.m4a	hispanus (Portugal)	Pecking	© JP
gswoodp_jp_20190606_2.m4a	hispanus (Portugal)	Pecking (+ other species)	© JP

More Great Spotted Woodpecker sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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