Great-spotted woodpecker  (Dendrocopos major)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Biology

The great spotted woodpecker feeds on seeds, invertebrates, and occasionally bird eggs and nestlings (2). It often extracts seeds from kernels by wedging them in crevices in tree bark, which act as 'anvils'; a pile of cones often builds up under these anvils, betraying their presence (2).

Drumming, which acts as a territorial defence, is carried out by both sexes, usually in March and April (5). After a courtship display, both sexes help to excavate the nest in a tree (5). The chamber is typically 30 cm deep, and the oval-shaped entrance hole is around 4 m from the ground (5). From mid-May to early June between 4 and 7 white eggs are laid; the female incubates them for 16 days, after which time both parents feed the young for 18-21 days. Just one brood is produced a year (5).

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