Birds

Latin name: Picoides leucotos
Characteristics: Slightly larger than great spotted woodpecker, pure black back, white at the back (name!), male red crown
Habitat: Natural forest, open and with a high proportion of dead wood, south-facing locations
Behavior: Lives mainly on insects and their caterpillars and pupae from dead wood, tends to stay close to the ground, therefore also on lying trunks.

The white-backed woodpecker is the rarest woodpecker in Austria and the most important bird species at Kalkalpen National Park. Due to its strict dependence on heavy deadwood, its occurrence is limited to semi-natural forests. It is a pronounced indicator species for primeval forests.

With a body length of 25 to 28 cm, the white-backed woodpecker is the largest member of the "great spotted woodpecker" group. Important characteristics are the white back, the broad white wing banding and the black streaking on the flanks of the otherwise white underside. In contrast to the great spotted woodpecker, the under-tail coverts are bright red. Similar to the young great spotted woodpecker, the male has a red head plate, the female a black one.

The main distribution of the White-backed Woodpecker extends from north-eastern Europe to eastern Asia. The other European populations are highly fragmented and restricted to higher mountain ranges. In the Alps, it only occurs on the northern side of the Alps, from the Vienna Woods to Vorarlberg. In the Northern Limestone Alps, the White-backed Woodpecker lives in mixed deciduous forests rich in deadwood and dominated by beech trees. Even the nesting cavity is made exclusively in dead trunks or at least in a dead top or side branch, usually in beech or maple. The main food is longhorn beetle larvae from the dead wood. Typical habitats are unmanaged steep slopes and protection forests as well as avalanche slopes.

The populations on the northern side of the Alps have long been underestimated due to its shyness and the difficulty of recording this bird species. The current species-specific surveys in the Ötscher region (Lower Austria) allow for the first time a concrete population estimate for Upper Austria of 200 to 500 breeding pairs. In Kalkalpen National Park there are around 30 to 50 and it is to be expected that the population will increase in the future due to the cessation of forest use.

Status, endangerment and protection

Status Kalkalpen National Park: Breeding bird, not common
Status Upper Austria (2005): very rare breeding bird
Red List Austria (2005): Endangered
Red List Upper Austria: endangered
Endangered in Europe: (2003) not endangered
Conservation responsibility Austria: strongly responsible
Need for action for Austria: need for protection given
EU Birds Directive: Annex I
Nature Conservation Act Upper Austria: protected

Latin name: Aquila chrysaetos

Observation tip: In the early afternoon hours, they like to use the available thermals to soar. Common ravens often "warn" the eagle with a loud "rob rob rob" and at the same time try to fly over it by spiraling upwards so that they can then "tease" it with mock attacks from above.

The golden eagle is the largest breeding bird of prey in the Northern Limestone Alps. The Kalkalpen National Park is home to three territories (breeding pairs). In recent years, small groups of young birds have been observed flying in.

The body length measures 80 to 93 cm, the wingspan 190 to 225 cm. Adult birds are very dark in color, the back of the head is golden brown. Young birds have a broad white tail base and a conspicuous white field in the arm and hand wings. With increasing age, the extent of these white plumage areas decreases and the birds are not fully colored and sexually mature until they are about five years old.

In Central Europe, the golden eagle used to be found in the lowlands. Today, it is restricted to the Alpine arc due to the once intensive persecution of birds of prey. Thanks to strict conservation measures, populations in the Alps have recovered well in recent years and the population is now almost complete again. Golden eagles need open, treeless areas with a high supply of medium-sized prey weighing up to around five kilograms for stalking. The preferred hunting grounds are above the tree line. Alpine pastures, windthrow and slash-and-burn areas offer suitable hunting grounds within the forest stage. Since the marmot is absent in the Northern Limestone Alps, the food base here is poorer, but also more varied. Prey includes adders, small birds, small mammals, capercaillie and chamois fawns. The regular capture of young foxes is presumably of ecological relevance. Carrion plays a decisive role, especially in winter. The nests in the Northern Limestone Alps are all located on rock faces, sometimes also in tiny forest cliffs, while tree nests are currently unknown. For reasons of prey transportation, golden eagles breed lower than their preferred hunting grounds whenever possible.

The total population in Upper Austria is estimated at 20 to 30 pairs.

Status, endangerment and protection

Status Kalkalpen National Park: breeding bird, not common
Status Upper Austria (2005): very rare breeding bird
Red List Austria (2005): Endangered
Red List Upper Austria (2003): endangered
Population in Europe: (2003) rare throughout Europe
Conservation responsibility Austria: strongly responsible
Need for action for Austria: not specifically given
EU Birds Directive: Annex I
Hunting Act Upper Austria: protected all year round