Black Woodpecker

Dryocopus martius

Crow-sized, all black, scarlet crown. Excavates nest holes so big other species inherit them.

Population: 3,540,000–6,490,000 mature individuals globally (2018 estimate; suspected decreasing trend)
Habitat: Mature forest of many types — boreal, temperate, and subtropical coniferous and deciduous woodland (spruce, pine, larch, birch), including forest edges and riparian woodland from lowland up to ~2,400 m elevation; requires large old trees for nest excavation
Fun fact: It is the largest woodpecker in Europe and its Asian range, and the large nest cavities it excavates are later reused by many other species (including pine martens, owls, and bats), making it a keystone species for forest biodiversity.
Range: Northern Palearctic across Eurasia, from Spain/continental Europe and Scandinavia (absent from British Isles and far northern Scandinavia) through Russia to Korea, Japan, and China; largely resident, with some partial migration in northern populations
Diet: Primarily carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae, extracted from dead or dying trees by hammering/excavating; also other insects and larvae found in wood
Size: 0.5 m
Wingspan: 0.74 m
Lifespan: 11 years

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