Anyone who has a summer house or who visits the forest is familiar with the sound of a loud knock. The source of this sound is a woodpecker. The family of this bird is widespread throughout the world, making it one of the most numerous. Ornithological scientists identify more than twenty species of woodpeckers. Since ancient times, these birds have attracted the attention of people. For a long time they were considered pests and were destroyed.
Great spotted woodpecker: photos and features
The most common species of woodpecker in the world is great spotted woodpecker. It is especially easy to meet it in Russia. Its habitat can be considered old parks, cemeteries, and summer cottages. As a rule, representatives of this family do not have a nomadic lifestyle, preferring to settle in one area. Mass migrations are observed only during periods of unfavorable feeding. Then the birds gather in flocks and fly to another region.
Appearance of a large woodpecker
Like many birds, the woodpecker has a memorable appearance. It is she, together with the characteristic knock makes this family extremely recognizable:
Habitats of the Great Woodpecker
The range of woodpeckers is extremely wide. It’s easier to say – there are birds where there are trees. There are species in the family that prefer privacy. But many of them have adapted to life next to humans. Therefore, they can be found in summer cottages, in city parks and squares. Prefers coniferous forests with a predominance of pine, but can also settle in mixed forests.
As ornithologists note, two hectares of land are usually enough for one individual. This area is enough for normal feeding. Under unfavorable conditions, the spotted woodpecker can fly long distances, but then it does not return to its old place. Such birds easily tolerate frosts, adapt to the conditions, and therefore there is no point in flying to other countries for the winter.
Lifestyle of a Great Woodpecker
Watching different birds brings a lot of pleasure. This is especially true for forest dwellers. The peculiarity of woodpeckers is that they do not sit idle. Therefore, from early morning they are busy with their hard work: chiseling wood. After their work, hollows remain, which are then used by various birds and animals.
The peculiarity of woodpeckers is that they don't like flying. Most often they prefer to climb trees using their claws and tail. It is noteworthy that this also applies to chicks. They begin to move around the tree earlier than to fly. In winter they lead the same lifestyle.
Pileated woodpecker feeding
Partly, the fact that woodpeckers remain to spend the winter in their habitats dictates their need for omnivory. This is especially helpful in times of hunger. Under favorable circumstances, the main diet consists of insects and their larvae. The woodpecker gets them out with the help of his long tongue, covered with sticky juice. Ornithology during dissection of specimens found up to 500 bugs in the stomach. This is the amount of food required per day.
Occasionally they may eat crustaceans and mollusks. Unfortunately, living next to a person left its mark on them. Woodpeckers can be seen in garbage dumps, where they get leftover food: sausage, cheese, meat, etc. Ornithologists also noticed: with poor food supplies, they may well temporarily feed on carrion and destroy the nests of small birds - eating eggs and their chicks.
Interesting Facts:
- When crawling, they never hang upside down on a tree - this is how their vestibular apparatus is structured;
- They move mainly in a spiral;
- The tongue is covered with a sticky substance, which makes it easier to capture all kinds of insects;
- Woodpeckers have a taste for music. Sometimes they knock on wood not for food, but for pleasure;
Great woodpeckers are important participants in forest life, protecting it from pests. Their role in helping other animals is also important, since the fruits of their activity - hollows - are used by other birds and small mammals to build homes.
woodpecker bird
Not a single forest can do without this bird. The loud and rhythmic sounds of a woodpecker's shot are heard throughout the entire area, this is especially noticeable in the spring. If you look closely at the trees, you can see it. This bird is not a shy one and sometimes flies to “make some noise” in gardens, trees under windows or telegraph poles. She is very remarkable and bright, it is impossible to confuse her with anyone else. But the species of woodpeckers may not be distinguishable at first glance. The Great Spotted Woodpecker is especially common in our country. Let's look at it in more detail.
Great spotted woodpecker: description
The fact that this bird is generally difficult to confuse with anyone else is primarily due to its specific appearance and method of obtaining food. The Great Spotted Woodpecker is often compared in size to the Thrush; they are approximately the same. Its body length on average ranges from 22 to 27 centimeters; females are usually smaller than males. The weight of the bird is small - only 60-100 grams. It is not for nothing that the Great Spotted Woodpecker received such a name, as it has a very bright, contrasting plumage color in black and white and red (and sometimes pink) undertail.
Males and females can be distinguished by the color of the back of the head. All young individuals have a red cap on their heads; it disappears with age. remains on the back of the head only in males. The top of the head becomes black. The bird's cheeks, forehead, and belly are white; depending on the habitat, their shade can vary from bright and clean to beige or almost brown. The Great Spotted Woodpecker has a very decent wingspan, reaching almost half a meter (42-47 centimeters). It is also worth noting the shape of the tail. It is pointed (wedge-shaped) and has a medium length; very rigid, as it plays the role of support when the bird moves on its feet, typical for woodpeckers - zygodactyl, that is, the two front fingers are opposed to the two back ones. The average bird is about 9 years old.
Great Spotted Woodpecker: Habitat
This is a very common bird with a wide habitat - from the Canary Islands to Kamchatka and Japan. Most often, birds lead a sedentary lifestyle, less often - a nomadic one. The latter is mainly associated with habitats that are unfavorable in terms of food supply, so birds are forced to migrate (invasion) to neighboring regions. The Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo can be seen in the article) is very undemanding about its place of residence and takes root almost anywhere where trees grow - from taiga forests to city parks. The surprising thing is that the choice depends not only on the country in which the birds live, but even on the regions. Thus, in Siberia and the Urals, the woodpecker chooses coniferous and mixed forests, but with a predominance of pine trees, and in the north-west of the country it prefers pine forests and spruce forests.
What does a woodpecker eat in summer?
Many people still remember from school about the so-called wolf and woodpecker. The bird prefers to settle in forests where there are many old and rotten trees. Woodpeckers have a very varied diet. The predominance of plant or animal food in it depends on the season. It is noteworthy that males and females obtain food for themselves in different territories, and sometimes even in separate forests. The spring-summer diet mainly consists of insects and their larvae. First of all, these are, of course, various beetles, including those that feed on wood, as well as their larvae: longhorned beetles, bark beetles, stag beetles, weevils, ladybugs, golden beetles. The Great Spotted Woodpecker makes 130 beats per minute with its bill. This is quite a powerful force; not a single bug or worm will go unnoticed. The bird's diet also includes butterflies, including hairy ones, their caterpillars, aphids, and ants. The Great Spotted Woodpecker does not disdain carrion if given the opportunity. It was also found that sometimes these birds destroy the nests of small songbirds.
What do woodpeckers eat in autumn and winter?
In the autumn-winter period, plant foods predominate. These include seeds of coniferous trees, acorns, and nuts. Of interest is the method of extracting seeds from a cone. It is characteristic of all woodpeckers, but this species has brought it to perfection. Initially, the woodpecker picks a cone, then carries it in its beak to a pre-selected place - an anvil, which is essentially a clamp or crevice in the upper part of a tree trunk. The bird hits the cone with all its force with its beak, and then starts eating - pecking off the scales and extracting the seeds. One Great Spotted Woodpecker can keep about 50 of these anvils, but usually uses two or three. Therefore, at the end of winter, a whole pile of cones and scales can accumulate under one tree.
When is mating season for woodpeckers?
These birds are characterized by monogamy. They reach sexual maturity by the end of the first year of their life. It is noteworthy that after the mating season ends, couples can remain together until next spring. Or they split up and spend the winter separately, but the next year they reunite.
The behavior of birds during the mating season is very remarkable. Its first signs appear in late February - early March and continue increasing until the middle of the first spring month. The birds begin to choose a mate. Males are extremely noisy, talk loudly and scream aggressively. Females respond to them, but less noticeably. Around mid-May, when the pairs have already decided, nest construction begins.
Woodpecker nesting
The tree in which the hollow will be located is chosen by the male. It should not be rotten, but with soft wood (for example, aspen or alder, less often oak or birch, larch).
The Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo above), living in deciduous forests, prefers to make a new hollow every year. If its habitat is dense conifers, then the bird returns to its old state. The hollow, as a rule, is located at a height of up to eight meters and has a depth of about 25-35 cm, and a diameter of approximately 10. Construction is mainly carried out by the male, and the female only sometimes replaces it; it takes up to two weeks. Woodpeckers lay eggs in mid-spring, around the end of April. The clutch contains from 5 to 7 small white, glossy eggs. Both parents take part in incubation, but at night only the male does. The chicks hatch naked, helpless and blind at 10-12 days.
Small and Great Spotted Woodpecker: Differences
- By the nature of the color of the plumage. In the small species, the transverse black stripe on the cheek does not reach the back of the head and is interrupted by a white spot. In addition, it does not have pink or reddish undertails. But the little woodpecker has a cap on its head - red with a black border for males and white for females.
- The Great Spotted Woodpecker and the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker are different by the nature of the sounds produced. In the first type, the fraction is very short and lasts about 0.6 seconds, includes 12-13 beats, but it is almost impossible to distinguish them, since they merge into one continuous sound. In addition, it quickly loses its sonority, starts loudly, but quickly fades away. The Great Spotted Woodpecker makes 130 beats per minute, its beat can sometimes be heard at a distance of up to one and a half kilometers. The sounds made by the lesser woodpecker are more similar to the voice of songbirds, they are more drawn out. And his fraction is also longer, but not as sonorous as that of the first type, lasting on average 1.5 seconds.
- Lesser Spotted Woodpecker somewhat smaller in size, its length is approximately 14-15 centimeters.
- They differ in their preferences for choosing a habitat. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker prefers deciduous and mixed forests, the banks of ponds, and swamps. Tries to avoid dark conifers.
Does the woodpecker have enemies?
It would seem that such a bird fundamentally cannot have enemies, because, possessing a powerful beak, it can easily stand up for itself. But in reality everything is somewhat different. Although there is little data on attacks on woodpeckers by birds of prey, they still exist. They are mainly endangered by sparrowhawks, goshawks, and in flat areas - peregrine falcons.
Of the terrestrial predators, it is worth noting the marten and ermine. Even woodpecker nests, which are seemingly hidden and protected, are sometimes subject to destruction by squirrels, dormouse and (a type of bat). It happens that woodpeckers are forced out of old hollows by starlings.
Adaptation of the woodpecker to environmental conditions
Almost all animals and birds have a certain set of characteristics that arose as a result of adaptation to factors in the external world. The Great Spotted Woodpecker is no exception. The features of adaptation to the environment are given below.
- Tenacious claws on the paws help to easily hold on to a tree trunk or thin branches.
- The hard, wedge-shaped tail prevents sliding down the trunk; it is better suited for climbing trees than for flying.
- The long, strong beak helps to pierce the bark of trees and make hollows in them for nesting, as well as to obtain food.
- The long, thin and sticky tongue helps to get insects from the most inaccessible places.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
The Great Spotted Woodpecker or Spotted Woodpecker (lat. Dendrocopos major) is a species of bird of the order Dyciformes, family Woodpeckers, genus Spotted Woodpeckers.
The modern classification includes 14 subspecies of the Great Spotted Woodpecker, representatives of which differ in body and beak sizes, as well as shades of the main color of the plumage.
What does a spotted woodpecker look like?
The size of the spotted woodpecker is similar to that of a thrush: the body length of an adult is 22-27 cm, with a weight of 60 to 100 g. The main color of the plumage is black and white in various shades. The head, back and rump are black with a blue tint, the undertail is red or pink. The shoulders, belly, as well as the forehead and cheeks, depending on the area, are painted white, brownish-white or dark brown. The bird's shoulders have large white areas separated by a black dorsal stripe. The black flight feathers are covered with white spots, forming 5 light stripes on the wing. The woodpecker's light cheeks are bordered by black "whiskers".
Males have a red transverse stripe on the back of their heads - the only sexual difference between pileated woodpeckers. Juveniles are colored like adults, but are distinguished by a red crown interspersed with narrow, black stripes.
Woodpeckers have red or brown eyes. The strong, sharp beak is lead-black, the legs are dark brown.
A distinctive feature of woodpeckers is their particularly hard, sharp tail, which birds use as support when moving along vertical surfaces. And also the presence of a long (up to 4 cm), sticky tongue, with which woodpeckers extract prey from the narrowest holes.
The woodpecker's tongue is visible in the photo. 
Male Great Spotted Woodpecker. 
Great Spotted Woodpecker. 
Great spotted woodpecker in profile. 
Great Spotted Woodpecker. 
Great Spotted Woodpecker. 
Great Spotted Woodpecker. 
Great Spotted Woodpecker. Where do woodpeckers live
The spotted woodpecker is one of the most numerous and widespread bird species, living in most European countries, northwest Africa and Asia Minor.
In most of their range, woodpeckers lead a sedentary lifestyle; only near the northern borders do they migrate to other regions in hungry years.
Woodpeckers are unpretentious and adapt to any landscape where trees grow. On European territory they are found in dry and swampy forests - mixed, coniferous and deciduous. They often settle in city parks and cemeteries. The inhabitants of the African continent prefer cedar forests, olive groves and cork oak forests. Populations of Asian countries inhabit thickets of rhododendron and deciduous forests of foothills. In atypical habitats, for example, in the tundra, woodpeckers appear exclusively in search of food.
Male Great Spotted Woodpecker. 
Great Spotted Woodpecker. 
Woodpecker in flight. 
Woodpecker in flight. What do woodpeckers eat?
In spring and summer, the diet consists of insects and their larvae. Beetles (including tree beetles): bark beetles, leaf beetles, stag beetles, ground beetles, weevils. Various butterflies and caterpillars of wood borers, glass beetles, white beetles, as well as aphids, scale insects and many species of ants. Sometimes shellfish and crustaceans are added to the menu.
On occasion, woodpeckers do not disdain carrion (like tits) and can destroy the nests of small species of birds (the same tits or finches) and can even destroy the nests of their relatives by eating eggs and chicks. In summer, they readily consume the pulp of currants, raspberries, and gooseberries. City dwellers often feed in garbage dumps.
In winter, the diet is dominated by plant foods - acorns, nuts and conifer seeds, as well as aspen bark. Woodpeckers extract seeds from cones using a “forge”: they clamp the cone in a pre-prepared “anvil” - a split wood and pull out the seeds with powerful blows of their beak. In the spring, at the beginning of sap flow, woodpeckers break through the bark of trees and drink the sap.
Woodpecker with a seed in its beak. 
Woodpecker with a butterfly in its beak. 
Woodpecker with prey. 
Woodpecker and titmouse at the feeder. 
Woodpecker breeding
Woodpeckers are monogamous and a pair that breaks up after breeding often reunites the next year. The mating season, depending on the area, lasts from late December to mid-May. During the breeding season, the drumming and calls of woodpeckers can be heard up to 1.5 km away. Males organize mating dances and flights, which end with mating.
The male himself chooses a place for the nest - a tree with soft wood (alder, birch, larch) and begins to hollow out a hollow at a height of up to 8 m. The work takes 2 weeks, sometimes the female replaces the male. The result is a hollow, 25-35 cm deep and up to 12 cm in diameter, sometimes with a canopy of tinder fungus.
At the end of spring, the female lays 5-7, less often 4-8, pure white, glossy eggs. The male does incubation at night and most of the day. The incubation period lasts 10-13 days, after which naked and blind chicks are born.
The offspring are fed by both parents, making about 300 feedings per day. After 10 days, the strong chicks meet their parents at the entrance to the hollow, and after another 10-13 days they begin to fly out of the nest. The brood stays nearby for three weeks, at first still feeding at the expense of its parents, and then leaves its native territory.
On average, woodpeckers live about 9 years, in exceptional cases 2-3 years more.
Female woodpecker at the nest. 
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A knocking sound resembling a drum roll is heard through the forest. This is a motley bird in a red cap, busy with its work. She herself is about 30 centimeters long and weighs from 60 grams. Its back, head and upper part of its tail are blue-black. Under the tail, on the inside, there is red plumage. The shoulders are white, and so is the belly. There is a black longitudinal stripe on the back. The white muzzle is also decorated with a black stripe, reminiscent of a mustache. The wings are white and black. This is a woodpecker. One of its varieties is the Great Pied.
Species of woodpeckers and their habitat
This bird is distributed almost throughout the globe. You will not find it only in the icy Antarctica and on some small islands. Woodpeckers do not live in Australia either. On other continents, wherever there are forests, there are always woodpeckers.
These are mainly forest dwellers. Moreover, they settle in any forests: both deciduous and coniferous. They can choose either dry or swampy terrain for their residence.
There are many species of woodpeckers. According to some estimates, there are currently about 200 of them, according to others - slightly more species.
Their color varies depending on the species. And, quite significantly. So, there are woodpeckers with green plumage. This species feels great on a horizontal surface, unlike others. The largest are black woodpeckers. The most voracious is the gray-haired three-fingered one.
In Russia there are about 14 varieties of them. The most common is variegated. This species has several subspecies. In city squares and parks you can find the small motley. In general, woodpeckers do not settle near people as often as other birds. Their main habitat is forests.
Despite significant differences in size and color depending on the variety, all woodpeckers have several distinctive features that are common to all of them. Almost everyone has a red spot on their head. In the motley one - on the back of the head. This sign is perhaps the most distinctive, by which many recognize him.
Woodpeckers are distinguished by their body structure and some of its features. Thus, woodpeckers are not adapted to being on a horizontal plane, with the exception of one species. You almost never see them on earth. The tail serves as a springy support for birds to move vertically (along a tree trunk). They move up the tree, with a slight slope to the side.
Woodpeckers have hard feathers. Especially in the tail section. They fit very tightly to their body.
The woodpecker's legs are short and strong, concave inwards. The strength of their beak is fully consistent with their main occupation - chiseling wood. It is very durable. And the tongue is long, thin, rough, with notches at the end. When extracting food from a trunk, woodpeckers can stick it out several centimeters forward (sometimes up to 15 cm). And, bugs and spiders stick to it. Inside, the tongue wraps around their head. A woodpecker breathes through one nostril - the left. And his long tongue passes through his right.
The woodpecker's tongue is visible in the photo. Great Spotted Woodpecker. Great Spotted Woodpecker. Great Spotted Woodpecker. Great Spotted Woodpecker. Great spotted woodpecker in profile. Male Great Spotted Woodpecker. Great Spotted Woodpecker. Diet of woodpeckers at different times of the year
Woodpeckers do not disdain dead animals either. Also, they can be called predators. They eat smaller birds: sparrows, tits. They can destroy their nests, drinking eggs and stealing chicks, which they will certainly feast on later. So, woodpeckers will not refuse the meat menu.
In spring, their food becomes tree buds and shoots of young plants. Woodpeckers are not averse to drinking tree sap. They especially love birch. The suckling woodpecker, for example, feeds exclusively on it.
What do woodpeckers eat during the harsh winter? As already mentioned, these birds quite rarely settle near humans. But they can also be found at bird feeders in winter. Especially if there are tree plantings in the city or other locality.
In the forest, woodpeckers in winter eat cones, berries and seeds left on the trees. Sometimes, walking through the forest, you can see a pile of nut husks on the ground, near a tree. It was the woodpecker who did the work. They push cones into the crevices of trees and peel them to obtain nuts. Sometimes, woodpeckers store them for future use, hiding them in tree crevices. Some species make provisions for the cold period. Moreover, in the fall they will not eat them, leaving them for hungrier days.
Great Spotted Woodpecker. Woodpecker in flight. Woodpecker in flight. Male Great Spotted Woodpecker. Woodpecker lifestyle
Woodpeckers are not migratory birds. Having chosen a forest area, they will never leave it. This can happen only as a last resort. For example, these places will become poorer, there will be little food. Deforestation, of course, can also lead to the resettlement of this bird species. After all, the main life activity of woodpeckers is the study of trees.
They spend most of their lives doing this activity. By the way, they live, sometimes more than 10 years. Their minimum life expectancy is 5 years. Woodpeckers are most often killed by human activity and predator attacks. A woodpecker can be caught and eaten, for example, by a kite or a hawk, or another large bird of prey.
Woodpeckers living closer to the north still begin to look for a warmer place as the cold gets worse. But once they have moved, for whatever reason, they never return. And so, they lead a sedentary lifestyle. Sometimes woodpeckers make short trips around the surrounding area, looking for new trees and stumps to study.
Having found a suitable tree, the woodpecker gets down to business. Having flown up to the chosen plant, it will sit, first, on the lower part of the trunk. Further, as necessary, the woodpecker will move along it in jerky upward movements, with a slight slope to the side. But the woodpecker will not just sit on a branch. It is not adapted to a horizontal position.
The flight of these birds is undulating. They don't fly straight. The trajectory of their air movement oscillates to the sides. The wing flapping frequency is quite high. They fly fast.
Woodpeckers are loners. They do not flock together. But many of them, having chosen a mate and separated after feeding the chicks, reunite with the same individual next year.
Woodpecker with a butterfly in its beak. Woodpecker with prey. Woodpecker with a seed in its beak. Woodpecker and titmouse at the feeder. "Family life" of woodpeckers
Birds begin to take care of the reproduction of their offspring from the middle of winter. During their mating season, their cries and knocking can be heard throughout the forest. Woodpeckers are generally very noisy creatures. In addition to knocking on trunks, they also make noise with tree branches, setting them in motion. When choosing a partner, male woodpeckers dance and fly to attract females. And their songs are short, often repeated trills. Also, to attract a female, by choosing a dry branch that will perfectly spread the sound, the woodpecker will make such a drum roll that it can be heard throughout the area within a radius of 1.5 km.
The male chooses the place for future hatching of the chicks. The choice usually falls on trees with soft wood.
By mid-May, their mating games end. And the couple begins to arrange the hollow. Construction is carried out alternately by both: the male and the female. They line the “floor” in the hollow with wood chips.
Typically, woodpeckers take no more than two weeks to build a home. But, there is a species of woodpecker living on the American continent that can engage in such responsible work for several years! This is such a “serious” American woodpecker! This subspecies is called cockade.
Also, woodpeckers, after completing their annual parental mission, can abandon their home. Next year they will make a new hollow for themselves. And titmice and other homeless feathered inhabitants of the forest can calmly settle in the old one.
It is interesting that woodpeckers arrange their hollows. They usually hide the entrance there under branches. And sometimes, you can see their house under a kind of “balcony” - a tree mushroom. It also performs a camouflage role.
When the hollow is ready, the female woodpecker lays eggs. Typically, the clutch does not exceed 5 - 7 eggs. The male is mostly responsible for incubating them. Sometimes, they change with the female. But both parents will feed the chicks.
After two weeks, blind and deaf chicks are born. They have no plumage in the first days of life. But, within a month, already feathered chicks will be running along the tree trunk. At first, they will wait at the entrance to the hollow for their parents with food. And a little later, they will run all over the tree, not yet able to fly. The young woodpeckers will spend about another month close to their mother and father. And, with the approach of their first winter in their lives, independent life begins. Parents are also separated from each other and from their brood. After all, a woodpecker is an individualist!
Female woodpecker at the nest. By the way...
Woodpeckers chisel trees not only for food. This also helps them in the spring call of females. And also, this is how they let you know who is in charge in a given territory.
Woodpeckers don't really like to fly. Although they know how to do it perfectly. The woodpecker will not rush to fly away even in case of danger. At first, he will simply hide, jumping to the other side of the trunk, so that the predator does not see him. And he himself will watch him, peeking out from behind the tree. And only if the enemy is inevitably dangerously close will he fly away.
In America there lives a woodpecker who makes sure to stock up. This is an acorn woodpecker. And he stores acorns, hiding them in the cracks of tree trunks.
You can meet a woodpecker even in the desert! There he hammers cacti. Not everything in a row, of course. Tree-like.
There are species of woodpeckers that make nests in the ground. They dig holes and line them with animal hair.
Woodpeckers are quite voracious birds. This is explained by the fact that they spend a lot of effort and energy chiseling trees. Therefore, they experience an almost constant feeling of hunger. And they hammer the trunks with great force and frequency. In a second they are capable of making up to 25 blows! Fortunately, their beak is very strong. And the brain structure is designed in such a way that it protects them from concussions.
A woodpecker is hammering a tree - chips are flying! And at least that would matter to him! It’s designed in such a way that literally a moment before hitting a tree, their natural protective reflex is triggered - their eyelids cover their eyes. And, they are protected from falling chips!
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Squad - Woodpecker-like
Family - Woodpeckers
Genus/Species - Dendrocopos major
Basic data:
DIMENSIONS
Length: 22-23 cm.
Wingspan: 34-39 cm.
Weight: 80
REPRODUCTION
Puberty: from 1 year.
Nesting period: from April to June.
Carrying: one per year.
Number of eggs: 4-7.
Feeding chicks: 20-24 days.
LIFESTYLE
Habits: They stay alone in their own territories.
Food: insects living in wood, seeds, nuts, fruits, eggs and chicks of other birds.
Sounds:"kick".
Lifespan: about 11 years old.
RELATED SPECIES
The Great Spotted Woodpecker's closest relative is the Syrian Woodpecker, which is also found in southeastern Austria.
This bird with black, white and red plumage is as widespread today as ever. The sound of the great spotted woodpecker is heard not only in the forest - the bird has adapted to life in city gardens and parks. Great spotted woodpeckers are especially willing to settle in birdhouses hung for other birds.
WHAT DOES IT EAT?
Great spotted woodpeckers feed on spiders, insects and their larvae, and they also consume plant food. Woodpeckers find larvae in cracks and voids under the bark. The bird knocks on the wood with its beak, examining whether there are larvae there. Having established the exact place where the prey is located, the woodpecker uses its beak to widen the hole in the bark and pulls the prey out from under it with the tip of its long, rough tongue. Throughout the year, woodpeckers feed on berries, nuts and cone seeds. Plant food in the diet of woodpeckers predominates in winter, when insects and larvae are scarce. Woodpeckers build special “anvils” that they use to crack a nut or peel a cone: usually this is a crack in the bark or tree trunk, into which a tasty morsel is placed in a hard “package.” Having dealt with one prey, the bird puts in another. The Great Spotted Woodpecker uses its anvil for quite a long time.
LIFESTYLE
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is the most numerous representative of the woodpecker family, common in Europe. Its range spans from coniferous forests of the Scandinavian Peninsula to deciduous forests in the Mediterranean region.
The great spotted woodpecker lives at different altitudes: from zero to more than 1000 m above sea level. It can be found both in the forest and in the center of a big city. It nests in ancient cemeteries, parks and gardens, provided that there are many old trees preserved in them. A woodpecker will never live on a single tree that stands in a field, since it will not provide it with food and will not be a convenient place for a nest. For nesting, the bird chooses a tall, dead or partially damaged tree with rotten wood, in which it is easy to hollow out a hollow.
In most parts of its range, the Great Spotted Woodpecker leads a sedentary lifestyle and rarely flies further than 10-15 km from the nest in which it was born. However, great spotted woodpeckers living in Siberian and Scandinavian coniferous forests often migrate in search of places with the largest harvest of cones.
REPRODUCTION
Every year, early in the spring, males begin to “drum roll” on the trees. This is how they drive away competitors and attract females. The mating ritual includes a game of aerial tag between the trees and a dance - flying with wings and tail widely spaced. Birds that have entered into a “marriage union” choose an old rotten tree for nesting, in which a hollow is hollowed out at a height of 1 to 20 m above the ground - a pear-shaped chamber with a narrow corridor that leads outside. The inside of the chamber is covered with wood shavings. A pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers take turns incubating the clutch. In order for the chicks to grow well, parents often have to fly to hunt and catch caterpillars, which the kids immediately eat. Often only the strongest of the chicks reach sexual maturity. Most woodpecker babies die.
After leaving the nest, the chicks sleep for several nights leaning against a tree trunk. Then they look for places more suitable for spending the night, occupy empty hollows of others or hollow out their own. Young woodpeckers quickly learn the art of foraging. 8-10 days after leaving the nest, the parents drive the young out, forcing them to begin an independent life.
OBSERVATIONS OF THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is a common bird. His knocking, as well as his rattling voice, can often be heard in the forest. But seeing it is not easy - to do this you need to look at large old trees for a long time. If you move closer unnoticed, you will see red feathers on the underside of the bird's tail. A red spot on the head indicates that this is a male. A Great Spotted Woodpecker chick can be mistaken for a Medium Spotted Woodpecker, which has the same red cap on its head, only without the black border. The European spotted woodpecker is an inhabitant of mixed lowland forests. It differs from the large woodpecker in its smaller size and faster shot.
- In the past, people believed that knocking was one of the sounds that woodpeckers made. It was not until 1930 that it was proven that this sound occurs when a woodpecker strikes a tree with its beak.
- The Great Spotted Woodpecker pecks out the seeds from a pine cone in less than four minutes, making 800 blows with its beak. On a winter day, the bird eats about 1,700 pine seeds, 8,000 larch seeds or 10,700 juniper seeds.
- The Great Spotted Woodpecker is a useful bird, a real forest nurse. Contrary to popular belief, woodpeckers, when destroying insect pests, only kill diseased trees. The empty hollows left by woodpeckers are occupied by other birds, as well as bats.
FEATURES OF THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER
Chick: The color of the plumage is the same as that of an adult bird, with one characteristic feature - a bright red cap with a dark border on the head.
Plumage: The feathers of a large woodpecker are speckled with large white spots; only its back is black. White feathers around the ears and cheeks and framed by black stripes running from the beak to the neck. The belly is white, and the flight feathers have parallel white stripes. The male has a red spot on the back of his head; Birds of both sexes have red feathers on the underside of their tail.
Legs: two fingers point forward and two back - thanks to this arrangement, the woodpecker can climb a vertical surface.
Eggs: A woodpecker lays 4-7 white shiny eggs in a pear-shaped hollow.
Woodpecker tongue: The woodpecker knocks on the wood with its beak, listening for voids in which larvae can hide. The bird reaches for prey with its tongue, to which insects stick or are pierced by its tip.
- Range of the Great Spotted Woodpecker
WHERE DOES IT LIVE?
Great spotted woodpeckers nest throughout Europe, with the exception of Ireland and Iceland, also in a wide Asian strip to Kamchatka and Northern Vietnam.
PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION
The populations of this woodpecker are quite numerous, in some places of their range their numbers are even increasing. Birds are disappearing from industrial areas and areas of massive deforestation.
