Eurasian three-toed woodpecker

The Eurasian three-toed woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker that is found from northern Europe across northern Asia to Japan.

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Distribution

Region

Northern Eurasia

Typical Environment

Occurs throughout the boreal and montane conifer forests of Scandinavia, the Baltic region, across northern Russia and Siberia, and into northeastern China, Korea, and northern Japan. It favors spruce, pine, and larch forests with abundant dead or dying timber. The species is especially numerous in areas recently affected by wildfire or bark beetle outbreaks. In Central and Eastern Europe it is patchy, persisting where old-growth or semi-natural conifer stands remain.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 2200 m

Climate Zone

Continental

Characteristics

Size20–22 cm

Wing Span33–38 cm

Male Weight0.065 kg

Female Weight0.06 kg

Life Expectancy7 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

This medium-sized woodpecker ranges from northern Europe across Siberia to northern Japan, favoring mature conifer forests. It has only three toes (most woodpeckers have four), an adaptation that aids vertical climbing on trunks. It is strongly associated with beetle-infested or fire-killed trees and often increases locally after forest disturbances. Its presence can indicate natural, old-growth or recently disturbed conifer habitats rich in wood-boring insects.

Gallery

Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden

Behaviour

Temperament

quiet, unobtrusive, and moderately territorial

Flight Pattern

undulating with short rapid wingbeats and brief glides

Social Behavior

Usually solitary or in pairs, it maintains territories in mature conifer stands. Pairs excavate a new nest cavity each year in dead or decaying trunks. Clutch size is typically 3–5 eggs, with both sexes sharing incubation and chick rearing. Family groups stay together for a short period after fledging before dispersing.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Vocalizations are soft pik or kik notes and dry rattles. Drumming is relatively slow and even compared to other woodpeckers, often delivered on resonant dead wood.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Eurasian tree sparrow

The Eurasian tree sparrow is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are similarly plumaged, and young birds are a duller version of the adult. This sparrow breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the tree sparrow, and it has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian tree sparrow or German sparrow to differentiate it from the native American tree sparrow. Although several subspecies are recognised, the appearance of this bird varies little across its extensive range.

Eurasian treecreeper

The Eurasian treecreeper or common treecreeper is a small passerine bird also known in the British Isles, where it is the only living member of its genus, simply as treecreeper. It is similar to other treecreepers, and has a curved bill, patterned brown upperparts, whitish underparts, and long stiff tail feathers which help it creep up tree trunks. It can be most easily distinguished from the similar short-toed treecreeper, which shares much of its European range, by its different song.

Eurasian whimbrel

The Eurasian whimbrel, also known as the white-rumped whimbrel in North America, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic Palearctic region and Europe as far south as Scotland. This species and the Hudsonian whimbrel have recently been split, although some taxonomic authorities still consider them to be conspecific.

Eurasian woodcock

The Eurasian woodcock is a medium-small wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It has cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-coloured underparts. Its eyes are set far back on its head to give it 360-degree vision and it probes in the ground for food with its long, sensitive bill, making it vulnerable to cold weather when the ground remains frozen.

Eurasian wren

The Eurasian wren or northern wren is a very small insectivorous bird and the only member of the wren family found in the Old World, specifically in Eurasia and Africa (Maghreb). In Anglophone Europe, it is commonly known simply as the wren. It has a very short tail which is often held erect, a short neck and a relatively long thin bill. It is russet brown above, paler buff-brown below and has a cream buff supercilium. The sexes are alike.