Great Spotted Woodpecker: distribution and range

Europe’s most common woodpecker is widespread in many types of woodland from the British Isles eastwards through mainland Europe into Asia as far as Indo-China. In the north it ranges as far as the edge of the tundra and in the south it occupies woodlands throughout the Mediterranean basin and beyond into North Africa. It is absent from Iceland, Ireland (though probably occurred there in the past) and smaller islands such as Malta, the Balearics and Crete. Interestingly it does occur on Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Tenerife and Gran Canaria, islands which most other woodpeckers have failed to reach. Across its European range it occurs from sea level up to around 2000m in the Alps and Carpathians. In many countries Great Spotted Woodpeckers occupy suburban and even urban woodland habitats. Indeed, in some areas of Europe breeding densities are already higher in suburban habitats than in adjacent forests. The key factor that attracts Great Spotted Woodpeckers into areas of human inhabitation seems to be food. The provision of food, particularly in winter, by gardeners and bird-lovers, has probably been the ultimate factor. In those countries were bird feeding is a tradition, further increases in range can be expected. Such range expansions should benefit non-cavity making bird species, such as flycatchers Ficedula and tits Parus, as more woodpecker-made holes become available in heavily human-influenced landscapes where trees with "natural" cavities are scarce.