Great spotted woodpecker

Explanation

When people think of the great spotted woodpecker, they are often reminded of vast forests. But this excellent climber is also very much at home in parks and gardens. In spring, you can clearly hear its characteristic drumming within the Tapijn grounds. It’s the great spotted woodpecker’s way of saying: this is my territory! Throughout the year, the attentive listener cannot fail to notice its short call. There are a number of rotten branches in the willow within the Tapijn grounds (opposite the aviary), making this an ideal place for the great spotted woodpecker to look for food, but also to use as a drum and to allow its drumming sound to be heard throughout Tapijn. We have placed a nest box in this willow for the great spotted woodpecker, in the hope that it will breed there one day and thus enabling us to follow the process from up close.

Latin name:
Dendrocopus major

Characteristics:
The great spotted woodpecker is easy to recognise thanks to its black and white plumage and red ‘trousers’. Males also have a red spot on the back of the head, which the females do not have. Young great spotted woodpeckers have a red hat.
In addition, great spotted woodpeckers can be recognised by their undulating flight, which is characteristic of woodpeckers – after beating their wings, they fold them tightly against their body.
The great spotted woodpecker’s drum can often be heard from a great distance. They produce this drumming sound by hitting their beak against a hollow branch or another object at high speed. In addition to the drumming, the woodpecker has a short call, ‘chuk’, which can be heard throughout Tapijn all year round.

Breeding data:
The great spotted woodpecker carves cavities in tree trunks. The male and the female do this together. They prefer soft wood, such as birch. If you see a woodpecker chopping like this, you might be surprised to know that it doesn’t get a headache. There is so much power involved, but luckily the brains of woodpeckers are encased in a kind of shock absorber, so that the chopping motion does not cause any harm. This chopping also comes in handy for other cavity breeders such as nuthatches and tits who regularly use old woodpecker nests to breed in.
Great spotted woodpeckers have 1 hatch per year and lay their 5 to 7 eggs on the bare wood within the hollowed-out nest cavity. There is no moss, grass or leaves involved. In 10 to 12 days, the eggs are hatched by both parents, after which the young are fed in the nest cavity for 20 to 23 days. Even after leaving the nest, the young are cared for by their parents for about 10 days.

Diet:
In spring and summer, great spotted woodpeckers live mainly on insects. They look for them in rotten branches, and can easily strip the bark from a tree with their pointed beaks and long tongues. Great spotted woodpeckers do not shy away from eating the eggs or young of other birds. In the winter months, it is more difficult to find enough food. That is why you see large, colourful woodpeckers appear more and more frequently in suburbs, eating from bird feeders or suet balls.

Relationship with humans

Why we do what we do

With the disappearance of forests and the clearing of rotten wood, humans can hinder the great spotted woodpecker. Due to these actions, they lose possible nesting places and sources of food. Fortunately, more and more rotten trees are left untouched in forests. In turn, Woodpeckers benefit from food that people offer up during the winter months and are more and more frequently taking up a position among people. Parks and gardens serve as nesting and foraging places.

Great spotted woodpecker

Explanation

Relationship with humans

Why we do what we do

Female great spotted woodpecker in the willow within Tapijn