Here’s a complete natural history profile of the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), one of Europe’s most widespread and familiar woodpeckers:

**Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)**

Taxonomy & Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae (woodpeckers)
Genus: Dendrocopos
Species: D. major

General Description

Size: 23–26 cm in length; wingspan 38–44 cm.
Weight: 70–100 g.
Plumage:
- Black and white upperparts with bold contrasting markings.
- White cheeks and shoulder patches.
- Red undertail coverts.
- Males: Red patch on the nape.
- Females: Lack the red nape patch.
- Juveniles: Red crown, which fades as they mature.
Bill: Strong, chisel-like, adapted for drilling wood.
Feet: Zygodactyl (two toes forward, two backward), for gripping bark.

Behavior & Lifestyle

Foraging:
- Specializes in excavating wood for insects and larvae.
- Known to wedge nuts or pine cones into crevices (called “anvils”) to hammer them open.
- Opportunistic — in winter also eats seeds, berries, and visits bird feeders.
Drumming:
- Rapid bill-hammering on dead wood serves as a territorial signal and courtship display.
- Each individual’s drumming rhythm can be distinctive.
Flight: Undulating, with alternating flaps and glides.

Diet

Primary food: Wood-boring beetle larvae, ants, and other insects.
Secondary food: Nuts, seeds (especially pine), berries, and occasionally bird eggs or nestlings.

Reproduction & Life Cycle

Breeding season: April–June.
Nest: Excavated in dead or decaying trees; both sexes help carve out the cavity.
Clutch size: 4–6 glossy white eggs.
Incubation: ~10–12 days, shared by both parents.
Fledging: Chicks leave the nest after about 20–23 days, fed by both parents.
Family bonds: Parents defend nest vigorously against intruders, including other woodpeckers.

Habitat

Found in a wide range of wooded environments:
- Deciduous and mixed forests
- Parks and gardens
- Farmland with scattered trees
Requires mature trees for nesting cavities and foraging.

Geographic Range

Widespread across Europe and Asia, from Iberia to Japan.
Absent from Ireland and northernmost Scandinavia, but expanding in some areas.
Non-migratory, though some northern populations may move south in harsh winters.

Ecological Role

Predator: Controls populations of wood-boring insects.
Ecosystem engineer: Creates tree cavities that are later used by other birds (e.g., nuthatches, owls, tits) and mammals (e.g., bats, dormice).
Seed disperser: Helps open cones and spread seeds.

Special Adaptations

Shock absorption: Skull and bill adapted to withstand repeated hammering without brain damage.
Long, sticky tongue: Can extend far beyond the bill to extract insects from deep crevices.
Cavity creation: Ability to excavate nesting sites in otherwise impenetrable wood.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List: Least Concern.
Population trend: Stable or increasing in many areas.
Threats:
- Local declines from loss of mature trees due to logging or urbanization.
- Competition for nest sites with invasive species like the Rose-ringed Parakeet in some cities.
Conservation measures: Retention of deadwood and mature trees in managed forests supports population health.

Interesting Facts

Their drumming can reach 10–15 strikes per second.
Known to sometimes raid nests of smaller birds for eggs or chicks.
Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers often beg noisily and can be heard before they are seen.
Increasingly common at garden bird feeders, where they often take peanuts and suet.