Black Woodpecker

The Black Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker across most of its Eurasian range, a striking all-black bird about the size of a crow. Its size alone helps separate it from smaller pied woodpeckers sharing its forest habitat.

It excavates large, roughly rectangular nest cavities in mature trees, holes later reused by numerous other forest species, and its loud, far-carrying calls and heavy drumming often reveal its presence before it is seen.

• Body: entirely black plumage overall, unlike smaller pied woodpeckers in the same range
• Crown: males show a red cap covering the entire crown from bill to nape; females show red restricted to the nape only
• Bill: pale ivory-colored, contrasting with the black plumage
• Size: notably larger than other European woodpeckers, roughly crow-sized
• Vs. Great Spotted Woodpecker and relatives: the Black Woodpecker's much larger size and entirely black body immediately separate it from the smaller black-and-white pied woodpeckers of the same forests

Males show a full red crown from the bill to the nape, while females have red restricted to a smaller patch on the nape only. Juveniles resemble adults but are duller and browner-black, with young males showing a less extensive red cap. A single annual molt follows breeding.

Found in mature coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forest across much of Europe and northern Asia, favoring old-growth stands with large trees suitable for its oversized nest cavities. It is largely non-migratory, though some individuals may shift locally in severe winters.

Forages heavily on wood-boring insects and ants, often excavating large, deep holes in dead wood or ant-infested logs to reach prey, producing distinctively large excavation debris. It carves out large, roughly rectangular nest cavities in mature trees, which are later used by many other forest species once vacated. Its calls are loud and far-carrying, including a ringing "kluee" note, and its drumming is notably slow and powerful compared to smaller woodpeckers.