Great Spotted Woodpecker Identification
What I look like
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is the size of a Blackbird.
It has a black and white head, a black mustache, and a red spot on the nape.
Its beak is long and strong.
The back is black.
The chest and belly are white.
The undertail feathers and lower belly are red.
The wings are black with a large white patch on the shoulders.
The female does not have a red spot on the nape.
My songs, my calls
The Great Spotted Woodpecker is heard by its drumming: it rapidly strikes trunks to make them resonate (20 hits per second).
It can be heard drumming as early as February.
It also emits sharp "kek" calls.
How I behave
The Great Spotted Woodpecker clings to trunks by digging its claws in.
It uses its beak to find food in the trunks.
How I reproduce
The breeding season of the Great Spotted Woodpecker extends from April to August.
It produces one brood per year of 4 to 7 white eggs.
It nests in tree holes that it has dug itself.
Its nest is lined with wood chips.
Abandoned woodpecker nests are often used by other birds.
What I eat
It feeds on insects and larvae found in tree bark.
With its powerful beak, it digs into dead wood to find prey or strips the bark to lick the sap.
It wedges nuts and cones into crevices and hammers them to extract the fruits or seeds.
It is sometimes seen at feeders.
Where to find me
The Great Spotted Woodpecker lives in open deciduous or mixed forests, deciduous parks, and sometimes near dwellings.
In the garden, leaving old trees can allow it to dig its nest in the dead wood.
It is a sedentary species.