Interactive Birds

Birds

Great spotted woodpecker

Dendrocopos major

Black and white with a flash of red under the tail. You often hear it drumming before you see it.

Size
About 23cm long
Look for it
All year round
Where
Woods, parks and gardens with big trees or feeders

My spotter's list

Bounds between perches and drums on the log. Move your pointer and see.

When to look

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Woodpecker

Good to know

Six things about the woodpecker

Drumming

Not looking for food

The fast drumming you hear in spring is a signal, like a song, to mark territory and attract a mate.

Head

A built-in crash helmet

Its skull has spongy bone and strong muscles that help protect its brain while it hammers.

Tongue

An amazing tongue

A woodpecker's long tongue wraps right round the inside of its skull when it's pulled back in.

Red

Who's who

Adult males have a red patch on the back of the head. Females don't, and young birds have a red cap.

Tail

A tail that props

Stiff tail feathers act like a third leg, propping it against the tree trunk while it climbs.

Feeders

Peanut fans

Great spotted woodpeckers often visit garden feeders for peanuts and suet.

The real thing

Photos of the woodpecker

Great spotted woodpecker, photo 1
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Great spotted woodpecker, photo 2
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Great spotted woodpecker, photo 3
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Out and about

How to spot one

Listen for drumming on a hollow branch from January to April, and a sharp "kick" call. They also come to garden peanut feeders.

Lend a hand

How to help

Hang peanuts or a fat block, and leave dead branches on trees where it is safe to do so: they are both a larder and a drum.

Keep going

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