The Great Spotted Woodpecker of the Old World

Identification, Diet, Nesting, and Status of a Common Cavity Nester

Jul 3, 2009

The Great Spotted Woodpecker lives in much of the northern hemisphere, except in North America, and still thrives despite human activities throughout its range.

The Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major, is found in Europe and Asia, except in the far north, and in northern Africa. In the United Kingdom, it does not occur in northern Scotland or Ireland, though its range is expanding. Its global population is thought to be between 75 million and 200 million birds. Look for the Great Spotted Woodpecker in woodlands, parks, gardens, and at bird feeders all year round except in the northern parts of its range. It nests and roosts in tree cavities.

Identification of a Great Spotted Woodpecker

Like a typical woodpecker, D. major moves vertically on tree trunks, pecking at the wood in search of food. It’s a medium sized black and white bird with a wingspan of about 40cm (16 inches). In flight, this woodpecker flaps its wings briefly, then folds them close to its body, producing a bouncy undulating flight pattern. Though it is rather similar to D. minor, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, D. major is larger and several other features help with identification:

Diet and Feeding Habits of Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Great Spotted Woodpeckers feed mostly on insects and their larvae in the warmer months when these food items are common. The birds chip away at tree bark, sometimes excavating holes several inches deep. Exposing prey are trapped with a sticky tongue. During the breeding season, adult Great Spotted Woodpeckers often raid the nests of other birds, stealing eggs and young. Sometimes, they even excavate through the side of a wooden birdhouse or dead tree to get at a nest.

During cold seasons, Great Spotted Woodpeckers turn to nuts and berries and frequent feeding stations for suet and nuts. With their stocky strong beaks, these birds are capable of breaking apart tough nut shells and large pine cones. To do this, they use "anvils"—clefts and forks in trees where the food item can be securely wedged while the bird works at it. If it is a pine cone, the woodpecker systematically harvests the seeds, turning the cone in the anvil. Because birds return to the same anvil repeatedly, piles of shells and spent cones pile up beneath it.

Nesting and Breeding of Great Spotted Woodpeckers

In the spring both males and females drum loudly and rapidly on wood to declare territory and find mates. A pair shares the task of excavating a nesting cavity in a tree, usually three metres above the ground or more. The birds prefer dead trees but living trees are also used and, rarely, a hole from a previous year may be used a second time. The nest hole penetrates toward the center of the trunk for a few inches, then turns downward, ending in a hollowed out chamber.

Conservation Status of Great Spotted Woodpeckers

The Great Spotted Woodpecker is not a species of conservation concern. Its adaptability to human communities, ability to nest in live trees when dead ones are not available, and varied diet make it less vulnerable to human pressures than many other species

Sources

"Great Spotted Woodpecker - BirdLife Species Factsheet" BirdLife Internationa. birdlife.org

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