White-backed Woodpecker
Dendrocopos leucotos
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPiciformes (Woodpeckers and Allies)
- FamilyPicidae (Woodpeckers)
- GenusDendrocopos (Eurasian Pied Woodpeckers)
- SpeciesDendrocopos leucotos (White-backed Woodpecker)
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 →
Closest Relatives at Plitvice Lakes National Park
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos major
Syrian Woodpecker
Dendrocopos syriacus
Grey-headed Woodpecker
Picus canus
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocoptes medius
Black Woodpecker
Dryocopus martius
Eurasian Wryneck
Jynx torquilla
Green Woodpecker
Picus viridis
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Dryobates minor
Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker
Picoides tridactylus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 3 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 5 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 6 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 9 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 10 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a White-backed Woodpecker in Plitvice Lakes National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-backed Woodpecker sighting in Plitvice Lakes National Park, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see White-backed Woodpecker in Plitvice Lakes National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for White-backed Woodpecker in Plitvice Lakes National Park in our monthly data.