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Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) — photo 1 of 4
© Francesco Veronesi from Italy CC BY-SA 2.0

Woodpeckers

Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker

Picoides tridactylus

Year-round

How to recognize it

  • 21–24 cm, slightly smaller than the great spotted woodpecker

  • Black-and-white, often looks dark at a glance

  • Male and juveniles with a lemon-yellow crown, no red anywhere

  • White back with black bars; narrow black moustache stripe from the bill

About the species

The Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker has a restrained, slightly строгий look, with no red on the head or under the tail. Its black-and-white pattern reads dark at a glance, and males and young birds show a yellow crown.

It is usually quiet and not very talkative. The everyday call is a soft, short tick or kik, and in the breeding season both adults give a faster drumming burst and low chattering sounds.

It stays in mature coniferous and mixed forests, especially where old, sick, or dead trees are common. It works under bark and in rotten wood for insects, and northern populations may shift south for winter.

Where to find

  • In mature conifer stands and old city woodlands with standing dead spruces, listen for a soft ‘tik’ or a short drumming burst on a trunk.

  • Along pond edges, drainage ditches, and damp low spots, it often feeds on rotten stumps and fallen branches close to the ground.

  • At the edges of burn scars or windthrow patches in urban forests, watch for it working along charred or dying trunks 1–3 meters up.

  • In cooler, hillier cities — especially on spruce-covered slopes and soggy ravines — it stays close to decaying timber, often calling from the canopy.

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