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  • Great spotted woodpecker

Great spotted woodpecker

Great spotted woodpecker (adult)
Great spotted woodpecker (adult)
Great spotted woodpecker (female)
Great spotted woodpecker (female)
Great spotted woodpecker (juvenile)
Great spotted woodpecker (juvenile)
  • Scientific name: Dendrocopos major
  • Bird family: Woodpeckers
  • UK conservation status: Green
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Great spotted woodpecker audio

Your browser does not support this audio feature.

Mathias Ritschard, Xeno-canto

Key information

About blackbird-sized and striking black-and-white. It has a very distinctive bouncing flight and spends most of its time clinging to tree trunks and branches, often trying to hide on the side away from the observer. Its presence is often announced by its loud call or by its distinctive spring 'drumming' display. The male has a distinctive red patch on the back of the head and young birds have a red crown.

What they eat:

Insects, seeds and nuts.

Measurements:

Length:
22-23cm
Wingspan:
34-39cm
Weight:
85g

Population:

UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
UK breeding:
140,000 pairs

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

Great spotted woodpecker (adult)

Great spotted woodpecker male
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Grey Red White
Leg colour: Brown
Beak: Black Long Powerful Chunky
Natural habitats: Woodland Urban and suburban

Great spotted woodpecker (juvenile)

Juvenile great spotted woodpecker
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Grey Red White
Leg colour: Brown
Beak: Black Long Powerful Chunky
Natural habitats: Woodland Urban and suburban

Similar birds:

Only two species of black and white woodpeckers occur in the UK - the great spotted and lesser spotted. In spring and summer, we often receive messages from people who are sure they have a middle spotted woodpecker in their garden.

This confusion arises when young great spotted woodpeckers leave the nest. Like a middle spotted woodpecker, they have a red top to their head and similar black and white markings on the body. Though middle spotted woodpeckers are just across the Channel in northern France, because they are not migratory, they have never made it to this country.

Lesser spotted woodpecker male
Lesser spotted woodpecker

Where and when to see them

Great spotted woodpeckers can be seen in woodlands, especially with mature broad-leaved trees, although mature conifers will support them. They can also be found in parks and large gardens. They will come to peanut feeders and bird tables. Not found in the far North of Scotland. Only a handful of pairs nest in Ireland, but numbers are increasing. Common in England and Wales.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Great spotted woodpecker distribution map

Great spotted woodpeckers can be seen all year round.

  • jan
  • feb
  • mar
  • apr
  • may
  • jun
  • jul
  • aug
  • sep
  • oct
  • nov
  • dec

RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Church Wood
  • RSPB Flatford Wildlife Garden
  • RSPB Tollie Red Kites
  • RSPB South Essex Wildlife Garden
  • RSPB Wolves Wood
  • RSPB Chapel Wood
  • RSPB Coombes Valley
  • RSPB Loch of Kinnordy
  • RSPB Lochwinnoch
  • RSPB Hazeley Heath
  • RSPB Swell Wood
  • RSPB The Lodge
  • RSPB Fore Wood

Video

Footage of a great spotted woodpecker on a tree and feeding from a bird feeder.

Footage of a great spotted woodpecker on a tree and feeding from a bird feeder.

great spotted woodpecker

In more depth

Attract great spotted woodpeckers

Attract great spotted woodpeckers

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