Syrian Woodpecker
[order] PICIFORMES | [family] Picidae | [latin] Dendrocopos syriacus | [UK] Syrian Woodpecker | [FR] Pic syriaque | [DE] Blutspecht | [ES] Pico sirio | [NL] Syrische Bonte Specht
Subspecies
| Genus | Species | subspecies | Breeding Range | Breeding Range 2 | Non Breeding Range |
| Dendrocopos | syriacus | EU | se Europe to s Iran | ||
| Dendrocopos | syriacus | milleri | se Iran | ||
| Dendrocopos | syriacus | syriacus | se Europe to Turkey sw Iran | ||
| Dendrocopos | syriacus | transcaucasicus | Transcaucasia and n Iran |
Physical charateristics
Unmistakable with its black and white plumage, white cheeks, and pinkish-red rump. 21-24 cm, 65-80 g, wingspan 34-40 cm. Nominate race has upperparts black with whitish patches on cheeks, neck flanks, and lesser wing-coverts, red nape, and medium sized, blackish-pink bill. Undertail coverts pinkish-red.
Sexes alike but female less the red patch on nape. Races vary mainly in size, and depth of coloration.
Sexes alike but female less the red patch on nape. Races vary mainly in size, and depth of coloration.
Listen to the sound of Syrian Woodpecker
[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/S/Syrian Woodpecker.mp3]
Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto
| wingspan min.: | 34 | cm | wingspan max.: | 39 | cm |
| size min.: | 22 | cm | size max.: | 23 | cm |
| incubation min.: | 9 | days | incubation max.: | 14 | days |
| fledging min.: | 23 | days | fledging max.: | 14 | days |
| broods: | 1 | eggs min.: | 4 | ||
| eggs max.: | 7 |
Range
Eurasia : Southeast Europe to South Iran
Habitat
Forests and woodlands, both coniferous and deciduous, with trunks exceeding 25 cm in diameter. Parks and gardens in towns, orchards. looks for food on evergreens but does not nest in them.
Reproduction
Egg laying in April to June. The nest is dug in the trunk or a thick branch, and is over 20 cm across, sometimes in an old nest, up to 6 m above the ground. Often, a number of nesting holes are found in one tree, recorded that sometimes, woodpeckers breeding there over a long period. The male is the main carver. The entrance is 4-5 cm in diameter. From the entrance, a burrow extends toward the center of the trunk, and after 10-15 cm it widens and turns downward. This section is 25-40 cm long and 7-11 cm across. There is no lining in the nest, other than wood shavings. 4 eggs, incubation 11-12 days, by both parents during the day, and only by male at night.
Feeding habits
Diet based on insects also Arthropods, sometimes fatty seeds, primarily walnuts and almonds.
Notable among the birds of Israel for its ability to move vertically on a tree trunk. It surveys the bark while climbing, knocking with its beak, locating prey by the insectes sound. When it locates an insect, it hits the bark strongly, exposes the insect and pulls it out with its long tongue.
Nuts, walnuts and almonds are cracked at a fixed perch. Underneath these stations a lot of shells accumulate, and various of passeriformes visit the place to feed on the crumbs.
Notable among the birds of Israel for its ability to move vertically on a tree trunk. It surveys the bark while climbing, knocking with its beak, locating prey by the insectes sound. When it locates an insect, it hits the bark strongly, exposes the insect and pulls it out with its long tongue.
Nuts, walnuts and almonds are cracked at a fixed perch. Underneath these stations a lot of shells accumulate, and various of passeriformes visit the place to feed on the crumbs.
Conservation
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be increasing, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Migration
Resident in Central and Eastern European zone, has recently expanded breeding range westward.
Distribution map
