Grey-headed Woodpecker
Picus canus
Woodpeckers (Picidae) · Piciformes (Piciformes)
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Often mixed up with
In quizzes, players most often confuse Grey-headed Woodpecker with these birds— either this species was picked by mistake, or the other way around.
| Species | Mix-ups |
|---|---|
| Eurasian Green Woodpecker Picus viridis | 21 |
| Grey-hooded Gull Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus | 2 |
| Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dryobates minor | 2 |
| Japanese Woodpecker Picus awokera | 2 |
| Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena | 1 |
Family
Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known that live in treeless areas, such as rocky hillsides and deserts, and the Gila woodpecker specializes in exploiting cacti.
Order
Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes (), the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. The Piciformes contain about 71 living genera with a little over 450 species, of which the Picidae make up about half. In general, the Piciformes are insectivorous, although the barbets and toucans mostly eat fruit and the honeyguides are unique among birds in being able to digest beeswax (although insects make up the bulk …