Woodpeckers of the World

Tuesday, 21 September 2021

Eurasian Green Woodpecker - close-up

Eurasian Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) close-up. Hungary, September 2021. Image by Gerard Gorman. This is a female, note the all-black malar stripe (sometimes called moustache). Males have red.

Wednesday, 11 August 2021

British Birds magazine - woodpecker content

The August 2021 volume of British Birds magazine has two articles focusing on woodpeckers - Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Eurasian Wryneck.

Tuesday, 20 April 2021

Eurasian Wryneck

Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla). Hungary, April 2021. This migratory picid is back from its wintering quarters. Photo by Gerard Gorman.

Thursday, 8 April 2021

Black Woodpecker with some brown plumage.

Sometimes Black Woodpeckers (Dryocopus martius) have some brown feathers. The reason for this has still not been satisfactorily explained.

Thursday, 8 October 2020

I'm delighted to announce that my new book is now published. The Green Woodpecker: a monograph on Picus viridis is available from amazon on-line stores. Gerard Gorman.

Saturday, 22 August 2020

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), Ocsa ringing/banding camp, Hungary, August 2020.

Background

Woodpeckers, the Picidae, are Piciformes, an order that includes some of the oldest avian lineages. The Piciformes probably originated about 60 million years ago in the Tertiary period and became distinct from their closest relatives some 50 million years ago. Depending upon which taxonomy is followed, and the fact that the status of some species is unclear, around 240-260 woodpecker species probably exist globally. The Picidae includes three subfamilies: Jynginae (wrynecks), Picumninae (piculets) and the Picinae, the “true woodpeckers”. In terms of size, behaviour, distribution and the habitats they use, the Picinae are a fairly diverse group of birds with six distinct tribes. They are widespread and found from sea-level to high-altitudes but absent from the Arctic, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar and some other islands. Worldwide woodpeckers are usually, but not exclusively, associated with trees.