Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker

Picoides tridactylus (Linnaeus, 1758)

21–22 cmLength66 gWeight

This black-and-white woodpecker has no red feathers and a yellow crown in the male.

Busiest months: May · Most records: China, Finland, Kazakhstan

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male has a yellow crown
White from throat to belly
White back with black barring
Black wings and rump

Male, female and young

The male has a yellow crown; juveniles of both sexes have yellow crowns.

Voice

Calls are “kik” or “chik”.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May · Most records: China, Finland, Kazakhstan

Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker has been recorded at 82 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 15 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Urqihan [General Area]China73 records
Baizha ForestChina36 records
Wawu Mountain – Summit [2800m]China34 records

More places

Wawu Mountain [General Area]China26 records
Raahe – PattijokisuuFinland21 records
SkatuddenSweden21 records
Ile Alatau NP – Big Almaty LakeKazakhstan21 records
Maridalen – uspesifisertNorway19 records
Pyhäjoki – Parhalahti lintutorniFinland19 records
Ile-Alatau NPKazakhstan14 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Finland Kazakhstan Norway Sweden Mongolia Russia Montenegro

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

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

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker?

The Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker is about 21–22 cm long and weighs around 66 g.

Where does the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: widespread. It is most often recorded in China, Finland and Kazakhstan.

When is the best time to see the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker as Least Concern.

What does the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker in?

It belongs to the family Woodpeckers (Picidae), order Piciformes.

At a glance

Length: 21–22 cm
Weight: 66 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 123 mm
Tail: 82 mm
Bill: 31 mm
Tarsus: 20 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 4

Picoides tridactylus tridactylus n Europe to the s Ural Mts. to se Siberia and ne China
Picoides tridactylus tianschanicus e Kazakhstan and w China
Picoides tridactylus kurodai ne China and n Korean Pen.
Picoides tridactylus funebris c China