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Great Spotted Woodpecker

A species of Eurasian Pied Woodpeckers
Scientific name : Dendrocopos major Genus : Eurasian Pied Woodpeckers

Great Spotted Woodpecker, A species of Eurasian Pied Woodpeckers
Botanical name: Dendrocopos major
Genus: Eurasian Pied Woodpeckers
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) Photo By Ken Billington , used under CC-BY-SA-3.0 /Cropped and compressed from original

Description

The great Spotted Woodpecker is a fairly common species to find in the trees of its native woodlands. Populations in the colder portions of their range migrate while others stay put year-round. They drill into tree bark not only to access insects but also to build nests. The great Spotted Woodpecker is sometimes confused with the smallest European woodpecker, the lesser spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor), though they are noticeably different in size.
Size
20 - 24 cm
Life Expectancy
5-10 years
Feeding Habits
Great Spotted Woodpecker is omnivorous, extracting insect larvae from wood and consuming other invertebrates like beetles and spiders. They forage for nuts and seeds, especially in winter, when these can provide over 30% of their energy.
Habitat
Great Spotted Woodpecker thrives in diverse woodland ecosystems, including broadleaf, coniferous, and mixed forests. Their adaptable nature also allows them to inhabit human-altered landscapes such as parks, gardens, and various types of plantations, including olive and poplar. Great Spotted Woodpecker's range is expansive, encompassing geographical variations from lowland regions to mountainous areas just below the tree line, with altitudes reaching up to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in Central Asia. They are also prevalent in numerous forest types across broader regions such as North Africa, where they can be found in cedar, pine, and cork oak woods, and extend towards eastern territories like Northern Myanmar and Japan, favoring alder, rhododendron, and both deciduous and coniferous habitats.
Dite type
Insectivorous

General Info

Feeding Habits

Bird Feeder Type
Suet Cage

Behavior

The great spotted woodpecker spends much of its time climbing trees, and has adaptations to this lifestyle, many of which are shared by other woodpecker species. As well as using holes for breeding, great spotted woodpeckers roost at night, and sometimes during the day, in old nest cavities, excavated by other woodpeckers. They will occasionally make a new roosting hole or use an artificial site such as a nest box.

Distribution Area

The species ranges across Eurasia from the British Isles to Japan, and in North Africa from Morocco to Tunisia; it is absent only from those areas too cold or dry to have suitable woodland habitat. Vagrants have reached the Faroe Islands, Hong Kong and Iceland, and there are several sightings from North America in at least the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands and Alaska.
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) Photo By Ken Billington , used under CC-BY-SA-3.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
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