Fun Gray Woodpecker Facts For Kids

Is reading about different birds of the world your hobby? Then you will enjoy these gray woodpecker facts a lot.

The gray woodpecker, of the Picidae family, is a species of wild bird found in north, south, central Europe, and central-eastern Asia. They have a unique gray head and a yellowish-green body. The male in the species also has a red crown over the back of the head which differentiates them from a female of their species.

It has a black sharp bill or beak for pecking and drumming. Their diet is omnivorous including insects and berries. Gray-headed woodpeckers are known for their beautiful variety of colors that it displays throughout its body, especially belly and wings.

In fact, the belly and the wings are the most attractive part of the bird. To know more, keep on reading.

If you like reading about various birds, then check out golden-fronted woodpecker facts and pale-billed woodpecker facts.

Gray Woodpecker Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a gray woodpecker?

The gray woodpecker or the gray-headed woodpecker is a type of bird.

What class of animal does a gray woodpecker belong to?

The gray woodpecker belongs to the class Aves.

How many gray woodpeckers are there in the world?

According to the last survey done in 2016, the number of these birds living in the world alive is 900,000-1,900,000 mature individuals.

Where does a gray woodpecker live?

These gray woodpeckers are found extensively throughout north, south, and central Europe in countries like France, Turkey, Italy, Urals, and some parts of the Scandinavian countries in the steppe regions. In Asia, they are found in the range of the Pacific coast, Hokkaido, parts of India, the Korean peninsula, and Sakhalin.

What is a gray woodpecker's habitat?

Gray woodpeckers are very particular about their habitat choice. They prefer mixed forests like coniferous, deciduous, or half-open orchards with a good proportion of dead trees available for them to feast on the insects that then live on those dead trees.

Who do gray woodpeckers live with?

Most woodpecker species live in isolation, but in some species, they also live in groups or flocks. However, most species of woodpecker birds of the world are monogamous, thus the male and female live in pairs once they mate.

How long does a gray woodpecker live?

In the wild, the gray woodpecker has a very short lifespan of four to five years.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season for the gray woodpecker living in north, south, and central Europe and central-eastern Asia is in May. Female birds lay about 5-10 eggs each year. Both the parents help in incubation. In 15-17 days the eggs hatch with young ones and after 24-25 days they fledge.

What is their conservation status?

According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red-List of Threatened Species, the gray woodpecker (Picus canus) has been listed as of Least Concern with a stable increasing population.

These birds of the world have a wide distribution and a stable increasing population, in some parts due to habitat loss and isolation, spotting and recording the birds have become a task.

Gray Woodpecker Fun Facts

What do gray woodpeckers look like?

Both males and females have a gray face or head with a yellowish-green upper body and belly along with brown wings and tail and a red rump. They also have a slight black mustache over their brown to black beak, their legs are greenish-gray and their eyes are brown or red.

Males have a red crown over and back of the head is the only difference from the female birds.

How cute are they?

Gray woodpeckers can be considered quite cute and adorable little birds. However, they might appear cute but they can be quite aggressive amongst each other as they are very territorial. They don't attack humans unless we pose a threat to them.

How do they communicate?

Gray woodpeckers, like all woodpeckers, follow a unique communication system called drumming. Eastern gray woodpeckers have a beautiful melodic territorial call. It uses different pitches and range calls to show different emotions.

How big is a gray woodpecker?

Gray woodpeckers aren't the largest of the family, genus, or species. They are quite small in size with a body length between the range of 9.8-10.2 in (24.8-26 cm) and a wingspan of around 15-16 in (38-40.6 cm). They are bigger than a regular house sparrow.

Downy woodpeckers are the smallest and gray woodpeckers are three times bigger than them.

How fast can a gray woodpecker fly?

Gray woodpeckers are not very fast flyers, they are actually ground woodpeckers and often descend on the ground in search of insects. Their exact flying speed is not known but they can peck at a speed of 20 times per second.

How much does a gray woodpecker weigh?

Both males and females amongst the gray woodpecker species weigh about 4.4 oz (124.7 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no separate names given for male and female gray woodpeckers.

What would you call a baby gray woodpecker?

Baby woodpeckers are often referred to as chicks or young ones, like other birds of the world.

What do they eat?

Gray woodpecker birds are omnivores. They love preying on large and small insects that are found in dead trees barks. Their diet mostly includes caterpillars, spiders, flies, insect larvae, maggots, and many more. They also enjoy eating fruit and flower nectar during the winter season to stay warm and suffice the shortage of insects.

Are they dangerous?

No, these woodpecker species that are widespread in the north, south, and central Europe and central-eastern Asia are not at all dangerous for humans. If you go near their nest cavity then they might try to bluff an attack by flying very quickly but will not actually harm you. They might attack if their newborn is threatened.

Would they make a good pet?

Keeping a woodpecker as a pet is actually illegal as they are wild birds and do not belong in domestic households. However, you can give care to an injured woodpecker if you ever come across one. Also, keeping woodpeckers as a pet would be a nightmare with their constant annoying drumming and occasional very loud and melodic territorial calls.

Did you know...

Gray woodpecker predators include snakes, wild cats, rats, large birds like eagles or vultures and foxes are among the many.

Woodpecker bird is very scared of owls and hawks. So, placing a decoy of these birds on your roof will make sure your house is woodpecker-free.

Costs and benefits of woodpeckers

Woodpecker birds can be an eminent part of the ecosystem and forests need them as much they need the forest to survive. Woodpeckers help to remove most of the insect infestation from trees.

Woodpeckers are illegal to sell in the pet trade but the implied value of each pair is nearly $10,550 per year for 400 pairs of woodpeckers.

What are woodpeckers attracted to?

Woodpeckers are very much attracted to peanuts, acorns, sunflower seeds, berries, mealworms, and many such items that are a major part of their diet. To attract woodpeckers put out their choice of seeds or food in a feeder. They are also attracted to houses with metal siding, gutters, chimneys, vents, or any wood house to practice their drumming.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these golden bowerbird facts and golden-breasted starling facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Gray woodpecker coloring pages.