Black Woodpecker vs Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus martius compared with Dryocopus pileatus

Key Differences

• Black Woodpecker is Near Threatened while Pileated Woodpecker is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Woodpecker	Pileated Woodpecker
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Piciformes (Piciformes)	Piciformes (Piciformes)
Family same	Picidae	Picidae
Genus same	Dryocopus	Dryocopus
Species	Dryocopus martius	Dryocopus pileatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Black Woodpecker and Pileated Woodpecker share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Dryocopus.

Conservation Status

Black Woodpecker

NT — Near Threatened

Pileated Woodpecker

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Woodpecker	Pileated Woodpecker
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black Woodpecker

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Pileated Woodpecker

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Norway and United States.

Black Woodpecker

Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway