47
Acrocephalus 31 (144): 47−51, 2010
First breeding record of the 
Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos 
syriacus in Bosnia and Herzegovina 
with a reference to its present 
status
Prvi podatek o gnezdenju in sedanji 
status sirijskega detla Dendrocopos 
syriacus v Bosni in Hercegovini
Branislav Ga{i}
  Museum of Republic of Srpska, \ure Dani~i}a 1, 
BA–78000 Banjaluka, Bosnia and Herzegovina,  
e−mail: branegasic@gmail.com
Although on the basis of data on distribution and range 
expansion of Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus 
in Europe (Matvejev 1976, Munteanu & Samwald 
1997), one might expect the opposite, experts have 
believed till very recently that this species does not 
inhabit Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was not referred to 
by Reiser (1939) and Obratil (1978 & 1983) in their 
extensive works on ornitofauna of this region, nor by 
Obratil (1969, 1976, 1984, 1985, 1987a & 1987b) in 
his works dealing with certain parts of Bosnia and 
Herzegovina and newly discovered species.
It is true that Matvejev & Vasi} (1973) cite 
Syrian Woodpecker as a breeding bird of Bosanska 
Posavina, but without stating a single concrete 
information about the species. V.F. Vasi}, the co-
author of Catalogus faunae Jugoslaviae, in fact claimed 
that he personally had not been dealing with the order 
Piciformes, but that it had certainly been studied by 
S.D. Matvejev, although he clearly knew nothing 
concrete about Syrian Woodpecker in Bosnia and 
Herzegovina, given that he did not produce a single 
solid information on this woodpecker species for Bosnia 
and Herzegovina in the Overview of Bird Fauna of the 
Balkan Peninsula (Matvejev 1976). It is quite possible 
that he introduced Posavina to the catalogue after 
the analogy with Croatian Posavina or Slavonia (V.F. 
Vasi} pers. comm.). The claim by Matvejev & Vasi} 
(1973) therefore is not founded on concrete records, 
but on the supposition by one of the authors, clearly 
based on extrapolation of data from the neighbouring 
regions. Kotro{an & Papes (2007) also report Syrian 
Woodpecker as a regional breeding bird in Bosnia and 
Herzegovina but this claim was based solely on that 
of Matvejev & Vasi} (1973). This information was 
also transferred into a work that was later thoroughly 
supplemented and corrected (Kotro{an 2008/2009). 
No specimens of the Syrian Woodpecker from the 
territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina are present in the 
ornithological collection in The National Museum of 
Bosnia and Herzegovina (D. Kotro{an pers. comm.). 
Droci} (2005) includes Syrian Woodpecker in his list 
of birds of Central Bosnia, although with no specific 
locality or information in support.
We believe therefore that there is no firmly 
established record of the breeding of Syrian 
Woodpecker in Bosnia and Herzegovina prior to our 
record from 2008, described here. 
The first detailed record of this species in Bosnia 
and Herzegovina was made on 6 Apr 1996 in 
Banjaluka (northern Bosnia and Herzegovina) on 
the right bank of the Vrbas River in the shelterbelt of 
apple trees some 20 m downstream from Rebrova~ki 
Bridge (44°46’23.5”N, 17°12’59.6”E; UTM XK75; 
159 m a.s.l.), where a female was observed (Ga{i} 
2001). After seeing this species in 1996, I very rarely 
returned to the bank of the Vrbas River and have 
thus been in no position to monitor the presence of 
Syrian Woodpecker in this area and nobody else, to 
my knowledge, has observed it there since. It was 
only in 2006 when further concrete information on 
Syrian Woodpecker came to light. Dender (2006) 
states that he observed a female on 11 Nov 2006 in 
the area of Blagaj between the village of Buna and the 
source of the river carrying the same name (UTM 
YH39, southern Bosnia and Herzegovina). Apart 
from observing a breeding pair in Banjaluka in 2008, 
I further recorded a male on a Common Wallnut 
Juglans regia tree trunk near the village of Kotor near 
Mrkonji} Grad on 27 Mar 2008 (UTM XK62, central 
Bosnia and Herzegovina) (Table 1, Figure 1).
In the middle of 2007, I began to visit the right bank 
of Vrbas fairly regularly once more, particularly the 
section stretching from KAB Bridge and Rebrova~ki 
Bridge in Banjaluka. The first observation of Syrian 
Woodpecker in 2008 was made in the early morning 
of 1 Feb 2008, when I suddenly heard unusual 
drumming high in the apple trees along the river, no 
more than a couple of hundred metres downstream 
from the spot of observation in 1996. It sounded 
like drumming by the Great Spotted Woodpecker D. 
major, except that it did not keep breaking so abruptly, 
but was somewhat prolonged and in the end became 
gradually weaker. After a short observation, I succeeded 
in catching sight of the bird, quite certain that I was 
dealing with a female Syrian Woodpecker. After this 
event, observations of this woodpecker species were 
made on a more or less regular basis in the morning 
48
B. Ga{i}: First breeding record of the Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a 
reference to its present status
hours, usually between 7.45 and 8.15 h, and in the 
afternoon between 15.00 and 15.30 h. The birds 
were additionally watched for the purpose of their 
interesting activities and for photographing. On 14 Feb 
2008 I observed a pair of Syrian Woodpeckers from a 
very short distance, which made their identification 
much more secure. By reminding myself of the rules 
to be considered when confirming new records, I 
called my colleague Mrs. Nata{a Kova~evi}, custodian 
in the Museum of Republic of Srpska, and Mr. Darko 
Kova~evi}, to provide for as authentic record of the 
bird as possible. Another female Syrian Woodpecker 
was seen on 21 Feb 2008. Photographs were taken of 
Syrian Woodpeckers on 29 Feb (Figure 2). This was 
followed by observation of a single male on 28 May 
2008 at the same locality.
On the basis of the fact that a pair of Syrian 
Woodpeckers regularly frequented the same 
locality from February to May, when territorial 
fights with a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers 
were also noted a few times, it was most likely that 
they would breed nearby. It the afternoon of 6 Jun 
2008, while walking past a Box Elder Acer negundo 
in the Duke Stepanovi} Boulevard, which stretches 
parallel to the Vrbas bank at an average distance of 
285 m (44°46’07”N, 17°12’35.9”E; UTM XK75; 
159 m a.s.l.), I heard the characteristic „clicking“ of 
the young and found an opening through which the 
young were peeping (Figure 3). The nest was situated 
in a dry branch with diameter of about 30 cm, with 
the height of the opening (facing N-NW) at about 5.8 
m from the ground. I visited the site the next day, to 
ascertain which species the young and the nest belong 
to. Two of the offspring were already out of the nest, 
with at least one still staying inside it. Both parents 
were bringing food to them, and it was clear that it 
was a Syrian Woodpecker family. From then on, we 
visited the nest on a regular daily basis. Observations 
of the species were made as follows:
3 Jun 2008, alley in front of MUP building, 1 male; −	
Duke Stepanovi} Boulevard 104, 1 pair, 2 juv. + 
1 juv. in the nest (2 juv. observed outside and at 
least 1 juv. in the nest, with both parents regularly 
arriving at the nest to feed them);
Table 1: Reliable recordings of Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tabela 1: Zanesljiva opazovanja sirijskega detla Dendrocopos syriacus v Bosni in Hercegovini
Date / Datum Locality / Lokacija No. of individuals/ [t. osebkov  
Reference/ 
Vir
6 Apr 1996 Banjaluka, near Rebrova~ki Bridge / pri 
Rebrova~kem mostu
1 female / samica Ga{i} (2001) 
11 Nov 2006 Between the village of Buna and source of the 
Buna River near Blagaj / med vasjo Buna in 
izvirom istoimenske reke v bli`ini Blagaja
1 female / samica Dender (2006)
27 Mar 2008 Kotor village near Mrkonji} Grad / vas Kotor 
pri Mrkonji} Gradu
1 male / samec own data/ 
lastni podatki
1 Feb–19 Jun 2008 Banjaluka, Duke Stepanovi} Boulevard 104 and 
its immediate vicinity / Bulvar vojvode Stepe 
Stepanovi}a 104 in neposredna okolica
1 pair breeding/ 
1 par gnezdi
own data/ 
lastni podatki
Figure 1: Map of Bosnia and Herzegovina with sites of 
reliable recordings of Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos 
syriacus (● – observation,  – confirmed breeding)
Slika 1: Zemljevid Bosne in Hercegovine z lokacijami 
zanesljivega opazovanja sirijskega detla Dendrocopos 
syriacus (● – opazovanje,  – potrjena gnezditev)
HR
HR
RS
ME100 km
49
Acrocephalus 31 (144): 47−51, 2010
4–5 Jun 2008, Duke Stepanovi} Boulevard 104, at −	
least 1 juv. in the nest; 
6 Jun 2008, at a parking place in the Stefan −	
Prvovjen~ani Street, 1 juv., not a single young seen 
in the nest. 
The parents and their young remained in the 
vicinity of the nest for several days. On 7 Jun 2008 
a female and two juveniles were seen near „Maggio“ 
coffee bar. Yet another observation was made by my 
colleague Mrs. N. Kova~evi}, who saw a pair on 19 
Jun 2008 in the park of „Branko Radi~evi}“ Primary 
School in the Duke Stepanovi} Boulevard very near 
the nest. Although we were unable to establish the 
number of the young reliably, we believe that there 
were at least four of them.
The data published by Matvejev (1976) and 
Munteanu & Samwald (1997) clearly indicate that 
Syrian Woodpecker has been expanding its range 
towards the west and north. The first records of the 
species are as follows: Bulgaria 1890, Romania 1931, 
Hungary 1937, Ukraine 1948, Slovakia 1949, Austria 
1951, and Poland 1978. It has been well known for 
many years that Syrian Woodpecker is an inhabitant 
of the eastern part of the former Yugoslavia, where 
its populations have reached significant numbers. 
For the 1990–2002 period, their sizes are estimated 
at 23,000–30,000 pairs for Serbia and 2,000–3,000 
pairs for Montenegro (Puzovi} et al. 2003). 
It is particularly interesting to compare the species’ 
situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina with those in 
Slovenia and Croatia, as Syrian Woodpeckers in these 
two countries are geographically the nearest to the 
nest site in Banjaluka and at the same time in the 
direction in which the species is expanding its range. 
On the lists of Croatian and Slovenian birds, the 
Syrian Woodpecker is also listed as a breeding bird. It 
is considered a rare species in Slovenia (Bo`i~ 2001a 
& 2001b, Jan`ekovi~ 2004). The first observation 
of a single individual on 28 Jun 1973 at Cven near 
Ljutomer was published by Gregori (1990). Matvejev 
(1976) states that he recorded it breeding as early as in 
1966 at Slovenske Gorice, but this information is not 
included in the list of rare birds of Slovenia (Komisija 
za redkosti 1993). The information published by R. 
Hainard from Ko~evje in 1955 (in the ornithological 
journal Larus), is claimed by Matvejev (1976) to be 
incorrect. Breeding of a mixed pair (Great Spotted 
Woodpecker male and Syrian Woodpecker female) 
was reported at Ro`nik in Ljubljana between 20 May 
and 14 Jun 1978 by Trontelj (1984), while nesting 
of a pure pair of Syrian Woodpecker from 10–20 May 
1997 at Male~nik near Meljski Bridge was recorded 
by Ba~ani (1998). Another winter observation of the 
species was made by Bo`i~ (1997). From the scantiness 
of published information it is clear that the species is 
still rare in Slovenia, even though it breeds there. At 
the end of the 1990s, its population was estimated at 
no more than 5–10 pairs (BirdLife International 
2004).
No complete data are available for Croatia, but 
according to Kroneisl-Rucner (1957), the first record 
of the species was on 18 Oct 1953, when D. Rucner shot 
an adult female which, however, was later established 
to be a hybrid D. syriacus × D. major. Kroneisl-
Rucner (1957) also states the following records made 
up to 1957: female shot at Gori~an, Me|imurje, 
December 1955; ad. female, hybrid D. syriacus × D. 
major shot at Bogdanovac, Me|imurje, 27 May 1956; 
one specimen from Preseka, Zagreb, October 1956, 
shot by A. Lesinger Jr, and one specimen shot at Donji 
Miholjac, Podravina, 14 Jun 1957. Also stated is an 
Figure 2: Male (above) and female (below) Syrian 
Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus; Banjaluka, Bosnia and 
Herzegovina, 29 Feb 2008 (photo: B. Mari})
Slika 2: Samec (zgoraj) in samica (spodaj) sirijskega detla 
Dendrocopos syriacus; Banjaluka, Bosna in Hercegovina, 
29.2.2008 (foto: B. Mari})
50
unreliable observation by D. Rucner (pair at Belje, 
Baranja, autumn 1956). Three stuffed specimens are 
kept in the collections of the Croatian Natural History 
Museum: ad. male, Velika Ves, Hrvatsko Zagorje, 5 Jul 
1958, shot by I. Igalffy; ad. female, Trnovec, Hrvatsko 
Zagorje, 12 Dec 1971, shot by K. Igalffy, and ad. 
female, Trnovec, Hrvatsko Zagorje, 12 Dec 1974, 
shot by K. Igalffy. According to Luka~ (2007), Syrian 
Woodpecker has been recorded in the greater part of 
Croatia (Me|imurje, Podravina, Baranja, Hrvatsko 
Zagorje, Moslavina, Slavonia, Posavina, Pokuplje, 
Banovina, Kordun, Gorski Kotar, Lika, Istria and 
Dalmatia). Although no concrete records are stated 
in his work, it is clear that the species has successfully 
inhabited this country, with its population estimated 
at 500–1,000 pairs in 2002 (BirdLife International 
2004). Matvejev (1976) also presents records for this 
woodpecker species for Montenegro. 
The records from Bosnia and Herzegovina thus fit 
into this general picture of the Syrian Woodpecker 
expansion to the west. The recent, first observation 
at Mrkonji} Grad suggests that the species is still 
expanding its range in this country. In our opinion, the 
very few published records of the species from Bosnia 
and Herzegovina do not reflect the true situation in the 
field – a consequence of the fact that very few people 
are engaged in bird watching.
Acknowledgements: Cordial thanks to my colleague 
Mrs. Nata{a Kova~evi} for her kind help in the 
fieldwork and data processing, and to Borislav Mari} 
for his photographs of the woodpeckers.
Povzetek
Avtor opisuje gnezdenje enega para sirijskega detla 
Dendrocopos syriacus leta 2008 v Banjaluki (severna 
Bosna in Hercegovina). Kljub navedbam o gnezdenju 
vrste v Bosanski Posavini starej{ih avtorjev, zlasti 
Matvejeva & Vasi}a (1973), je to prvi dokumentirani 
podatek o gnezdenju vrste v Bosni in Hercegovini. 
Izkazalo se je, da njihove navedbe temeljijo le na 
domnevi, verjetno na podlagi dejstva, da je sirijski detel 
gnezdilka sosednjih predelov Hrva{ke. Sirijski detel je 
bil v Banjaluki opazovan `e leta 1996, poleg tega pa 
sta poznana {e dva konkretna objavljena podatka o 
njegovem pojavljanju na ozemlju omenjene dr`ave. 
Avtor je spremljal opisano gnezdenje med 1.2.2008, 
ko je bila prvi~ opazovana samica, do 19.6.2008, ko 
je bil zadnji~ opazovan par s speljanimi mladi~i v 
neposredni okolici mesta gnezdenja. Gnezdilno duplo 
je bilo odkrito 2.6.2008, nekaj dni preden so mladi~i 
poleteli, in sicer v drevoredu blizu obre`ja reke Vrbas, 
v suhi veji amerikanskega javorja Acer negundo, na 
vi{ini 5,8 m od tal. Podatki o sirijskem detlu v Bosni in 
Hercegovini se ujemajo s splo{no sliko {irjenja areala 
vrste v sosednjih dr`avah.
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B. Ga{i}: First breeding record of the Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a 
reference to its present status
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Arrived / Prispelo: 17.12.2008
Accepted / Sprejeto: 15.10.2010