English: Grey-headed
Woodpecker, Grey-faced Woodpecker
Russian: Седой дятел
Mongolian:
Буурал тоншуул
German: Grauspecht
French: Pic cendre
Japanese: ヤマゲラ (Yama-gera)
Body length: 27-30 cm
Breeds
in several quite different habitats, e.g. in swamp-forests along rivers and
lakeshores with plenty of insect-rich decayed deciduous trees; in open or
park-like mature deciduous forest; in open woodland in uplands (often to 600 m,
at times higher) and with good coniferous element. Food insects, often ants.
Nest-entrance diameter c. 5 ½ cm.
Identification: Between Green and
White-backed Woodpeckers in size, but confusable of course only with former.
Compared with Green, the head is slightly smaller and more rounded, this
reinforced by the slightly shorter and more slender bill (‘kinder’ appearance),
the different, more uniform grey head pattern with less black around eye (only
lores black) which is amber-coloured, the narrower dark stripe on chinside, also
red crown patch restricted to forecrown (♂) or no red at all on crown (♀). Back
in moss-green (lacks Green Woodpecker’s yellow-green tone), underparts
unvermiculated light grey (with hint of green), not yellow-tinged. Juvenile:
Very like adult, only somewhat more subdued colours.