Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Spotted WoodpeckerGreat Spotted WoodpeckerGreat Spotted WoodpeckerGreat Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos major

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
20–30% · Possible
overall probability at Mercantour National Park
83 Verified records at Mercantour National Park
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) is a medium-sized woodpecker with pied black and white plumage and a red patch on the lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. This species is found across the Palearctic including parts of North Africa. Across most of its range it is resident, but in the north some will migrate if the conifer cone crop fails. Some individuals have a tendency to wander, leading to the recolonisation of Ireland in the first decade of the 21st century and to vagrancy to North America. Great spotted woodpeckers chisel into trees to find food or excavate nest holes, and also drum for contact and territorial advertisement; like other woodpeckers, they have anatomical adaptations to manage the physical stresses from the hammering action. Wikipedia →

20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Great Spotted Woodpecker sighting in Mercantour National Park, based on 83 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Mercantour National Park

Green Woodpecker
LC

Green Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Picus viridis

20–30% · Possible
Black Woodpecker
LC

Black Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dryocopus martius

10–20% · With luck
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
LC Endemic

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dryobates minor

5–10% · Rare
Eurasian Wryneck
LC

Eurasian Wryneck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Jynx torquilla

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

30–40
Jan
20–30
Feb
30–40
Mar
10–20
Apr
10–20
May
20–30
Jun
10–20
Jul
30–40
Aug
20–30
Sep
30–40
Oct
30–40
Nov
30–40
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
70–80%
2 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
50–60%
3 Nikko National Park 🇯🇵 Japan
50–60%
4 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
40–50%
5 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
30–40%
6 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
30–40%
7 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
30–40%
8 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
30–40%
9 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
30–40%
10 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
30–40%
11 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
30–40%
12 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
20–30%
13 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
20–30%
14 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
20–30%
15 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
20–30%
16 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
20–30%
17 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
20–30%
18 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
20–30%
19 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
10–20%
20 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
10–20%
21 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
10–20%
22 Jiuzhaigou National Park 🇨🇳 China
10–20%
23 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
5–10%
24 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
25 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
Insufficient data
26 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Great Spotted Woodpecker in Mercantour National Park?

About 25% of wildlife watchers report a Great Spotted Woodpecker sighting in Mercantour National Park, based on 83 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Great Spotted Woodpecker in Mercantour National Park?

January has the highest sighting rate for Great Spotted Woodpecker in Mercantour National Park in our monthly data.

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