Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos major
The adult Great Spotted Woodpecker lives in broadleaf and mixed woodland, parks, orchards, and mature gardens across much of Europe and Asia. It climbs tree trunks with zygodactyl feet and a stiff tail, chiseling into bark for beetle larvae and other insects while also eating seeds, nuts, and sometimes eggs or nestlings. Adults are strong, bounding flyers and may drum on dead wood as a territorial and courtship signal. Its skull, bill, and tongue are specialized for repeated hammering and extracting prey from deep crevices.
- Type
- Wing
- Conservation status
- LC