RSPB Spotlight Woodpeckers by Gerard Gorman

Author:Gerard Gorman
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472951199
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2018-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker working on a new hole. These little birds usually choose to excavate in soft, rotting wood.

When work begins, strips of bark and wood chips are simply flicked aside and pile up at the base of the tree. Later, when a bird is working inside a developing chamber, it sticks its neck out from time to time and tosses debris away with shakes of the head. This nonchalant behaviour is something of a puzzle. Woodpeckers are generally wary of being seen by their nest holes. Despite this, they draw attention to them by letting a pile of wood chips amass below the tree in full view of any passing predator.

Although conifers are used by British woodpeckers, broadleaved trees are generally preferred for nesting sites, but it is often a case of what is available locally. Living trees are usually selected by Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, with holes excavated in an area of rotten wood. In England, favourite nesting trees for Green Woodpecker include ash, birch, oak, sweet chestnut and walnut. Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers usually nest in dead boughs or snags, particularly in softer species like alder, birch, poplar and willow, but also beech, elm and sycamore.

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