The black woodpecker is one of the largest members of the woodpecker ‘family’. The length of its body can reach 50 centimeters. It weighs, on average, 300 grams. The male has shinier looking plumage in comparison to the female. The former is also distinguished by its red crown and forehead, while only the top of a female’s head is that color.
Its beak is bulky-looking, straight and yellowish-grey. It has a slim body, a long tail, rounded wings with a span of 70 to 80 centimeters and a thin neck. The bird’s’ eyes are large with white or yellow irises. Its legs are bluish-grey in color. Natural habitats of black woodpeckers include northern parts of Japan and of the Korean peninsula as well as some other northern regions of Asia, such as Sakhalin, the Caucasus, Siberia and the Kamchatka Peninsula.
These birds lead solitary lifestyles and tend to stick to their territory. They do migrate elsewhere for a relatively short period during winter months. Black woodpeckers build their nests in coniferous and deciduous woods with very tall trees. Sometimes one can come across these birds in places inhabited by humans. They are not afraid of people and may choose parks as their homes. Black woodpeckers prefer hollows in dead or sick trees.
Their noisiness distinguishes them from other types of woodpeckers. One can hear these birds throughout the entire year and not only during the mating season. They produce rhythmic and drumming sounds. Black woodpeckers leave their habitat and travel elsewhere in autumn and winter. They have a primarily animal-based diet. These birds eat larvae, caterpillars, ants, beetles and other insects. One of their distinguishing characteristics is that they consume large amounts of food. Over the course of one day, it can eat approximately 450 different insects. In winter, when it becomes harder to find such food, black woodpeckers consume seeds of coniferous trees, berries and fruit.
Their tongues are not as long as those of other types of woodpeckers. Still, these birds do not let their food escape owing to their sticky saliva and tongues covered in bristles bent inwards.
Black woodpeckers stay with their partners only during their mating season — at the beginning of spring. They reach sexual maturity right by their first birthday. It is customary for the male to peck loudly at trees when it starts looking for a partner. After they mate, the couple settle in a tree hollow. These birds may chose to live in an abode that was previously used by either of them. But most often than not, other birds take over such hollows, and the couple is forced to build a new home. The male is responsible for constructing a new abode and making it comfortable. The work takes approximately 15 days. During this period, the female remains nearby, she does not venture far. The depth of a finished hollow may reach 60 cm, while the diameter of the opening can be 17 centimeters. Unlike many other types of birds, black woodpeckers do not line the bottom of their homes with a soft covering. As a rule, one clutch consists of around 5 white, elongated eggs that the female incubates for two weeks. Once their offspring are born, the parents take turns feeding them for the next four weeks. During this period, the young birds become self-sufficient enough to leave their nests and lead their own lives. Over the course of one more week, the parents teach their offspring to locate food, find their bearings and then chase them away from their territory.
Its beak is bulky-looking, straight and yellowish-grey. It has a slim body, a long tail, rounded wings with a span of 70 to 80 centimeters and a thin neck. The bird’s’ eyes are large with white or yellow irises. Its legs are bluish-grey in color. Natural habitats of black woodpeckers include northern parts of Japan and of the Korean peninsula as well as some other northern regions of Asia, such as Sakhalin, the Caucasus, Siberia and the Kamchatka Peninsula.
These birds lead solitary lifestyles and tend to stick to their territory. They do migrate elsewhere for a relatively short period during winter months. Black woodpeckers build their nests in coniferous and deciduous woods with very tall trees. Sometimes one can come across these birds in places inhabited by humans. They are not afraid of people and may choose parks as their homes. Black woodpeckers prefer hollows in dead or sick trees.
Their noisiness distinguishes them from other types of woodpeckers. One can hear these birds throughout the entire year and not only during the mating season. They produce rhythmic and drumming sounds. Black woodpeckers leave their habitat and travel elsewhere in autumn and winter. They have a primarily animal-based diet. These birds eat larvae, caterpillars, ants, beetles and other insects. One of their distinguishing characteristics is that they consume large amounts of food. Over the course of one day, it can eat approximately 450 different insects. In winter, when it becomes harder to find such food, black woodpeckers consume seeds of coniferous trees, berries and fruit.
Their tongues are not as long as those of other types of woodpeckers. Still, these birds do not let their food escape owing to their sticky saliva and tongues covered in bristles bent inwards.
Black woodpeckers stay with their partners only during their mating season — at the beginning of spring. They reach sexual maturity right by their first birthday. It is customary for the male to peck loudly at trees when it starts looking for a partner. After they mate, the couple settle in a tree hollow. These birds may chose to live in an abode that was previously used by either of them. But most often than not, other birds take over such hollows, and the couple is forced to build a new home. The male is responsible for constructing a new abode and making it comfortable. The work takes approximately 15 days. During this period, the female remains nearby, she does not venture far. The depth of a finished hollow may reach 60 cm, while the diameter of the opening can be 17 centimeters. Unlike many other types of birds, black woodpeckers do not line the bottom of their homes with a soft covering. As a rule, one clutch consists of around 5 white, elongated eggs that the female incubates for two weeks. Once their offspring are born, the parents take turns feeding them for the next four weeks. During this period, the young birds become self-sufficient enough to leave their nests and lead their own lives. Over the course of one more week, the parents teach their offspring to locate food, find their bearings and then chase them away from their territory.
