Ranking the Largest Woodpeckers: Discover the Top 10 Species by Length

There are few sounds more distinctive than that of a woodpecker drumming away on a tree. With over 230 species, woodpeckers can be found across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. They play an important role in the ecosystem by creating holes that serve as nesting sites for other birds, such as owls, starlings, and sparrows. While some woodpeckers only measure around 6 inches long, others can reach lengths of over 20 inches. Keep reading to discover the largest woodpeckers in the world by length.

#10: Levaillant’s Woodpecker

The Levaillant’s woodpecker is found in the mountainous forests of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. It was named after the French explorer, François Levaillant. They can reach lengths of around 13 inches and have a wingspan of 20 inches.  

Levaillant’s woodpeckers are dark green with a lighter green belly and breast. Males have a patch of red on the top of their heads, while females have a grey patch. Levaillant’s woodpeckers excavate a hole in a tree for nesting and create a bed of wood chips on which to lay their eggs. They usually lay between 4 and 8 eggs during the breeding season, which lasts from March to June.

#9: Northern Flicker

The northern flicker, also known as the common flicker, can reach lengths of up to 14 inches. They are native to North America and Central America and are also found in Cuba. Northern flickers are usually a pale brown color with grey heads and black spots on their bodies.  

Northern flickers mate for life, and the males usually do most of the work in creating a nest for the female to lay her eggs in. They are also one of the more unusual woodpeckers as they migrate, traveling south for the winter. The males are extremely territorial, often pecking on metal objects as well as trees to create a louder sound.

#8: Lineated Woodpecker

Lineated woodpeckers are slightly larger than northern flickers, reaching lengths of around 14.2 inches. They are found mainly across Argentina, Mexico, and Trinidad, where they prefer lowland forests and woodland areas. They have a stunning appearance, highlighted by a bright red, tufted crest. The rest of their head, wings, and back are black, with white stripes running down their neck and back, and their breast displays a mix of black and fawn stripes.

They peck holes in trees in search of ants and beetles, but they also eat fruit and nuts. Lineated woodpeckers make their nests in dead trees. The male and female both share the duties of hatching the eggs.

#7: European Green

Also reaching a length of 14.2 inches is the European green woodpecker, which is widespread across Europe. They have a similar appearance to the Levaillant’s woodpecker, with green wings and back and a paler belly with a red patch on their head. European greens prefer open habitats and are often found around small woodland areas, hedges, and scattered trees.

They are notable for being extremely shy woodpeckers. They rarely drum on trees, although they do have a loud call. European greens mainly feed on ants which they forage for on the ground. This can cause them problems during snowy weather as the ant nests are often covered, leading to food shortages.

#6: Magellanic Woodpecker

The Magellanic woodpecker is found in woodland areas of Argentina and Chile. At lengths of around 18 inches, it is known as being the biggest woodpecker in South America. These woodpeckers are almost entirely black, with the exception of a white patch on their wings and a red crest on the male’s head.  

Magellanic woodpeckers eat a variety of insects, including spiders and beetles, and they also consume small reptiles. These woodpeckers usually live in family groups of parents and offspring from previous years and are extremely territorial when nesting. They lay two eggs, and both parents share the duties of incubating them.

#5: Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated woodpeckers are native to North America, where they prefer to live in thick, deciduous forests throughout much of the United States and southern Canada. They reach lengths of around 19 inches and get their name from the Latin word for “capped” which is pileatus and is a reference to their vibrant red crest. In addition to a red crest, they have black bodies with white markings on their face and throats.  

Pileated woodpeckers have a varied diet, eating carpenter ants, beetles, fruit, nuts, and berries. Rather than a traditional round hole, these woodpeckers often make holes that are rectangular when they are foraging. During the breeding season, the male builds a nest first to attract a female.

#4: Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

There is perhaps no other woodpecker whose very existence is so precarious as the ivory-billed woodpecker. Reaching lengths of around 21 inches and found only in the Southern United States and Cuba, the ivory-billed woodpecker was originally classed as endangered as early as the 1880s. It is the largest woodpecker in the U.S., but the species may be extinct in the wild.

They prefer a forest habitat that has come under threat due to logging. Ivory-billed woodpeckers are mostly black with significant white markings on their wings and neck. Males have a red crest while females have a black crest. These woodpeckers also mate for life.

#3: Black Woodpecker

The black woodpecker is only slightly larger than the ivory-billed woodpecker, with a length of nearly 22 inches. Black woodpeckers are found in forest regions across parts of Asia including China, Korea, and Japan. They are also native to most of Europe, except for the U.K. The black woodpecker is believed to be the largest woodpecker in Europe.

As their name suggests, they have black plumage. Males have a red head, while only the upper part of the head is red on females. Pine martens are notable predators of black woodpeckers, as they feed on the eggs and often kill the females while they are sitting on the nest.

#2: Great Slaty Woodpecker

The great slaty woodpecker is found in forest regions in parts of Asia, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. With a length of 23 inches, great slaty woodpeckers have unusually thin necks, which make them easy to identify. They have grey plumage and peach markings around their throats.  

Although they are extremely territorial, these woodpeckers only have a quiet call. They ward off intruders by swinging their heads backward and forward. These woodpeckers prefer old, lowland forests with large trees.

#1: Imperial Woodpecker

The largest woodpecker in the world is the imperial woodpecker. Reaching lengths of 23.6 inches and wingspans of 30 inches, this woodpecker is an impressive sight. They are endemic to Mexico, where they prefer forest regions. These large birds are classified as critically endangered and are close to extinction. The last confirmed sighting of an imperial woodpecker was in 1956.

They have black bodies and large white markings on the back of their wings. Like several of the other species, the males have a red crest while the females have a black one. Imperial woodpeckers feed mainly on insect larvae, which they usually find beneath the bark of dead trees. One reason they are so close to extinction is that each breeding pair requires a large area of forest to survive, typically around 10 square miles.