[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":261},["ShallowReactive",2],{"families_en:\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdyatlovye":3,"alt-locale:families_en:\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdyatlovye":116,"section-listing:disabled":117,"section-listing:families_en:\u002Fsemeystva":118,"related-covers:en:\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fskvorcovye|\u002Fsemeystva|\u002Fopredelitel":255},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"coverImage":76,"description":77,"extension":78,"faq":79,"imagePrompt":89,"latinName":20,"meta":90,"navigation":91,"order":92,"pageType":93,"path":94,"publishedAt":95,"readingMinutes":96,"relatedLinks":97,"seo":110,"sitemap":113,"stem":114,"taxonRank":93,"updatedAt":92,"__hash__":115},"families_en\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdyatlovye.md","Woodpeckers (Picidae)",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":68},"minimark",[9,14,22,25,29,32,35,39,61,65],[10,11,13],"h2",{"id":12},"what-makes-picidae-a-family","What makes Picidae a family",[15,16,17,21],"p",{},[18,19,20],"strong",{},"Picidae",", the woodpecker family, comprises over 200 species found across most of the world's forested regions, unified by a remarkable set of anatomical adaptations built around the demands of striking and excavating wood at high speed and force. A strong, chisel-shaped beak does the actual work of excavation, while a shock-absorbing skull structure, incorporating spongy bone and strong supporting neck muscles, protects the brain from the repeated impact, and stiff, specially reinforced tail feathers act as a supporting brace against the trunk while the bird climbs and works vertically.",[15,23,24],{},"Feet across the family are typically zygodactyl, with two toes pointing forward and two backward, providing an unusually secure grip on vertical bark surfaces compared to the more typical three-forward, one-back foot arrangement found in most other perching birds — an adaptation directly suited to a life spent climbing and clinging to tree trunks rather than perching on horizontal branches.",[10,26,28],{"id":27},"distinctive-traits-across-the-family","Distinctive traits across the family",[15,30,31],{},"Drumming, a rapid mechanical burst of beak strikes against a particularly resonant piece of wood, is one of the family's most distinctive shared behaviors, functioning as the woodpecker equivalent of song for territorial advertisement and mate attraction — a striking example of an existing physical capability, evolved originally for feeding and nest excavation, being repurposed for communication.",[15,33,34],{},"Body size within the family correlates closely with the scale of excavation a species can undertake and the specific food resources it targets: smaller woodpeckers like the great spotted woodpecker excavate more modest cavities and extract insect larvae with more localized, precise strikes, while considerably larger species like the black woodpecker can carve deep into substantial deadwood, accessing food resources and creating nest cavities entirely out of reach for smaller relatives.",[10,36,38],{"id":37},"species-in-this-family","Species in this family",[15,40,41,42,47,48,52,53,47,57,60],{},"This atlas currently covers two members of Picidae: the ",[43,44,46],"a",{"href":45},"\u002Fen\u002Fvidy-ptic\u002Fvidy\u002Fbolshoy-pyostry-dyatel","great spotted woodpecker"," (",[49,50,51],"em",{},"Dendrocopos major","), the most widespread woodpecker in Europe, known for its bold black-and-white pattern and rapid drumming; and the ",[43,54,56],{"href":55},"\u002Fen\u002Fvidy-ptic\u002Fvidy\u002Fzhelna","black woodpecker",[49,58,59],{},"Dryocopus martius","), Europe's largest woodpecker and an important ecosystem engineer whose large cavities shelter many other forest species. Further Picidae species native to the atlas's covered regions will be added to the catalogue over time.",[10,62,64],{"id":63},"where-and-when-to-watch-this-family","Where and when to watch this family",[15,66,67],{},"Mature woodland with a good supply of dead or decaying trees offers the best chance of encountering this family, and early spring, before leaves fully emerge and while territorial drumming activity peaks, is typically the easiest time to both hear and see woodpeckers, since drumming carries well through relatively open, still-bare forest canopy and often reveals a bird's location before it comes into clear view.",{"title":69,"searchDepth":70,"depth":70,"links":71},"",2,[72,73,74,75],{"id":12,"depth":70,"text":13},{"id":27,"depth":70,"text":28},{"id":37,"depth":70,"text":38},{"id":63,"depth":70,"text":64},"\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdyatlovye.png","The woodpecker family: powerful, tree-climbing excavators built to hammer into wood, from the widespread black-and-white great spotted woodpecker to the crow-sized black woodpecker.","md",[80,83,86],{"q":81,"a":82},"What physical adaptations make woodpeckers so well suited to hammering into wood?","Picidae species share a suite of specialized anatomical features built around repeated high-speed impact: a strong, chisel-shaped beak, a shock-absorbing skull structure with spongy bone and strong supporting neck muscles, stiff, reinforced tail feathers that brace against the trunk while climbing, and strong, typically zygodactyl feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward for a secure grip on vertical bark.",{"q":84,"a":85},"Why do woodpeckers drum rather than sing to establish territory?","Because much of a woodpecker's daily activity already involves striking wood to extract food or excavate cavities, the family has repurposed this same mechanical action into a form of communication, with rapid drumming bursts on a particularly resonant piece of deadwood serving the same territorial-advertisement and mate-attraction role that vocal song plays in most other songbirds.",{"q":87,"a":88},"Do all woodpeckers rely on the same food sources?","No — diet varies meaningfully across the family depending on size and specialization. The great spotted woodpecker takes a broad mix of wood-boring insect larvae and, seasonally, conifer seeds, while the much larger black woodpecker relies especially heavily on excavating deep into wood-dwelling ant colonies, reflecting how body size and beak strength shape the specific foraging niche each species occupies within the same general woodpecker toolkit.","Photorealistic wildlife photography, a great spotted woodpecker and a black woodpecker on the same large dead tree trunk at different heights, contrasting black-and-white spotted and entirely black plumage visible together, both gripping the bark with stiff braced tail feathers, sharp focus on the smaller woodpecker's eye in the foreground, soft-focus background of an old-growth forest interior, soft cool overcast light, shallow depth of field, telephoto lens compression, 16:9",{},true,null,"family","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdyatlovye","13.07.2026",1,[98,102,106],{"label":99,"path":100,"description":101},"Starlings (Sturnidae)","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fskvorcovye","Another common woodland and garden-associated songbird family",{"label":103,"path":104,"description":105},"Bird families","\u002Fsemeystva","Species grouped by taxonomic family",{"label":107,"path":108,"description":109},"Bird identifier","\u002Fopredelitel","Identify a bird you've seen by color, size, beak shape, habitat, and season",{"title":111,"description":112},"Woodpeckers (Picidae) — traits, species, and drumming","Picidae, the woodpecker family: powerful tree-climbing excavators, from the great spotted woodpecker to the crow-sized black woodpecker. Traits, species, and behavior.",{"loc":94},"semeystva\u002Fdyatlovye","5FRLY_8Dtmza904RYsVzjUAqCqvOxZph0op0hoA11nU",{"ru":91,"es":91},[],[119,124,129,134,139,144,150,155,160,165,170,175,180,185,190,195,200,206,209,214,219,224,229,234,239,244,249,254],{"title":120,"description":121,"path":122,"coverImage":123,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Buntings (Emberizidae)","The bunting family: sturdy, seed-eating farmland and open-country songbirds represented here by the vividly yellow-headed yellowhammer, one of Europe's most familiar hedgerow singers.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fovsyankovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fovsyankovye.png",{"title":125,"description":126,"path":127,"coverImage":128,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Crows, Ravens, and Allies (Corvidae)","The crow family: some of the most intelligent birds on Earth, from the tiny, sociable jackdaw to the giant common raven, united by cognitive sophistication and remarkable behavioral flexibility.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvranovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvranovye.png",{"title":130,"description":131,"path":132,"coverImage":133,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Cuckoos (Cuculidae)","The cuckoo family: slender, long-tailed birds best known for the common cuckoo's remarkable brood-parasitic lifestyle, tricking other species into raising its young.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fkukushkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fkukushkovye.png",{"title":135,"description":136,"path":137,"coverImage":138,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Falcons (Falconidae)","The falcon family: fast, direct-flying birds of prey with a distinctive hooked, tomial-toothed beak, found on every continent except Antarctica.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsokolinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsokolinye.png",{"title":140,"description":141,"path":142,"coverImage":143,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Finches (Fringillidae)","The true finch family: small, seed-eating songbirds with conical beaks ranging from the everyday chaffinch to the specialized, cone-prying red crossbill.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvjurkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvjurkovye.png",{"title":145,"description":146,"path":147,"coverImage":148,"publishedAt":149,"order":92},"Grebes (Podicipedidae)","The grebe family: highly specialized freshwater diving birds with lobed toes, elaborate courtship displays, and chicks that ride on their parents' backs while swimming.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpogankovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpogankovye.png","07.08.2026",{"title":151,"description":152,"path":153,"coverImage":154,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Gulls (Laridae)","The gull family: adaptable, highly social waterbirds ranging from the small, brown-hooded black-headed gull to the larger, plain-billed common gull, equally at home on coasts and inland waters.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fchaykovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fchaykovye.png",{"title":156,"description":157,"path":158,"coverImage":159,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Hawks, Eagles, and Kites (Accipitridae)","The largest family of diurnal birds of prey, spanning soaring buzzards, forest-hunting goshawks, massive fish eagles, and scavenging kites united by a hooked beak and taloned feet.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fyastrebinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fyastrebinye.png",{"title":161,"description":162,"path":163,"coverImage":164,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Herons (Ardeidae)","The heron family: patient, statuesque wetland hunters with a coiled S-shaped neck and dagger-like bill, epitomized by the grey heron's motionless watch at the water's edge.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftsaplevye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftsaplevye.png",{"title":166,"description":167,"path":168,"coverImage":169,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Hoopoes (Upupidae)","A small family built around a single unmistakable species, the Eurasian hoopoe, known for its fan-like crest, curved probing beak, and unusual glandular nest defenses.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fudodovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fudodovye.png",{"title":171,"description":172,"path":173,"coverImage":174,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Larks (Alaudidae)","The lark family: streaked, ground-nesting birds of open farmland and grassland, best known for the extraordinary sustained soaring song-flight of the Eurasian skylark.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fzhavoronkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fzhavoronkovye.png",{"title":176,"description":177,"path":178,"coverImage":179,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Old World Flycatchers and Chats (Muscicapidae)","A family spanning the beloved orange-breasted robin, the vocally legendary nightingale, and the acrobatic pied flycatcher, unified more by ancestry and insect-catching habits than by appearance.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fmuholovkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fmuholovkovye.png",{"title":181,"description":182,"path":183,"coverImage":184,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Old World Orioles (Oriolidae)","A family of brilliantly colored but famously shy canopy songbirds, represented in Europe by the golden oriole, a bird more often identified by its fluting song than by sight.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fivolgovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fivolgovye.png",{"title":186,"description":187,"path":188,"coverImage":189,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)","The Old World sparrow family: small, sociable, seed-eating birds closely tied to human settlement, from the familiar house sparrow to its quieter, farmland-favoring relative the tree sparrow.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvorobyinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvorobyinye.png",{"title":191,"description":192,"path":193,"coverImage":194,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)","The pigeon family: stout-bodied, small-headed birds fed on crop milk as chicks, spanning the city-adapted rock dove and wood pigeon to the increasingly rare, long-distance migrant turtle dove.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fgolubinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fgolubinye.png",{"title":196,"description":197,"path":198,"coverImage":199,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Plovers and Lapwings (Charadriidae)","The plover family: compact, large-eyed waders with short bills adapted for visual foraging, from the crested, iridescent northern lapwing to its smaller and plainer relatives.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Frzhankovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Frzhankovye.png",{"title":201,"description":202,"path":203,"coverImage":204,"publishedAt":205,"order":92},"Rails, Crakes, and Coots (Rallidae)","The rail family: laterally flattened marsh specialists built for slipping through dense reed beds, ranging from the secretive corncrake to the bold, aggressive Eurasian coot.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpastushkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpastushkovye.png","17.08.2026",{"title":99,"description":207,"path":100,"coverImage":208,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"The starling family: gregarious, iridescent, highly vocal songbirds represented in Europe by the common starling and its spectacular winter murmurations.","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fskvorcovye.png",{"title":210,"description":211,"path":212,"coverImage":213,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Storks (Ciconiidae)","The stork family: massive, long-legged wading birds with long straight bills, epitomized by the white stork's huge rooftop nests and dramatic overland migration to Africa.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Faistovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Faistovye.png",{"title":215,"description":216,"path":217,"coverImage":218,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Swallows and Martins (Hirundinidae)","The swallow family: sleek, long-winged aerial insect-hunters that spend most of their waking lives on the wing, from the red-throated barn swallow to the white-rumped house martin.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Flastochkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Flastochkovye.png",{"title":220,"description":221,"path":222,"coverImage":223,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Swifts (Apodidae)","The swift family: extreme aerial specialists that spend nearly their entire lives in flight, closer in ancestry to hummingbirds than to the swallows they superficially resemble.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fstrizhinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fstrizhinye.png",{"title":225,"description":226,"path":227,"coverImage":228,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Sylvia Warblers (Sylviidae)","A family of small, plainly plumaged, densely-vegetation-loving warblers prized far more for their voices than their looks, exemplified by the richly singing Eurasian blackcap.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fslavkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fslavkovye.png",{"title":230,"description":231,"path":232,"coverImage":233,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Thrushes (Turdidae)","The thrush family: medium-sized, powerful-singing ground foragers, from the glossy black common blackbird to the heavily spotted song thrush and the gregarious, flocking fieldfare.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdrozdovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdrozdovye.png",{"title":235,"description":236,"path":237,"coverImage":238,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Tits (Paridae)","The tit family: small, acrobatic, cavity-nesting songbirds from the bold, dominant great tit to the tiny, cache-obsessed coal tit, among the most familiar and intensively studied garden birds in Europe.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsinitsevye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsinitsevye.png",{"title":240,"description":241,"path":242,"coverImage":243,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Typical Owls (Strigidae)","The largest owl family, spanning the familiar tawny owl, tufted long-eared owl, and the giant Eurasian eagle-owl, united by forward-facing eyes, silent flight, and mostly nocturnal habits.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsovinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsovinye.png",{"title":245,"description":246,"path":247,"coverImage":248,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Wagtails and Pipits (Motacillidae)","A family of slender, long-tailed, ground-foraging songbirds best exemplified by the constantly tail-bobbing white wagtail, equally at home beside a river or in a busy town square.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftryasoguzkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftryasoguzkovye.png",{"title":250,"description":251,"path":252,"coverImage":253,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Waterfowl (Anatidae)","The waterfowl family: ducks, geese, and swans, unified by webbed feet, waterproof plumage, and a broad flattened bill, from the familiar mallard to the massive mute swan.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Futinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Futinye.png",{"title":5,"description":77,"path":94,"coverImage":76,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},[256,257,259],{"label":99,"path":100,"description":101,"coverImage":208},{"label":103,"path":104,"description":105,"coverImage":258},"\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Findex.png",{"label":107,"path":108,"description":109,"coverImage":260},"\u002Fimages\u002Fopredelitel\u002Findex.png",1787114560055]