No forest is complete without this bird. Loud and rhythmic sounds of woodpecker fractions are heard throughout the district, especially in spring. If you look closely at the trees, you can see it. This bird is not shy and sometimes flies to "make noise" in gardens, on trees under windows or telegraph poles. She is very remarkable and bright, it is impossible to confuse her with anyone else. But species of woodpeckers can not be distinguished at first sight. Especially common in our country is a large motley woodpecker. Let us dwell on it in more detail.
Great Spotted Woodpecker: Description
The fact that this bird is generally difficult to confuse with anyone is due primarily to its specific appearance and method of food production. The large spotted woodpecker is often compared in size with a blackbird, they are approximately the same. The length of his body on average ranges from 22 to 27 centimeters, females, as a rule, less than males. The mass of the bird is small - only 60-100 grams. It is not for nothing that the great motley woodpecker got such a name, as it has a very bright, contrasting color of plumage in black and white and a red (and sometimes pink) undertail.
Male from female can be distinguished by the color of the nape. All young individuals have a red cap on their heads; with age, it disappears. A red spot on the back of the head remains only in males. The top of the head turns black. The cheeks of the bird, forehead, and belly are white, depending on the habitat, their hue can change from bright and clean to beige or almost brown. The large motley woodpecker has a very decent wingspan, reaching almost half a meter (42-47 centimeters). It is also worth noting the shape of the tail. It is pointed (wedge-shaped), has an average length; very tough, as it plays the role of a support when a bird moves through a tree. The structure of the paw, typical for woodpeckers, is zygodactyl, that is, two front fingers are opposed to two rear fingers. The average life span of a bird is about 9 years.
Great Spotted Woodpecker: habitat
This is a very common bird with a wide habitat - from the Canary Islands to Kamchatka and Japan. Most often, birds lead a sedentary lifestyle, less often - a nomad. The latter is mainly associated with habitats that are unfavorable from the point of view of the food supply, therefore birds are forced to migrate (invasion) to neighboring regions. The large motley woodpecker (photo can be seen in the article) is very undemanding to the place of residence and takes root almost everywhere where trees grow, from taiga forests to city parks. Surprisingly, the choice depends not only on the country in which the birds live, but even on the regions. So, in Siberia and the Urals, the woodpecker chooses coniferous and mixed forests, but with a predominance of pines, and in the north-west of the country he prefers pine forests, spruce.
What does a woodpecker eat in summer?
Many from school still remember the so-called orderlies of the forest. These include the wolf and the woodpecker. The bird prefers to settle in forests, where there are many old and rotten trees. Woodpeckers have a very diverse diet. The predominance of plant or animal food in it depends on the season. It is noteworthy that males and females earn their livelihood in various territories, and sometimes even in separate forests. Spring-summer diet consists mainly of insects and their larvae. First of all, these are, of course, various beetles, including those that feed on wood, as well as their larvae: barbel, bark beetles, stag beetles, weevils, ladybugs, and goldfish. The big spotted woodpecker makes 130 beats per minute with its beak. This is a fairly powerful force, not a single bug or worm will go unnoticed. Also, butterflies, including furry ones, their caterpillars, aphids, and ants are included in the diet of the bird. The big spotted woodpecker does not disdain carrion, if there is such an opportunity. It was also found that sometimes these birds ruin the nests of small songbirds.
What do woodpeckers eat in autumn and winter?
In the autumn-winter period, plant- rich, protein-rich foods predominate . It includes coniferous seeds, acorns, nuts. Of interest is a method of extracting seeds from a cone. It is characteristic of all woodpeckers, but this species brought it to perfection. Initially, the woodpecker picks a bump, then carries it in its beak to a pre-selected location - the anvil, which, in essence, is a clip or slot in the upper part of the tree trunk. The bird beats with a beak on the cone with all its force, and then proceeds to the meal - peeling off the scales, extracts the seeds. One large spotted woodpecker can make about 50 such anvils, but usually uses two or three. Therefore, at the end of winter, under a single tree, a whole hill of cones and scales can accumulate.
When does the woodpecker mating season come?
Monogamy is characteristic of these birds. They reach puberty by the end of the first year of their life. It is noteworthy that after the end of the mating season, couples can stay together until next spring. Either they break up and winter separately, but the next year they reunite again.
The behavior of birds during the mating season is very remarkable. Its first signs appear in late February - early March and continue to increase until the middle of the first spring month. Birds begin to choose a pair. Males behave extremely noisy, loudly talk and shout aggressively. Females respond to them, but less noticeably. Around the middle of May, when the pairs have already been decided, the construction of nests begins.
Woodpecker nesting
The tree in which the hollow will be located is selected by the male. It should not be rotten, but with soft wood (for example, aspen or alder, less often oak or birch, larch).
The large motley woodpecker (photo above), living in deciduous forests, prefers to make a new hollow annually. If its habitat is dense conifers, then the bird returns to the old. The hollow, as a rule, is located at a height of up to eight meters and has a depth of about 25-35 cm, and a diameter of about 10. The male is mainly engaged in construction, and the female only sometimes replaces it, in time it takes up to two weeks. Woodpeckers lay their eggs in mid-spring, around the end of April. In clutch there are from 5 to 7 small eggs of white color, glossy. Both parents take part in hatching, but only male at night. Chicks hatch naked, helpless and blind for 10-12 days.
Small and large spotted woodpecker: differences
- By the nature of the color of plumage. In a small species, the transverse strip of black on the cheek does not reach the back of the head and is interrupted by a white spot. In addition, it does not have a pink or reddish undertail. But on the head of the small woodpecker there is a hat - red with a black border for males and white for females.
- The great spotted woodpecker and the small spotted woodpecker differ in the nature of the sounds made. In the first species, the fraction is very short and lasts approximately 0.6 seconds, includes 12-13 strokes, but it is almost impossible to distinguish them, since they merge into one continuous sound. In addition, it quickly loses ringing, starts loudly, but quickly fades out. The large motley woodpecker makes 130 beats per minute, sometimes its fraction is heard sometimes at a distance of one and a half kilometers. The sounds made by the small woodpecker are more like the voice of songbirds, they are more lingering. And his fraction is also longer, but not as sonorous as that of the first species, lasting an average of 1.5 seconds.
- The small spotted woodpecker is somewhat smaller in size , its length is approximately 14-15 centimeters.
- They differ in preferences for the choice of habitat. The small spotted woodpecker prefers deciduous and mixed forests, the banks of ponds, and swamps. Tries to avoid dark conifers.
Does the woodpecker have any enemies?
It would seem that such a bird cannot fundamentally have enemies, because, having a powerful beak, it can well stand up for itself. But in reality, everything is somewhat different. Although there is little data on attacks on woodpeckers by birds of prey, they still exist. Basically, they are endangered by sparrows, goshawks, and peregrine falcons in the lowlands.
Of the land predators, it is worth noting the marten and ermine. Even the nests of woodpeckers, which, it would seem, are hidden and protected, are sometimes ruined by squirrels, dormouse, and ginger vespers (a variety of bats). It happens that woodpeckers are crowded out of old hollows by starlings.
Fitness woodpecker to environmental conditions
Almost all animals and birds have a certain set of characteristics that arose as a result of adaptation to factors of the outside world. The big spotted woodpecker is no exception. Habitat adaptability features are shown below.
- Clutching claws on the paws help to easily stay on a tree trunk or on thin branches.
- A rigid wedge-shaped tail prevents slipping down the trunk; it is more suited for climbing trees than for flying.
- A long strong beak helps to pierce the bark of trees and make hollows in them for nesting, as well as to obtain food.
- A long, thin and sticky tongue helps to get insects from the most inaccessible places.