The Grey Woodpecker (Picus canus) is somewhat smaller than a jay and prefers to live in old deciduous forests. The Head, the neck and the Underside of this woodpecker are grey. The Back and the tail are olive green coloured. The males have an intensely red frontal crest.

Grey-headed woodpeckers prefer open, structurally rich deciduous and mixed forests. They can be observed in riparian forests and orchards in particular. The grey-headed woodpecker's habitat is also the semi-open cultivated landscape. As these habitats are in decline, the grey-headed woodpecker is also severely affected.

The grey-headed woodpecker is a Ground Woodpecker. This means that it often spends time on the ground in search of its prey. Its favourite food is ants and other ground-dwelling insects and spiders.

Due to the conversion of richly structured, old deciduous and mixed forests into conifer-dominated stands and richly structured, extensively used meadows into monotonous lawns, the grey-headed woodpecker is increasingly losing its preferred habitat.