The eastern grey woodpecker, also known as grey-headed woodpecker and mountain gray woodpecker, is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is a resident breeder in eastern Africa. It has a large range and is a fairly common species. No special threats have been recognised and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the bird's conservation status as being of "least concern".
Region
East Africa
Typical Environment
Found from the Horn of Africa south through Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and into Kenya and northern Tanzania. It favors open woodland, acacia savanna, riparian strips, forest edges, and cultivated landscapes with scattered mature trees. In highlands it occurs in montane woodland and forest margins, often near clearings and coffee farms. The species readily uses dead snags for foraging and nesting and avoids dense, closed-canopy rainforest. It adapts well to semi-urban parks and large gardens where old trees persist.
Altitude Range
0–3000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This East African woodpecker specializes in foraging for ants and beetle larvae by hammering into dead wood and probing bark crevices. Males have a small red crown patch, while females lack red on the head, making the pair easy to tell apart. It frequently visits forest edges, farms, and gardens where mature trees remain, and it communicates with sharp calls and drumming. The species is common across much of its range and currently not considered threatened.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
undulating with short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, maintaining territories year-round. It nests in cavities it excavates in dead or decaying wood, with both sexes participating in excavation. Drumming is used to advertise territory and pair bonds, and adults feed chicks with soft-bodied insects.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include sharp, repeated kik or tchik calls and higher series of yelps. Drumming is a short, rapid roll on resonant wood used in place of elaborate song.
