Birds

Grey-headed Woodpecker

Picus canus · Ghionoaie sură

A green woodpecker with a grey head, found across Romania where suitable woodland remains.

At a glance

Status in Romania: Resident
Habitat: Forest
Activity: Morning · Daytime
Diet: Mainly insects, with ants a significant part of the diet; also wood-boring insects and occasionally fruit, seeds and nuts.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN)
Photography difficulty: Moderate

Photography Guide

Practical starting points based on the species’ behaviour and habitat, not fixed rules.

Where and how to look: Old deciduous and riverside woods; listen for its descending call in early spring.
Best time / activity: Morning · Daytime
Behaviour to anticipate: Woodpeckers usually work their way up a trunk; watch where the bird lands and wait for it to turn its head.
Photography difficulty: Moderate
Starting shutter speed: Around 1/1000 sec on the trunk; 1/2000 sec or faster when it flies off.
Fieldcraft: Follow drumming and calls, then stay still at a distance and let the bird come round the trunk into view.
Ethics: Never wait beside an occupied nest hole, never use playback, and move on if the birds stop feeding or start alarm-calling.

Identification

Medium-sized green woodpecker with a plain grey head and a thin dark moustache; the male has a small red forehead patch.

Habitat

Woodland with specific requirements, which makes it sensitive to change. Fairly uniform in Transylvania, Moldova, the Subcarpathians and Dobrogea, including the Danube Delta.

Distribution

Breeds across Romania, from the Danube Delta to the submontane zone.

Approximate range in Romania

Most of RomaniaGeneral distribution only. This is not an occurrence map and does not show nesting or sensitive wildlife locations.

Diet

Mainly insects, with ants a significant part of the diet; also wood-boring insects and occasionally fruit, seeds and nuts.

Behaviour

Often feeds on the ground at ant nests as well as on trunks.

Seasonality in Romania

Breeds in Romania and is resident. Moves little, mostly young birds dispersing; in winter some individuals descend to lower areas.

JanPresent
FebPresent
MarPresent
AprPresent
MayPresent
JunPresent
JulPresent
AugPresent
SepPresent
OctPresent
NovPresent
DecPresent

Source-verified months inform the seasonal filters. Local timing can vary. Unconfirmed months do not imply absence. * Event timing retained from the earlier entry, not yet source-verified.

Breeding

Breeding can begin in March with eggs from April; usually 4–10 eggs, incubated by both parents for 14–17 days.