# How Long Do Great Spotted Woodpeckers Live?

> Great Spotted Woodpecker lifespan is typically 8–11 years in the wild. What shortens or extends life, life stages, and status (Least Concern).

- **Species:** Great Spotted Woodpecker (*Dendrocopos major*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore — insects, larvae, seeds, and nestlings
- **Habitat:** Woodlands and parks across Eurasia and North Africa
- **Lifespan:** 8–11 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** Up to 24 km/h (15 mph) in undulating flight
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/woodpecker/how-long-do-woodpecker-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/woodpecker/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) is a striking black-and-white bird with a red patch beneath the tail, found in woodlands and parks across Eurasia and North Africa. About 24 cm long and weighing only 70 to 100 g, it is best known for its rapid drumming on tree trunks. It feeds on insects, larvae, and seeds, and can live up to eleven years in the wild.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a prognosis for one named animal. This page is a species lifespan range.

## Drumming and communication

The great spotted woodpecker is famous for its drumming — a rapid burst of hammering against a dead branch or trunk that can reach around ten to twenty strikes in less than a second. Unlike pecking for food, drumming is a form of communication used to claim territory and attract a mate, ringing out most often in late winter and spring. Both sexes drum, and the sound can carry a long way through quiet woodland. It is one of the defining sounds of a European forest in early spring.

## Help protect the Great Spotted Woodpecker

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/woodpecker/how-long-do-woodpecker-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.