SongLark
Bird call
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) call
A sharp, explosive 'kick!' call and a short, fast drum on dead wood in late winter and spring.
Listen to the Great Spotted Woodpecker call
A field recording of the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) by Matthew Morgan, shared on iNaturalist. Listen for the Great Spotted Woodpecker in woodland and garden habitats.
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Sounds similar
Birds that sound similar to the Great Spotted Woodpecker
These birds belong to the woodpecker family, like the Great Spotted Woodpecker, so their calls can sound alike.
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European Green Woodpecker Picus viridis
A loud, laughing 'yaffle', a ringing 'kyü-kyü-kyü' that carries across parks and woods.
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Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
A loud descending kee-yer and a long, even wick-wick-wick series.
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Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
A laughing waka-waka-waka, several birds answering each other.
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Nuttall's Woodpecker Dryobates nuttallii
A rattling descending series and a sharp pitik; a California oak specialist.
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Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
A loud, wild, ringing wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk that rises and falls, and slow, deep drumming.
Questions
Questions about the Great Spotted Woodpecker
What does the Great Spotted Woodpecker sound like?
A sharp, explosive 'kick!' call and a short, fast drum on dead wood in late winter and spring. Listen to the recording above.
Which birds sound like the Great Spotted Woodpecker?
European Green Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Acorn Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker and Pileated Woodpecker sound similar.
Where can I hear the Great Spotted Woodpecker?
SongLark teaches it in its Birds of England course.
How can I learn the Great Spotted Woodpecker call?
In SongLark's Birds of England course, it comes in Level 3: Woodland. SongLark teaches it by ear with real field recordings.
Courses
Learn this call in
SongLark teaches the Great Spotted Woodpecker in its Birds of England course. Each course plays real field recordings and brings every bird back for review just before you would forget it.
- In Birds of England, the Great Spotted Woodpecker comes in Level 3: Woodland. That Level is about woodpeckers, jays and the voices of old trees.
Learn it with these birds in Level 3 of Birds of England
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Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea
Loud, liquid whistles, 'twee-twee-twee', and an emphatic 'chwit' call from the treetops.
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Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius
A harsh, tearing scream, 'skaaak!', from the woodland canopy; a shy, pinkish crow with blue wing patches.
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Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus
Loud, far-carrying fluty phrases from a treetop, often in wind and rain; a dry rattling alarm.
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Eurasian Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
A soft, low, piping 'pew' whistle, given quietly from deep in hedges.
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Goldcrest Regulus regulus
Britain's smallest bird; a very high, cyclical 'seedly-seedly-seedly' ending in a flourish.
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Tawny Owl Strix aluco
The hooting 'hoo-hooo' and the sharp 'ke-wick' of the night, together the classic 'twit-twoo'.
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Common Buzzard Buteo buteo
A mewing 'pee-yow', like a cat, from a broad-winged hawk circling overhead.
Get SongLark
Learn Great Spotted Woodpecker in SongLark
Install SongLark, sign in, and choose a course that teaches the Great Spotted Woodpecker.
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