Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known that live in treeless areas, such as rocky hillsides and deserts, and the Gila woodpecker specializes in exploiting cacti.

Species in this family

• Bay Woodpecker Blythipicus pyrrhotis
• Maroon Woodpecker Blythipicus rubiginosus
• Guayaquil Woodpecker Campephilus gayaquilensis
• Pale-billed Woodpecker Campephilus guatemalensis
• Crimson-bellied Woodpecker Campephilus haematogaster
• Imperial Woodpecker Campephilus imperialis
• Cream-backed Woodpecker Campephilus leucopogon
• Magellanic Woodpecker Campephilus magellanicus
• Crimson-crested Woodpecker Campephilus melanoleucos
• Powerful Woodpecker Campephilus pollens
• Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis
• Robust Woodpecker Campephilus robustus
• Red-necked Woodpecker Campephilus rubricollis
• Golden-tailed Woodpecker Campethera abingoni
• Bennett's Woodpecker Campethera bennettii
• Green-backed Woodpecker Campethera maculosa
• Mombasa Woodpecker Campethera mombassica
• Knysna Woodpecker Campethera notata
• Nubian Woodpecker Campethera nubica
• Fine-spotted Woodpecker Campethera punctuligera
• Speckle-throated Woodpecker Campethera scriptoricauda
• Fine-banded Woodpecker Campethera taeniolaema
• Tullberg's Woodpecker Campethera tullbergi
• Chestnut-coloured Woodpecker Celeus castaneus
• Chestnut Woodpecker Celeus elegans
• Blond-crested Woodpecker Celeus flavescens
• Cream-coloured Woodpecker Celeus flavus
• Helmeted Woodpecker Celeus galeatus
• Cinnamon Woodpecker Celeus loricatus
• Pale-crested Woodpecker Celeus lugubris
• Kaempfer's Woodpecker Celeus obrieni
• Ochre-backed Woodpecker Celeus ochraceus
• Rufous-headed Woodpecker Celeus spectabilis
• Ringed Woodpecker Celeus torquatus
• Waved Woodpecker Celeus undatus
• Bearded Woodpecker Chloropicus namaquus
• Fire-bellied Woodpecker Chloropicus pyrrhogaster
• Golden-crowned Woodpecker Chloropicus xantholophus
• Red-headed Flameback Chrysocolaptes erythrocephalus
• White-naped Woodpecker Chrysocolaptes festivus
• Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus
• Luzon Flameback Chrysocolaptes haematribon
• Buff-spotted Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus
• Malabar Flameback Chrysocolaptes socialis
• Crimson-backed Flameback Chrysocolaptes stricklandi
• Javan Flameback Chrysocolaptes strictus
• Orange-backed Woodpecker Chrysocolaptes validus
• Yellow-faced Flameback Chrysocolaptes xanthocephalus
• Greater Yellownape Chrysophlegma flavinucha
• Checker-throated Woodpecker Chrysophlegma mentale
• Banded Woodpecker Chrysophlegma miniaceum
• Black-necked Woodpecker Colaptes atricollis
• Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
• Grey-crowned Woodpecker Colaptes auricularis
• Campo Flicker Colaptes campestris
• Gilded Flicker Colaptes chrysoides
• Fernandina's Flicker Colaptes fernandinae
• Green-barred Woodpecker Colaptes melanochloros
• Chilean Flicker Colaptes pitius
• Spot-breasted Woodpecker Colaptes punctigula
• Crimson-mantled Woodpecker Colaptes rivolii
• Golden-olive Woodpecker Colaptes rubiginosus
• Andean Flicker Colaptes rupicola
• Freckle-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos analis
• Sind Woodpecker Dendrocopos assimilis
• Stripe-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos atratus
• Darjeeling Woodpecker Dendrocopos darjellensis
• Himalayan Woodpecker Dendrocopos himalayensis
• Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Dendrocopos hyperythrus
• White-winged Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucopterus
• White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos
• Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei
• Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
• Okinawa Woodpecker Dendrocopos noguchii
• Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus
• Brown-fronted Woodpecker Dendrocoptes auriceps
• Arabian Woodpecker Dendrocoptes dorae
• Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocoptes medius
• Abyssinian Woodpecker Dendropicos abyssinicus
• Little Grey Woodpecker Dendropicos elachus
• Elliot's Woodpecker Dendropicos elliotii
• Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens
• Gabon Woodpecker Dendropicos gabonensis
• African Grey Woodpecker Dendropicos goertae
• Olive Woodpecker Dendropicos griseocephalus
• Melancholy Woodpecker Dendropicos lugubris
• Brown-backed Woodpecker Dendropicos obsoletus
• Speckle-breasted Woodpecker Dendropicos poecilolaemus
• Mountain Grey Woodpecker Dendropicos spodocephalus
• Stierling's Woodpecker Dendropicos stierlingi
• Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium benghalense
• Spot-throated Flameback Dinopium everetti
• Common Flameback Dinopium javanense
• Red-backed Flameback Dinopium psarodes
• Himalayan Flameback Dinopium shorii
• Crimson-naped Woodpecker Dryobates cathpharius
• Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dryobates minor
• Nuttall's Woodpecker Dryobates nuttallii
• Necklaced Woodpecker Dryobates pernyii
• Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
• Ladder-backed Woodpecker Dryobates scalaris
• Andaman Woodpecker Dryocopus hodgei
• White-bellied Woodpecker Dryocopus javensis
• Lineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus
• Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius
• Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
• Black-bodied Woodpecker Dryocopus schulzii
• Pale-headed Woodpecker Gecinulus grantia
• Olive-backed Woodpecker Gecinulus rafflesii
• Bamboo Woodpecker Gecinulus viridis
• Ground Woodpecker Geocolaptes olivaceus
• Heart-spotted Woodpecker Hemicircus canente
• Grey-and-buff Woodpecker Hemicircus concretus
• Red-throated Wryneck Jynx ruficollis
• Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla
• Yellow-crowned Woodpecker Leiopicus mahrattensis
• White-headed Woodpecker Leuconotopicus albolarvatus
• Arizona Woodpecker Leuconotopicus arizonae
• Red-cockaded Woodpecker Leuconotopicus borealis
• Smoky-brown Woodpecker Leuconotopicus fumigatus
• Strickland's Woodpecker Leuconotopicus stricklandi
• Hairy Woodpecker Leuconotopicus villosus
• Buff-rumped Woodpecker Meiglyptes grammithorax
• Black-and-buff Woodpecker Meiglyptes jugularis
• Zebra Woodpecker Meiglyptes tristis
• Buff-necked Woodpecker Meiglyptes tukki
• Golden-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes aurifrons
• White-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes cactorum
• White Woodpecker Melanerpes candidus
• Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
• Golden-naped Woodpecker Melanerpes chrysauchen
• Golden-cheeked Woodpecker Melanerpes chrysogenys
• Yellow-tufted Woodpecker Melanerpes cruentatus
• Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus
• Yellow-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes flavifrons
• Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
• Guadeloupe Woodpecker Melanerpes herminieri
• Hoffmann's Woodpecker Melanerpes hoffmannii
• Grey-breasted Woodpecker Melanerpes hypopolius
• Lewis's Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
• Puerto Rican Woodpecker Melanerpes portoricensis
• Black-cheeked Woodpecker Melanerpes pucherani
• Beautiful Woodpecker Melanerpes pulcher
• Yucatan Woodpecker Melanerpes pygmaeus
• Jamaican Woodpecker Melanerpes radiolatus
• Red-crowned Woodpecker Melanerpes rubricapillus
• Hispaniolan Woodpecker Melanerpes striatus
• West Indian Woodpecker Melanerpes superciliaris
• Gila Woodpecker Melanerpes uropygialis
• Rufous Woodpecker Micropternus brachyurus
• Southern Sooty-Woodpecker Mulleripicus fuliginosus
• Ashy Woodpecker Mulleripicus fulvus
• Northern Sooty-Woodpecker Mulleripicus funebris
• Great Slaty Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus
• Antillean Piculet Nesoctites micromegas
• Brown-eared Woodpecker Pardipicus caroli
• Buff-spotted Woodpecker Pardipicus nivosus
• Black-backed Woodpecker Picoides arcticus
• American Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides dorsalis
• Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus
• White-browed Woodpecker Piculus aurulentus
• Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker Piculus callopterus
• Golden-green Woodpecker Piculus chrysochloros
• Yellow-throated Woodpecker Piculus flavigula
• White-throated Woodpecker Piculus leucolaemus
• Lita Woodpecker Piculus litae
• Rufous-winged Woodpecker Piculus simplex
• White-wedged Piculet Picumnus albosquamatus
• Bar-breasted Piculet Picumnus aurifrons
• Plain-breasted Piculet Picumnus castelnau
• Chestnut Piculet Picumnus cinnamomeus
• White-barred Piculet Picumnus cirratus
• Ocellated Piculet Picumnus dorbignyanus
• Golden-spangled Piculet Picumnus exilis
• Rusty-necked Piculet Picumnus fuscus
• Greyish Piculet Picumnus granadensis
• Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus
• Lafresnaye's Piculet Picumnus lafresnayi
• Ochraceous Piculet Picumnus limae
• Arrowhead Piculet Picumnus minutissimus
• Mottled Piculet Picumnus nebulosus
• Olivaceous Piculet Picumnus olivaceus
• Orinoco Piculet Picumnus pumilus
• Spotted Piculet Picumnus pygmaeus
• Rufous-breasted Piculet Picumnus rufiventris
• Ecuadorian Piculet Picumnus sclateri
• White-bellied Piculet Picumnus spilogaster
• Scaled Piculet Picumnus squamulatus
• Speckle-chested Piculet Picumnus steindachneri
• Fine-barred Piculet Picumnus subtilis
• Ochre-collared Piculet Picumnus temminckii
• Varzea Piculet Picumnus varzeae
• Japanese Woodpecker Picus awokera
• Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus
• Lesser Yellownape Picus chlorolophus
• Black-headed Woodpecker Picus erythropygius
• Crimson-winged Woodpecker Picus puniceus
• Red-collared Woodpecker Picus rabieri
• Iberian Green Woodpecker Picus sharpei
• Scaly-bellied Woodpecker Picus squamatus
• Levaillant's Woodpecker Picus vaillantii
• Streak-breasted Woodpecker Picus viridanus
• Eurasian Green Woodpecker Picus viridis
• Laced Woodpecker Picus vittatus
• Streak-throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus
• Rufous Piculet Sasia abnormis
• White-browed Piculet Sasia ochracea
• Red-naped Sapsucker Sphyrapicus nuchalis
• Red-breasted Sapsucker Sphyrapicus ruber
• Williamson's Sapsucker Sphyrapicus thyroideus
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius
• Red-stained Woodpecker Veniliornis affinis
• Scarlet-backed Woodpecker Veniliornis callonotus
• Golden-collared Woodpecker Veniliornis cassini
• Choco Woodpecker Veniliornis chocoensis
• Yellow-vented Woodpecker Veniliornis dignus
• Dot-fronted Woodpecker Veniliornis frontalis
• Red-rumped Woodpecker Veniliornis kirkii
• Striped Woodpecker Veniliornis lignarius
• Yellow-eared Woodpecker Veniliornis maculifrons
• Checkered Woodpecker Veniliornis mixtus
• Bar-bellied Woodpecker Veniliornis nigriceps
• Little Woodpecker Veniliornis passerinus
• Blood-coloured Woodpecker Veniliornis sanguineus
• White-spotted Woodpecker Veniliornis spilogaster
• African Piculet Verreauxia africana
• Cuban Green Woodpecker Xiphidiopicus percussus
• Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Yungipicus canicapillus
• Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker Yungipicus kizuki
• Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker Yungipicus maculatus
• Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker Yungipicus moluccensis
• Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Yungipicus nanus
• Sulu Pygmy Woodpecker Yungipicus ramsayi
• Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker Yungipicus temminckii

Lookalikes compared

• Bearded Woodpecker vs Cardinal Woodpecker
• Black-and-buff Woodpecker vs Pale-headed Woodpecker
• Black-backed Woodpecker vs Downy Woodpecker
• Cinnamon Woodpecker vs Rufous-winged Woodpecker
• Eurasian Wryneck vs Grey-and-buff Woodpecker
• Eurasian Wryneck vs Iberian Green Woodpecker
• Freckle-breasted Woodpecker vs Stripe-breasted Woodpecker
• Golden-naped Woodpecker vs Black-cheeked Woodpecker
• Great Spotted Woodpecker vs Eurasian Green Woodpecker
• Great Spotted Woodpecker vs Iberian Green Woodpecker
• Ivory-billed Woodpecker vs Imperial Woodpecker
• Ladder-backed Woodpecker vs Red-cockaded Woodpecker
• Lesser Yellownape vs Crimson-winged Woodpecker
• Lineated Woodpecker vs Black-bodied Woodpecker
• Middle Spotted Woodpecker vs Syrian Woodpecker
• Olive Woodpecker vs Ground Woodpecker
• Pale-billed Woodpecker vs Cinnamon Woodpecker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker vs Pileated Woodpecker
• Red-naped Sapsucker vs Lewis's Woodpecker
• Robust Woodpecker vs Lineated Woodpecker
• Smoky-brown Woodpecker vs Cinnamon Woodpecker
• Speckle-throated Woodpecker vs Golden-tailed Woodpecker
• Streak-throated Woodpecker vs Streak-breasted Woodpecker
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker vs Red-crowned Woodpecker