CreatureData

Olive woodpecker

Dendropicos griseocephalus (Boddaert, 1783)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The olive woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus) is a species in the family Picidae, order Piciformes. Recorded adults weigh 38 g to 44 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Olive woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus)
Photo: sknyazev · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the olive woodpecker

Weight
38 g – 44 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.4 – 3src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the olive woodpecker

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Olive woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus)
henrydelange · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the olive woodpecker live?

Not recorded

What is the olive woodpecker?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The olive woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is in the Dendropicos genus, which comprises small woodpeckers native to Sub-Saharan Africa. There are three described subspecies, all inhabiting various regions of southeast Africa; the red-bellied olive woodpecker (D. g. ruwenzori), the montane olive woodpecker (D. g. kilimensis), and the southern olive woodpecker (D. g. griseocephalus).

The olive woodpecker can be characterized by its bright red rump, and bronze coloured upper body. The red-bellied subspecies is known to be slightly brighter in colour, with a more prominent belly patch. The montane subspecies is the smallest of the three recognized subspecies.

These birds occupy a range of densely wooded and forested habitats from 450–3,700 m (1,480–12,140 ft). This species is insectivorous, often seen foraging for ants and beetles in mossy trees.

The olive woodpecker produces a wide range of vocalizations from alarm calls, to specific take-off and flight sounds. This species also makes use of breeding calls to attract mates. Breeding season is variable, and depends on the area each population inhabits. It can last anywhere from 1 to 8 months. Clutch size is small —2 to 3 eggs per clutch—and chick rearing responsibilities are shared between both parents.

From the Wikipedia article “Olive woodpecker” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Olive_woodpecker&oldid=1379250505), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the olive woodpecker endangered?

The olive woodpecker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the olive woodpecker classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPiciformes
  5. familyPicidae
  6. genusDendropicos
  7. SpeciesDendropicos griseocephalus (Boddaert, 1783)

Synonyms Chloropicus griseocephalus, Dendropicos griseocephalus griseocephalus, Mesopicos griseocephalus, Mesopicos griseocephalus griseocephalus, Picus griseocephalus

Other names and names in other languages (31)
  • OLWOEnglish
  • GryskopspegAfrikaans
  • picot olivaciCatalan
  • datel šedohlavýCzech
  • cnocell felynwerddWelsh
  • Olivengrøn SpætteDanish
  • GoldrückenspechtGerman
  • oliveca pegoEsperanto
  • Pito oliváceoSpanish
  • salu-osmusrähnEstonian
  • vihertikkanenFinnish
  • Pic oliveFrench
  • brončani djetlićCroatian
  • Picchio olivaItalian
  • Picchio olivaceoItalian
  • ハイガシラゲラJapanese
  • auksanugaris savaninis genysLithuanian
  • OlijfspechtDutch
  • sothodespettNorwegian
  • dzięcioł ciemnogłowyPolish
  • pica-pau-de-cabeça-cinzentaPortuguese
  • Бронзовоспинный дятелRussian
  • Золотоспинный африканский дятелRussian
  • ďateľ olivovýSlovak
  • Maslinasti detlićSerbian
  • olivspettSwedish
  • Zeytuni AğaçkakanTurkish
  • дятел оливковийUkrainian
  • 非洲灰啄木鳥Chinese
  • 非洲灰啄木鸟Chinese
  • 非洲灰頭啄木Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the olive woodpecker

Other species in the same genus Dendropicos.

CompareOlive woodpecker vs Cardinal woodpeckerOlive woodpecker vs African grey woodpeckerOlive woodpecker vs Abyssinian woodpeckerOlive woodpecker vs Gabon woodpecker

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the olive woodpecker?

An adult olive woodpecker weighs 38 g – 44 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the olive woodpecker endangered?

The olive woodpecker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the olive woodpecker?

The olive woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus) belongs to the family Picidae in the order Piciformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Olive woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/olive-woodpecker

MLA

“Olive woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/olive-woodpecker.

BibTeX
@misc{olive_woodpecker_2026,
  title = {Olive woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/olive-woodpecker},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}