Black woodpecker

    Dryocopus martius

Castilian: Picamaderos negro

Catalan: Picot negre

Gallego: Peto negro

Euskera: Okil beltza

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Piciformes

Family: Picidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

It has become seriously threatened by fires and bad forest management policies.

Length / size: 45-57 cm / 64-68 cm

Identification: It is the largest wryneck is all of Europe. Its plumage is completely black except for the pointed red hood in males which in females is reduced to a spot on the nape; its irises are white and its bill is powerful.

Song: Its song is a fast and repetitive "kvi kvi". It also uses its tapping against tree trunks as a call.

Diet: It feeds on termite ants and beetles, which it catches with its long and viscous tongue by using its bill to drill holes in tree trunks; it can also be seen on the ground searching for ants.

Reproduction: It begins in April. The nest is a hole drilled in the wood of an old tree at a high point, which is prepared by both, although the male puts on the finishing touches. Both sexes incubate the eggs, with more work from the male, and feed the chicks, which leave the tree hollow one month after being born.

HABITAT

It depends on vast and mature beech and coniferous forests. In the Pyrenees it occupies mountainous fir, beech and wild pine forests, as well as subalpine black pine forests; in the Cantabrian region it lives in mature and mixed beech forests.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: Its distribution is limited to two concentrations: the Cantabrian Mountains and the Pyrenees.

In Castile and León: Located in the provinces of León and Palencia.

Movements and migrations: Only juveniles make some long-distance movements.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 1000-1500 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of less than 130 breeding pairs.