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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing black woodpeckers. These are the largest living woodpeckers found in the Palearctic region. Their common name is appropriate because black woodpeckers are almost completely black in appearance. The only splash of color that betrays this is a tuft of red atop their heads. This red spot is smaller in females than it is in males. In size, black woodpeckers have a 30 inch (76cm) wingspan on average and weigh about 11 ounces (312g). For comparison, they’re about the size of a crow.

Like all woodpeckers, black woodpeckers have strong neck muscles to help absorb the blow of smashing their face against a tree all day. They also have tightly enclosed brains which don’t leave much room for the brain to move around inside the skull. So, no, woodpeckers aren’t flying around with a headache every day of their lives. Black woodpeckers prefer mature forests with tall trees, but they are opportunistic and may utilize fragmented woodlands and fallen trees. Fallen trees are actually quite important to the black woodpecker’s habitat. Like the pileated woodpecker we discussed previously, black woodpeckers smash up rotting, fallen logs to find food. These birds eat insect larvae like beetle grubs as well as carpenter ants. During the winter, they may even dig through snow to find a meal! They don’t migrate to warmer areas meaning they are residents to the region.

Digging into tree bark is not just for finding food, however. Black woodpeckers excavate nests in trees, as well. Black woodpeckers have only one brood per year which consists of three to seven eggs. The eggs are incubated by both parents for fourteen days at which point the chicks hatch. It takes three to four weeks for the chicks to leave the nest and then they’ll stick around a little longer before being driven off their parents territory. While we weren’t able to find any specific information on the lifespan of these birds, when comparing them to their closest relatives, it’s likely they live about a decade in the wild if they can avoid predation.

Black woodpeckers are at their greatest risk for predation while still living in their nest. Martens and other tree climbing mammals can raid black woodpecker nests. They may also be taken by other birds like jackdaws. Adult black woodpeckers may be threatened by birds of prey like owls and hawks. Thankfully, the black woodpecker’s population is stable and may even be increasing in some areas!

These birds are a keystone species. This means that they play a crucial role in how the ecosystem they live in functions. For example, we talked about beavers many years ago and how their construction habits completely change the landscape of where they live. Beavers are another keystone species. Black woodpeckers are important because the holes they excavate, like their nests, are used by many other animals for habitation. Owls, mammals, and even bees use abandoned black woodpecker nests, and without them their lives would be completely changed! Black woodpeckers live from sea level to mountainous areas, so their impact is far-reaching. Here’s an example of how black woodpeckers sound.

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