White-backed Woodpecker

White-backed Woodpecker

Dendrocopos leucotos

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Nikko National Park
53 Verified sightings at Nikko National Park From 2019 to 2026
760 Verified sightings across all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the White-backed Woodpecker

The white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) is a Eurasian woodpecker belonging to the genus Dendrocopos. The white-backed woodpecker was described by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1802 under the binomial name Picus leucotos. The specific epithet leucotos combines the Classical Greek leukos meaning "white" and -nōtos meaning "-backed". The type locality is Silesia, a historical region mainly located in Poland. The species is now placed in the genus Dendrocopos that was introduced by the German naturalist Carl Ludwig Koch in 1816.

Twelve subspecies are recognised. D. l. leucotos (Bechstein, 1802) – widespread across Eurasia from north, central and eastern Europe to northeast Asia, Korea and Sakhalin D. l. uralensis (Malherbe, 1860) – west Ural Mountains to Lake Baikal

D. l. lilfordi (Sharpe & Dresser, 1871) – Pyrenees to Asia Minor, Caucasus and Transcaucasia D. l. tangi Cheng, 1956 – Sichuan province, western China D. l. subcirris (Stejneger, 1886) – Hokkaido, northern Japan D. l. stejnegeri (Kuroda, 1921) – northern Honshū, Japan

D. l. namiyei (Stejneger, 1886) – south Honshū, Kyushu, Shikoku (Japan) D. l. takahashii (Kuroda & Mori, 1920)... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
2 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
~10%
3 Nikko National Park 🇯🇵 Japan
~10%
4 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%
5 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
6 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
<5%
7 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
8 Jiuzhaigou National Park 🇨🇳 China
Insufficient data
9 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
Insufficient data
10 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a White-backed Woodpecker in Nikko National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-backed Woodpecker sighting in Nikko National Park, based on 53 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see White-backed Woodpecker in Nikko National Park?

February has the highest sighting rate for White-backed Woodpecker in Nikko National Park in our monthly data.

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