Grey-headed Woodpecker
Picus canus Gmelin, 1788
Gecinus canus Gm, Picus viridi-canus Wolf: Reiser, 1894: 98.
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae
Conservation status: in Bulgaria: Endangered EN (A4 c, e), BDA-II, III; International: BeC-II, BD-I.
General distribution. A Palearctic species inhabiting Central, Eastern and Southeastern Asia; the zone of deciduous forests in Eastern, Northern, Central, Southeastern Europe and France. A glacial relict that inhabited Europe in historical time.
Distribution and abundance in Bulgaria. Resident, common until the 1950s [1; 2]. It breeds in the mountainous, less often in valley forests [3; 4; 5; 6]. breeding territories near the Danube probably embrace also the Romanian bank, that has more forests. Its numbers sharply declined in the Ludogorie region, the mountains Central Balkans, Rila and elsewhere, where it was common [3; 7; 8; 9]. With an average density of 500 – 1 000 ha/1 pairs, the numbers are 1 000 – 1 800 pairs. There are similar data for central Europe and Russia [5; 6; 10].
Habitats. Primary beech and oak forests up to 1 000 – 1 200 m, dense forests [4; 5; 6; 8; 9; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16]. Secondarily riverside and other forests with old trees, town parks, orchards. Outside the breeding period it is found as far as the upper border of the forests [6; Spiridonov, unpublished data].
Biology. The breeding chamber is in a trunk with a diameter over 35 cm and at a height of 0,85-15 m. Formation of the pairs, multiplication and breeding the young ones is from March to the middle of June. There are clutches from the end of April to the beginning of June (5-9 eggs), it incubates for 17-18 days, the young ones fly away 24-31 days after hatching; in the Ludogorie region there were two young ones that left the nest: on 31 May and 17 June [6; 8; 10; 11]. Trophically it depends on the abundance of ants and during the winter on insects-xylophages and their larvae; it also visits the bird houses [5; 6]. It is attached to the breeding regions. The territories of the pairs in old and forests rich in ants is most often 200-400 ha [5; 6; 8; 10; 12].
Similar species. None.
Negative factors. A severe reduction of the area of old forests in the last 50 years, foresting coniferous cultures and sanitary felling. Illegal felling in the valleys and the low mountainous belt in the last 15 years. Decrease of the trophic base. Narrow specialization towards food and habitat. Competition by the black – and especially the green woodpecker, better specialized in hunting ants on the ground [5; 6].
Conservation measures taken. The species and its habitats are protected according to the Biological Diversity Act. Strandzha mountain has been declared Natural Park.
Conservation measures needed. Declaration of protected territories and zones in the Balkan range, in the mountains Sredna Gora and Pirin and in the Ludogorie region. A moratorium on the use of forests in the closed basins and protected territories; outside them, by restoration fellings should be left 25-30 old trees per ha undisturbed. Restriction of thinning in old forests.
References. 1. Patev, 1950; 2. Petrov, Zlatanov, 1955; 3. Iankov, in press; 4. Kostadinova, Gramatikov, 2007; 5. Saari, Sudbeck, 1997; 6. Blume, 1973; 7. Spiridonov, 1982; 8. Spiridonov, 1988; 9. Spiridonov, 1999a; 10. Ivanchev, 2000; 11. Makatsch, 1976; 12. Spiridonov et al., 1983; 13. Simeonov, 1971; 14. Spiridonov, 1983; 15. Spiridonov, Mileva, 1988; 16. Spiridonov, 1999b.
Authors: Geko Spiridonov, Tsvetan Zlatanov, Dinyu Kyuchukov
