The Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopus major

There are only two black and white woodpeckers in the UK, the Great and the Lesser Spotted.

The Great Spotted is the size of a blacksbird and the Lesser Spotted is the size of a Robin.

The male Great Spotted Woodpecker has a red patch on the back of his head and both the male and females have red 'underpants'.

Size

22 - 24cm

Weight

70 - 100gms

Habitat

Wooded areas and on open ground with scattered mature trees. Resident in UK and present throughout the year.

Nest

April to July. They dig out tree chambers at about 3m above the ground or will use specialist nest boxes.

Eggs

1 brood of 4-7 eggs. Incubation period is 10-13 days.

Food

Insects, fat bars, seeds and peanuts.

Voice

Call is a loud 'tchick' with song replaced by rapid drumming for attracting a mate or to mark a territory.

Characteristics

Although spectacular garden visitors, Great Spotted Woodpeckers can be an aggressive nuisance to other, smaller species. They often dominate other birds at feeders and will raid nest boxes and eat nestlings.

As an opposite side to this is the fact that they are endearing parents, frequently seen teaching their young how to use feeders.

BTO Statistics

The population of Great Spotted Woodpeckers increased substantially during the 70's partly due to Dutch elm disease. Nesting success seems very high but natural sites are hard to monitor and with the constant clearing of dead wood, new nest sites may become rare.