Black woodpecker

Dryocopus martius

Natura 2000

Black woodpecker — Photo: Luchsvet, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons

About

The Black woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in Europe and a common inhabitant of the old forests of the Carpathians. It lives in beech, fir, and spruce forests from the foothills to the upper tree line in all Carpathian countries, but requires old thick trees.

The bird is the size of a crow, entirely black, with light eyes and a light beak. The male has a completely red crown, while the female has only a small spot on the nape. Its voice is loud: in flight, it produces a ringing "kri-kri-kri," and while sitting on a tree, it emits a prolonged mournful "klie." In spring, woodpeckers drum loudly with their beaks on dry trunks.

The woodpecker primarily feeds on ants, especially wood ants, as well as the larvae of bark beetles and longhorn beetles, which it excavates from the bark and wood. The excavated pieces of bark and deep elongated holes in old stumps and trunks are characteristic signs of its feeding.

The woodpecker carves out a new cavity every year, at a height of several meters in a thick, usually beech or fir trunk. The entrance is oval, elongated upwards. Old woodpecker cavities are true apartments for the forest: they are occupied by the long-eared owl, owls, blue pigeons, bats, and martens.

The Black woodpecker is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine; in the EU, it is included in Annex I of the Birds Directive.

Where in the Carpathians

fewermore9 631 records in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries: Slovakia · Czechia · Hungary · Poland · Romania · Ukraine · Austria · Serbia · BG
Mountain ranges: Börzsöny and Cserhát, Volovec Mountains, Moravian-Silesian Beskids, Bükk, Silesian Beskids, High Tatras, Żywiec Beskids, Slovak Ore Mountains, Skole Beskids, Little Carpathians
Altitude belts: Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sightings

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine; in the EU — Annex I of the Birds Directive.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ

What is the largest woodpecker in the Carpathians?

The Black woodpecker is a bird the size of a crow, black with a red cap. It lives in old forests from the foothills to the tree line.

Who carves large oval cavities in Carpathian beeches?

Most often, it is the Black woodpecker. Its old cavities are later occupied by owls, blue pigeons, bats, and martens.

Similar species

Red Data Book of UkraineIn season nowUral owlStrix uralensisA large gray owl with a round head and long tail, the Ural owl is a resident of the old beech forests of the Carpathians.

In season nowSpotted nutcrackerNucifraga caryocatactesA brown bird with white spots of the spruce forests that hides thousands of nuts and seeds of the cedar pine — and thus plants the forest.

Red squirrelSciurus vulgarisA common inhabitant of the Carpathian forests. Many squirrels here have dark, almost black fur with a white belly.

Where to meet it

Trails and peaks near which naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, iNaturalist), matched by altitude and habitat. Sightings are not guaranteed.

Sources

GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Distribution data: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY records), iNaturalist; names and identifiers: Wikidata (CC0). Text: Karpaty.rocks, checked 09.11.2026.