Scientific name:
Drycopus martius

Natural spread:
Europe, Asia

co 46-50 cm of total-length and approximately 300 g weight is the black-woodpecker the biggest native woodpecker. its brood-area stretches whole Eurasia over the restrained areas. As far as on the red head-upper side ("vertexes") of the males and the small, triangular red mop of hair of the rear-head of the females, black-woodpeckers are befiedert fully black and, to hardly confuse with any other bird. it strengthens, 6 cm long beak is sallow with dark top. In the flight, black-woodpeckers differ in its long neck and the pointed tail of raven-birds. its flight is not undulating like with the other woodpeckers.

Way of life Originally black-woodpeckers lived in old foliage-wood-continuances where they from-chisel its big brood-cave in high beeches and other big foliage-trees in 6-10 m of height. In newer time, these woodpeckers stretched also in Mischwäldern and forest-like strongly used softwood-continuances. The brood-caves often are cleared also in strong, healthy wood of both alto-birds; the entrance-hole is oblong (8 x 10-12 cm) and leads into them until Nistkammer deep and 20 cm wide to 60 cm. On the occasion of also is big caves 1 m deep. Black-woodpeckers admittedly sometimes nest consecutively in the same tree-cave several years, builds a new nest normally every year, however. For other bird-types - owls -, Dohlen, ducks and other cave-breeders, are black-woodpecker-caves welcome Nistmöglichkeiten.

The ground of the brood-cave is padded by the woodpeckers not particularly, from time to time, a thin cushion of wood-chips forms the base for the nest existing from 4-5 brilliantly white eggs (3,5 x 2,6 cm). The brood-period begins in Central Europe in April-May; both partners brood for 12-14 days with what the brood-relief runs out after a solid ritual. The brooding bird drums on reputations of the incoming partner against the cave-wall indoors until the "relief" waits at the brood-tree outside that the brood-partner leaves the Nisthöhle. The newly slipped boys are clumsy, bare and blind nest-stools, its eyes open only in the age of 12 days.

Both alto-birds provide its offspring with insect-food, predominant red forest-ants and wood-ants as well as bugs and their larvae, who often prepare big damage under the bark and in the wood of the trees. The male woodpecker stays the night with the boys in the cave until they became largely independent with 17-20 days. Only in the age of 24-28 days abandoned however young black-woodpeckers its Nisthöhle. Give birth - and alto-birds frequently roam even longer period in the family-association; soon, however, the boys become ever more intolerable against each other and move away from the brood-precinct. On such expeditions, they disappear hundred of kilometers of its birthplace for itself from time to time.

Enemies Since hawk rare also the marten-continuance became and declined strongly in many places, there are hardly still natural enemies for the defense-ready black-woodpeckers. its benefit as Vertilger of large quantities of damaging insects is bigger than the damage for the forestry surely through the hollowing out some trees. The damages in ant-protectorates can be however considerably.