Great Spotted Woodpecker

The Great Spotted Woodpecker is a boldly patterned bird in black and white, with large white shoulder patches, black upperparts and cap, and a crimson-red patch under the tail. Males show an additional red patch on the nape, which females lack, while juveniles have a red crown.

It is the most common and widespread woodpecker across much of Europe, equally at home in extensive forest and in wooded parks and gardens, where it readily visits bird feeders.

Key field marks

• Bold black-and-white plumage with large white oval shoulder patches
• Crimson-red patch under the tail
• Males have a red patch on the back of the head; females do not
• Juveniles show a red crown
• Loud "chik" call and rapid, resonant spring drumming

Similar species

• Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is much smaller and lacks the red vent, showing a barred (not solid white) back.
• Middle Spotted Woodpecker has a red crown in both sexes and paler, streakier underparts.
• Syrian Woodpecker (where ranges overlap) is very similar but lacks the black bar separating the red vent from the white outer tail.

The combination of large size, bold white shoulder patches, and red vent makes this the default "pied" woodpecker across most of its range.

Habitat

Occupies a wide range of wooded habitats, from extensive broadleaf and coniferous forest to parks, orchards, hedgerows, and large gardens with mature trees.

Range

Widespread across almost all of Europe and temperate Asia to Japan, plus parts of North Africa; absent only from Ireland and the far north.

Migration

Mostly resident and sedentary, though northern and eastern populations occasionally show irruptive movements in years of poor seed crops.

Behavior

An active, agile climber, moving up tree trunks and along branches in short hops, bracing itself with stiff tail feathers while excavating for food. It readily visits garden feeders, especially for peanuts and suet.

Voice

Gives a sharp, explosive "chik" or "kick" call, and in late winter and spring produces a fast, resonant drumming roll on dead branches to proclaim territory, distinct from its slower feeding taps.

Feeding

Primarily wood-boring beetle larvae extracted from bark and dead wood, plus seeds, nuts, and in spring sometimes the eggs or chicks of smaller hole-nesting birds.

Nesting and breeding

Excavates a new nest hole most years in a dead or decaying tree trunk. Females lay 4-7 white eggs, incubated by both parents for about 10-13 days, with young fledging after roughly three weeks.