The Grey-headed Woodpecker inhabits extensive, structurally diverse alluvial, oak and beech forests. Its territories often contain stands of mature beech and deadwood, as well as open areas such as are found in early successional stages or extensively used farmland. Ants of the Formicidae family in their various stages are its preferred food year-round.
The Grey-headed Woodpecker has suffered drastic population losses over the past few decades, particularly in western Europe and thus also in Switzerland. Conversely, it has colonised new areas in the north-east of its range. Many aspects of the species' ecology, and thus also factors that may be important for these changes, are still unknown. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult to implement specific conservation measures.
©
© Ralph Martin
Conservation programme for birds in Switzerland - Priority species
Grey-headed Woodpecker
Distribution and development
Schematic distribution
Schematic distribution during the breeding season (ochre), in winter time (dotted in blue) or during migration periods (dotted in vinaceous).
Breeding bird index
The graph shows the relative evolution of the breeding population in Switzerland (100 = mean value). Example: A value of 130 means that the population in the corresponding year was 30% above the mean value of the entire period considered.
Habitat and food
©
© Lukas Linder
Sunlit beech- and deadwood-rich Grey-headed Woodpecker habitat near Erschwil SO.
©
© Lara Gross
Open ground areas are regularly used for foraging.
©
© Lara Gross
As a forest species, the Grey-headed Woodpecker relies on heavily wooded landscapes; areas of open land lying between these are also used where they offer good-quality habitat.
©
© Lukas Linder
Sunlit beech- and deadwood-rich Grey-headed Woodpecker habitat near Erschwil SO.
©
© Lara Gross
Open ground areas are regularly used for foraging.
©
© Lara Gross
As a forest species, the Grey-headed Woodpecker relies on heavily wooded landscapes; areas of open land lying between these are also used where they offer good-quality habitat.
Conservation programme for birds in Switzerland - Priority species
Grey-headed Woodpecker
The Grey-headed Woodpecker inhabits extensive, structurally diverse alluvial, oak and beech forests. Its territories often contain stands of mature beech and deadwood, as well as open areas such as are found in early successional stages or extensively used farmland. Ants of the Formicidae family in their various stages are its preferred food year-round.
The Grey-headed Woodpecker has suffered drastic population losses over the past few decades, particularly in western Europe and thus also in Switzerland. Conversely, it has colonised new areas in the north-east of its range. Many aspects of the species' ecology, and thus also factors that may be important for these changes, are still unknown. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult to implement specific conservation measures.
The Grey-headed Woodpecker has suffered drastic population losses over the past few decades, particularly in western Europe and thus also in Switzerland. Conversely, it has colonised new areas in the north-east of its range. Many aspects of the species' ecology, and thus also factors that may be important for these changes, are still unknown. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult to implement specific conservation measures.
Birds of Switzerland
Grey-headed Woodpecker
To the species profile in the bird database
Project managers
Threats, activities and forecasts
Limiting factors and threats
- The Grey-headed Woodpecker needs deadwood-rich, fairly open mixed and broad-leaved forests with large areas of mature trees, particularly beeches. It is also reliant on sparsely vegetated ground in forests and meadows with an adequate supply of food, especially ants.
Breeding season
- Habitats with an adequate food supply, in particular ants of the Formicidae family.
- Large, mature beech trees with dying or dead sections for creating nest cavities.
- Standing deadwood.
Migration/ Winter
- Habitat requirements as for breeding season.
- Additionally, old rough-barked deciduous trees for winter food.
Necessary activities
Monitoring
- Annual mapping as part of the monitoring of common breeding birds.
- Targeted mapping with audio lures should be carried out in the cantons with the highest concentrations, in order to record population sizes.
Conservation
- Preserve mature beech stands and create new ones.
- Renaturalisation of alluvial forests.
- Permanently preserve (mark) standing deadwood, biotope trees and hollow trees in and outside mature tree stands.
- Avoid or limit forestry and agricultural interventions in known Grey-headed Woodpecker habitats.
Research
- Study habitat selection and use on a large scale at the topographical level and on a small scale within a population.
- Determine the importance of ants as a limiting factor over the course of the year.
- Studies on reproduction, survival, inward and outward migration and the (environmental) factors that influence these.
- Clarify the role of climate change.
Prospects for success and prognostics
- Species benefits from forest nature conservation, the conservation of mature broad-leaved forests with microhabitats, and an increase in deadwood.
- Continued atmospheric nitrogen deposition could have an adverse impact on ant populations.
- Global warming may lead to a further north-eastward shift in its range.
- Increasing demand for timber poses a threat to deadwood and mature trees.
Conservation measures and stakeholders
Establish forest reserves
Special or natural forest reserves enable targeted measures to promote selected species or species communities.
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Cantons
Forestry
Municipalities
Increase proportion of deadwood
Standing and lying deadwood promotes the availability of insects and nesting sites for cavity-nesting birds.
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Cantons
Forestry
Municipalities
Parcs
Preserve cavity trees
Preserving dying and dead trees increases the availability of potential hollow trees in which the Grey-headed Woodpecker can create nest cavities.
Forestry
Municipalities
Nature conservation
Parcs
Publications
©
© Ralph Martin
Birds of Switzerland
Grey-headed Woodpecker
The Grey-headed Woodpecker, together with the Eurasian Green Woodpecker, belongs to the ground woodpeckers that mainly forage on the ground. Although it is as large as the Eurasian Green Woodpecker, the secretive Grey-headed Woodpecker is more difficult to locate. It is most likely to betray its presence with its melancholy sounding series of calls which gradually drop in pitch. Comp...
To the species profile in the bird database
