For details point at or click the
Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Piciformes
Family:
Picidae
BTO Codes:
GS, GRSWO
EURING No:
8760
Number in Britain:
41 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK:
GREEN
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
Links to: Images
Videos
Sound
Status in UK:
(A) Resident Breeder, Scarce Visitor
Subspecies:
anglicus major (S) recorded in Britain (of 24 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
22 cm
Wingspan:
36 cm
Weight:
M/F: 85 g
Scientific name from:
Gr.: dendron =tree + kopos =cutter
and L.: major =great
World Distribution:
Eurasia
Habitat:
Forest, woodland, towns
Diet:
Mostly insects hidden under bark or in dead wood, but also tree seeds and birds' eggs
TitBit:
The drumming sound produced by the woodpecker relies not so much on a heavy knock, but rather on the correct frequency of knocks (10-40 strikes per second) to make the timber resonate, although they do have shock-absorbent tissue at the base of the skull a
s well
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Regional Trends:
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Summer:
37 to 44 thousand pairs
in 2000
Note: Best estimate
First Record:
10th Century
[Fossil evidence from
early Holocene, up to 10,000 yr ago]
Conservation Status:
GREEN
Previous Assessments:
2002-2007
GREEN
1996-2001
GREEN
Races of Concern:
anglicus AMBER (Important Population)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
Most frequent in:
Deciduous Wood
And found in:
Villages
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
Summer:
4 to 8 million pairs
(Trend in Numbers )
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WBD(I*), Bern(III)
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
27 x 20 mm
Egg Weight:
5.7 g (of which 7 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
51
(more would be welcome!)
Clutch Size:
4 - 6 eggs
5.28 ± 1.49 (2 - 9) N = 43
Incubation:
14- 16 days
14.32 ± 2.10 (10.5 - 17) N = 42
by the:
Female (occ. Male)
Fledging:
20 - 24days
22.30 ± 2.91 (18 - 27.5) N = 362
as:
Altricial, naked
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid:
4 May (16 Apr - 22 May)
Number of Broods:
1
Trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed:
876
Adult Survival:
No data
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
1
year
Typical Lifespan:
No data
Maximum Recorded Age:
10yr 9m
(Sweden: 12yr 8m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
C
Wing Length
Adult:
132.4 ± 2.7
Range
128 - 137 mm, N =2663
Juvenile:
131.3 ± 3.5
126 - 136 mm, N =2357
Male:
132.5 ± 2.6
128 - 137 mm, N =1335
Female:
132.2 ± 2.7
128 - 137 mm, N =1319
Weight
Adult:
78.73 ± 5.31
Range
71.00 - 87.00 g , N =2113
Juvenile:
76.86 ± 5.68
69.30 - 85.00 g , N =1878
Male:
79.80 ± 5.32
72.00 - 88.00 g , N =1046
Female:
77.65 ± 5.08 .
70.00 - 86.00 g , N =1061
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Gaelic:
Snagan-daraich
Welsh:
Cnocell Fraith Fwyaf
Danish:
Stor flagspćtte
Dutch:
Grote bonte specht
Finnish:
Käpytikka
French:
Pic épeiche
German:
Buntspecht
Hungarian:
Nagy fakopáncs
Icelandic:
Barrspćta
Irish:
Mórchnagaire Breac
Italian:
Picchio rosso maggiore
Norwegian:
Flaggspett
Polish:
Dzieciol duzy
Portuguese:
Pica-pau-malhado-grande
Spanish:
Pico picapinos
Swedish:
Större hackspett
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Michalek, K.G. & Miettinen, J. 2003 BWP Update 5:101-184
See Also:
BirdFacts home | BTO Home birdfacts@bto.org These data should be cited as:
© British Trust for Ornithology, | Privacy Statement
button; for sources point at the 
button
Other Names
