The gray woodpecker(Picus canus) is slightly smaller than a jay and prefers to inhabit old deciduous forests. The head, neck and underside of this woodpecker are gray. The back and tail are olive green in color. The males bear an intense red forewing.

Gray Woodpeckers prefer loosened, structurally rich deciduous and mixed forests. They can be observed especially in riparian forests and in meadow orchards. Semi-open cultural landscapes also serve as habitats for the Gray Woodpecker. As these habitats are subject to decline, the Gray Woodpecker is also strongly affected.

The gray woodpecker is a ground woodpecker. This means that it often spends time on the ground in search of its prey. Its preferred 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 of richly structured, extensively used meadows into monotonous lawns, the gray woodpecker is increasingly losing its preferred