Different birds live in our forests and parks, fields and meadows. The names of some characterize bird habits, others - coloring features, and still others - the method of obtaining food. Here, for example, is a flycatcher. You already understand that this little birdie is mainly engaged in catching flies and other small flying insects. Of course, she does this not for fun, but feeds on them. Can you imagine the benefits a flycatcher brings, clearing forests and gardens of various pests!

Or a wagtail. This cute bird was named so because, while running on the ground and even standing still, it constantly shakes its long tail - shakes its tail. People say: a wagtail flew in and broke the ice with its tail. This is because the time of arrival of the bird from the south and the beginning of ice drift on the rivers usually coincide.
What about the redstart? Anyone who saw it once will remember it for a long time. The bird’s tail actually seems to be “burning”, as if engulfed in flames. It is reddish-fiery in color. Everyone understands that the greenfinch was so named because it is almost all olive green in color. Or another interesting bird - the whirligig. To scare the enemy, she twists her neck, imitating a snake.

And there are many birds whose names do not explain anything. For example, starling, thrush, lark, oriole. Try it and find out where these names come from. What does the word “woodpecker” tell you? But listen to it, doesn’t it resemble the sound of a short and sharp blow? Woodpecker! Woodpecker! Woodpecker!

Woodpecker It is familiar not only to naturalists; many people know it, but they know it very superficially; this bird is often called the forest doctor. And rightly so. By destroying a huge number of harmful insects such as woodcutting beetles, bark beetles and the like, the woodpecker actually heals trees. Let's get to know him better.

Not everyone knows that several woodpeckers species. First of all it's big spotted woodpecker. He is very handsome. Its plumage is truly variegated - a mixture of white and black; the male has a transverse red stripe on the back of his head, and the undertail is brown. There is also a small spotted woodpecker - it is slightly larger than a sparrow; There is also a green woodpecker, a black woodpecker with a red cap, its other name is yellow.

The most famous is the great spotted woodpecker; we are accustomed to seeing it in our forests. Somewhere there were quick blows on a tree trunk, then a sharp and rather loud cry was heard: “kick-kick-kick.”

Follow the sound carefully and you will soon see the bird. Perched high on a trunk, the woodpecker quickly strikes the bark with its large, strong beak. Having noticed you, he will immediately stop working and move to the opposite side of the tree, and if you persistently approach, he will fly away.

It is interesting to watch the woodpecker in the spring, when the forest is filled with colorful bird chirping. The woodpecker does not know how to sing, and therefore expresses the joyful spring mood in another way: it climbs onto a dry branch and begins to quickly knock on it with its beak. A long, rattling loud sound is heard, similar to the creaking of a branch in the wind. This is the spring “song” of the woodpecker. Its purpose is to attract the attention of the woodpecker.

A little later, when the trees wake up from their long winter sleep and the sap begins to flow under the bark, the woodpeckers perform a curious operation. They ring trees: they make holes in the bark and drink the sweet juice.

Such rings most often surround the trunks of birch trees, hence the name - woodpecker rings. The bird loves some trees so much that it rings it every year. It has been noticed that such trees (usually birch and spruce) grow on the edges of forests or in open, well-lit areas. There, the trees warm up faster and the movement of sap from the roots to the branches with swollen buds begins earlier.

Tree ringing is not an idle pastime, and the woodpecker is not just enjoying the juice. In the spring he is hungry, like all other birds, so he is fed with juice. But ringing does not harm the tree. The birds make small holes, and they quickly close. Only occasionally do influxes form on the trees that the woodpecker rings from year to year.

Seeing a woodpecker, pay attention to how it sits on the trunk. Not at all like other birds. The special structure of its legs (two toes forward, two back) allows it to stand vertically on the trunk, while it rests on its hard tail, the end of which is always frayed. The bird moves along the tree in short jerks, knocks here, hits here, and then quickly runs to the other side of the trunk. They jokingly say: the woodpecker was running to see if the tree had gone right through and if the tip of its nose was visible in the hole. In fact, the insects, disturbed by his chattering, crawl out of the cracks, so the woodpecker is in a hurry to catch them.

And in winter, the bird feeds on the seeds of spruce and pine cones. He picks off a cone and flies with it to his “machine”. He arranges it on a broken dry tree or on a stump: he hollows out a deep groove or hole, where he inserts a cone. Unbending it, the bird takes out the seeds. In this case, some of the seeds fall on the snow. That's why tits always hang around the woodpecker. They pick up fallen seeds. That's why woodpecker in winter always surrounded by a retinue of tits. They even believe that he is the leader of their pack. But that's not true; they fly after the woodpecker because they can always make money near it.

If there is a bad year for pine cones, woodpecker chiselling bark, pulls out various larvae from it. Finding a woodpecker’s “forge” in the forest is not so difficult: there are always a lot of broken cones lying under a tree.

woodpecker nest settles in a hollow tree, where it lays five or six eggs. It is not easy for parents to feed their noisy offspring. Woodpeckers begin their working day at about three in the morning, and end when it begins to get dark, at about nine in the evening. Each bird flies to the nest with food more than a hundred times.
But the chicks have grown up. Clinging with sharp claws, they crawl out of the hollow and, clumsily gliding on their still weak wings, scatter across the tree. For some time they live off the food that old birds bring them, but they themselves begin to hunt for insects. And then the time comes for independence. Each of the chicks - now an adult bird - chooses a site in the forest, where it settles.

The newcomer here is young woodpecker won't let me in. And spring will come, and he will begin to “play” on a dry tree, inviting the woodpecker to form a married couple.

Since ancient times, everyone has been familiar with the sound of a forest shot being knocked out, to which you involuntarily listen and rejoice like a child: woodpecker! In fairy tales, he is called a forest doctor and is endowed with the traits of a tireless worker, kind and persistent in establishing order and providing assistance. What is he really like?

Woodpecker family

The woodpecker family is huge and has settled almost all over the world, except Antarctica, Australia and several islands. It is difficult to count all their species: according to rough estimates, there are more than 200 living in large numbers, and the condition of others is little known, some are already recognized as extinct. There are 14 species of woodpecker birds in Russia.

Woodpecker feeding

The main food in the warm season consists of woodworms: insects, their larvae, termites, aphids. It is interesting that the woodpecker obtains food only from diseased and rotten plants, without touching healthy trees.

But simple gathering is not alien to it, so berries and plant seeds occupy a significant place in the diet; the woodpecker encroaches on small passerine birds, their eggs and chicks.

In winter, the main diet consists of seeds and nuts obtained from the cones of coniferous plants. The woodpecker creates entire forges by placing cones in crevices and breaking them with his beak. In the forest you can find mountains of husks from such work. Sometimes creates storage rooms. In frosty weather, birds can approach cities, feeding on food waste and carrion.

Instead of water in winter, the woodpecker swallows snow, and in spring it likes to extract birch or maple sap by breaking through the bark of trees. Buds and young shoots of plants also become food.

Woodpecker reproduction and lifespan

The mating season of woodpeckers begins in the spring. Having decided on the choice of a pair, the birds build a nesting hollow. They work in turns, lining the bottom with wood chips. To protect the offspring from predators, they make two very small entrances and camouflage them with branches, and sometimes they immediately place their shelter under a tree tinder fungus.

3-7 white eggs are hatched in turn, and after 15 days the first chicks begin to appear. Their appearance is completely helpless: naked, blind, deaf. But after about a month, the fledgling inheritance squeals so much that it is not difficult for hunters to find them. Having not yet learned to fly, they are already running along the trunk.

Pictured is a woodpecker chick

A year later, sexual maturity sets in, but already in the first winter, the parents mercilessly drive away the young, since it is easier for woodpeckers to feed themselves one at a time. Woodpeckers of different species live in natural conditions from about 5 to 11 years.

Woodpeckers in Russia

Representatives of different species of woodpeckers live in the forests of Russia, among which the most common are

• black or yellow,
• big motley,
• small motley,
• three-fingered gray-haired
• green.

Black is the most great woodpecker, weight up to 300 grams, from the woodpecker inhabitants of our country. It differs from others by its oval entrance to a spacious hollow. Another special feature is a long and loud trill, which is considered a call to relatives.

In the photo there is a black woodpecker bird

Big and small spotted woodpecker– these views are some of the most beautiful. Greater motley is often found in park areas and city limits. Small, about the size, lives in the Caucasus, and Primorye, on Sakhalin. It is considered the most playful and agile.

Pictured is a Great Spotted Woodpecker

Three-toed woodpecker- inhabitant of northern coniferous forests. He is very voracious: in a day he can peel off a tall spruce to get bark beetles. The name refers to the missing front finger. The green woodpecker, unlike its relatives, runs well on the ground in search of worms and caterpillars. He loves ant eggs, which is why he digs holes in anthills.

Pictured is a three-toed gray woodpecker

The birds' bright plumage and activity make them targets for captivity. About the woodpecker at home it is known that it is easily tamed, even flies to its name, but to create conditions for the bird, spacious enclosures with tree trunks are needed.

Communication with birds requires caution, as they can injure with a blow from their beak. If you manage to create an artificial corner of the forest for a woodpecker, then it will certainly become a favorite, communication with which will bring many pleasant moments.

Not a single forest can do without this bird. The loud and rhythmic sounds of a woodpecker's shot are heard throughout the entire area, this is especially noticeable in the spring. If you look closely at the trees, you can see it. This bird is not a shy one and sometimes flies to “make some noise” in gardens, trees under windows or telegraph poles. She is very remarkable and bright, it is impossible to confuse her with anyone else. But the species of woodpeckers may not be distinguishable at first glance. The Great Spotted Woodpecker is especially common in our country. Let's look at it in more detail.

Great spotted woodpecker: description

The fact that this bird is generally difficult to confuse with anyone else is primarily due to its specific appearance and method of obtaining food. The Great Spotted Woodpecker is often compared in size to the Thrush; they are approximately the same. Its body length on average ranges from 22 to 27 centimeters; females are usually smaller than males. The weight of the bird is small - only 60-100 grams. It is not for nothing that the Great Spotted Woodpecker received such a name, as it has a very bright, contrasting plumage color in black and white and red (and sometimes pink) undertail.

Males and females can be distinguished by the color of the back of the head. All young individuals have a red cap on their heads; it disappears with age. remains on the back of the head only in males. The top of the head becomes black. The bird's cheeks, forehead, and belly are white; depending on the habitat, their shade can vary from bright and clean to beige or almost brown. The Great Spotted Woodpecker has a very decent wingspan, reaching almost half a meter (42-47 centimeters). It is also worth noting the shape of the tail. It is pointed (wedge-shaped) and has a medium length; very rigid, as it plays the role of support when the bird moves on its feet, typical for woodpeckers - zygodactyl, that is, the two front fingers are opposed to the two back ones. The average bird is about 9 years old.

Great Spotted Woodpecker: Habitat

This is a very common bird with a wide habitat - from the Canary Islands to Kamchatka and Japan. Most often, birds lead a sedentary lifestyle, less often - a nomadic one. The latter is mainly associated with habitats that are unfavorable in terms of food supply, so birds are forced to migrate (invasion) to neighboring regions. The Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo can be seen in the article) is very undemanding about its place of residence and takes root almost anywhere where trees grow - from taiga forests to city parks. The surprising thing is that the choice depends not only on the country in which the birds live, but even on the regions. Thus, in Siberia and the Urals, the woodpecker chooses coniferous and mixed forests, but with a predominance of pine trees, and in the north-west of the country it prefers pine forests and spruce forests.

What does a woodpecker eat in summer?

Many people still remember from school about the so-called wolf and woodpecker. The bird prefers to settle in forests where there are many old and rotten trees. Woodpeckers have a very varied diet. The predominance of plant or animal food in it depends on the season. It is noteworthy that males and females obtain food for themselves in different territories, and sometimes even in separate forests. The spring-summer diet mainly consists of insects and their larvae. First of all, these are, of course, various beetles, including those that feed on wood, as well as their larvae: longhorned beetles, bark beetles, stag beetles, weevils, ladybugs, golden beetles. The Great Spotted Woodpecker makes 130 beats per minute with its bill. This is quite a powerful force; not a single bug or worm will go unnoticed. The bird's diet also includes butterflies, including hairy ones, their caterpillars, aphids, and ants. The Great Spotted Woodpecker does not disdain carrion if given the opportunity. It was also found that sometimes these birds destroy the nests of small songbirds.

What do woodpeckers eat in autumn and winter?

In the autumn-winter period, plant foods predominate. These include seeds of coniferous trees, acorns, and nuts. Of interest is the method of extracting seeds from a cone. It is characteristic of all woodpeckers, but this species has brought it to perfection. Initially, the woodpecker picks a cone, then carries it in its beak to a pre-selected place - an anvil, which is essentially a clamp or crevice in the upper part of a tree trunk. The bird hits the cone with all its force with its beak, and then starts eating - pecking off the scales, extracting the seeds. One Great Spotted Woodpecker can keep about 50 of these anvils, but usually uses two or three. Therefore, at the end of winter, a whole pile of cones and scales can accumulate under one tree.

When is mating season for woodpeckers?

These birds are characterized by monogamy. They reach sexual maturity by the end of the first year of their life. It is noteworthy that couples can remain together after the end of the mating season until next spring. Or they split up and spend the winter separately, but the next year they reunite.

The behavior of birds during the mating season is very remarkable. Its first signs appear in late February - early March and continue increasing until the middle of the first spring month. The birds begin to choose a mate. Males are extremely noisy, talk loudly and scream aggressively. Females respond to them, but less noticeably. Around mid-May, when the pairs have already decided, nest construction begins.

Woodpecker nesting

The tree in which the hollow will be located is chosen by the male. It should not be rotten, but with soft wood (for example, aspen or alder, less often oak or birch, larch).

The Great Spotted Woodpecker (photo above), living in deciduous forests, prefers to make a new hollow every year. If its habitat is dense conifers, then the bird returns to its old state. The hollow, as a rule, is located at a height of up to eight meters and has a depth of about 25-35 cm, and a diameter of approximately 10. Construction is mainly carried out by the male, and the female only sometimes replaces it; it takes up to two weeks. Woodpeckers lay eggs in mid-spring, around the end of April. The clutch contains from 5 to 7 small white, glossy eggs. Both parents take part in incubation, but at night only the male does. The chicks hatch naked, helpless and blind at 10-12 days.

Small and Great Spotted Woodpecker: Differences

• By the nature of the color of the plumage. In the small species, the transverse black stripe on the cheek does not reach the back of the head and is interrupted by a white spot. In addition, it does not have pink or reddish undertails. But the little woodpecker has a cap on its head - red with a black border for males and white for females.
• The Great Spotted Woodpecker and the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker are different by the nature of the sounds produced. In the first type, the fraction is very short and lasts approximately 0.6 seconds, includes 12-13 beats, but it is almost impossible to distinguish them, since they merge into one continuous sound. In addition, it quickly loses its sonority, starts loudly, but quickly fades away. The Great Spotted Woodpecker makes 130 beats per minute, its beat can sometimes be heard at a distance of up to one and a half kilometers. The sounds made by the lesser woodpecker are more similar to the voice of songbirds, they are more drawn out. And his fraction is also longer, but not as sonorous as that of the first type, lasting on average 1.5 seconds.
• Lesser Spotted Woodpecker somewhat smaller in size, its length is approximately 14-15 centimeters.
• They differ in their preferences for choosing a habitat. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker prefers deciduous and mixed forests, the banks of ponds, and swamps. Tries to avoid dark conifers.

Does the woodpecker have enemies?

It would seem that such a bird fundamentally cannot have enemies, because, possessing a powerful beak, it can easily stand up for itself. But in reality everything is somewhat different. Although there is little data on attacks on woodpeckers by birds of prey, they still exist. They are mainly endangered by sparrowhawks, goshawks, and in flat areas - peregrine falcons.

Of the terrestrial predators, it is worth noting the marten and ermine. Even woodpecker nests, which are seemingly hidden and protected, are sometimes subject to destruction by squirrels, dormouse and (a type of bat). It happens that woodpeckers are forced out of old hollows by starlings.

Adaptation of the woodpecker to environmental conditions

Almost all animals and birds have a certain set of characteristics that arose as a result of adaptation to factors in the external world. The Great Spotted Woodpecker is no exception. The features of adaptation to the environment are given below.

• Tenacious claws on the paws help to easily hold on to a tree trunk or thin branches.
• The hard, wedge-shaped tail prevents sliding down the trunk; it is better suited for climbing trees than for flying.
• The long, strong beak helps to pierce the bark of trees and make hollows in them for nesting, as well as to obtain food.
• The long, thin and sticky tongue helps to get insects from the most inaccessible places.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

The Great Spotted Woodpecker or Spotted Woodpecker (lat. Dendrocopos major) is a species of bird in the order Dyciformes, family Woodpeckers, genus Spotted Woodpeckers.

The modern classification includes 14 subspecies of the great spotted woodpecker, representatives of which differ in body and beak sizes, as well as shades of the main color of the plumage.

What does a spotted woodpecker look like?

The size of the spotted woodpecker is similar to that of a thrush: the body length of an adult is 22-27 cm, with a weight of 60 to 100 g. The main color of the plumage is black and white in various shades. The head, back and rump are black with a blue tint, the undertail is red or pink. The shoulders, belly, as well as the forehead and cheeks, depending on the area, are colored white, brownish-white or dark brown. The bird's shoulders have large white areas separated by a black dorsal stripe. The black flight feathers are covered with white spots, forming 5 light stripes on the wing. The woodpecker's light cheeks are bordered by black "whiskers".

Males have a red transverse stripe on the back of their heads - the only sexual difference between pileated woodpeckers. Juveniles are colored like adults, but are distinguished by a red crown interspersed with narrow, black stripes.

Woodpeckers have red or brown eyes. The strong, sharp beak is lead-black, the legs are dark brown.

A distinctive feature of woodpeckers is their particularly hard, sharp tail, which birds use as support when moving along vertical surfaces. And also the presence of a long (up to 4 cm), sticky tongue, with which woodpeckers extract prey from the narrowest holes.

Where do woodpeckers live

The spotted woodpecker is one of the most numerous and widespread bird species, living in most European countries, northwest Africa and Asia Minor.

In most of their range, woodpeckers lead a sedentary lifestyle; only near the northern borders do they migrate to other regions in hungry years.

Woodpeckers are unpretentious and adapt to any landscape where trees grow. On European territory they are found in dry and swampy forests - mixed, coniferous and deciduous. They often settle in city parks and cemeteries. The inhabitants of the African continent prefer cedar forests, olive groves and cork oak forests. Populations of Asian countries inhabit thickets of rhododendron and deciduous forests of foothills. In atypical habitats, for example, in the tundra, woodpeckers appear exclusively in search of food.

What do woodpeckers eat?

In spring and summer, the diet consists of insects and their larvae. Beetles (including tree beetles): bark beetles, leaf beetles, stag beetles, ground beetles, weevils. Various butterflies and caterpillars of wood borers, glass beetles, white beetles, as well as aphids, scale insects and many species of ants. Sometimes shellfish and crustaceans are added to the menu.

On occasion, woodpeckers do not disdain carrion (like tits) and can destroy the nests of small species of birds (the same tits or finches) and can even destroy the nests of their relatives by eating eggs and chicks. In summer, they readily consume the pulp of currants, raspberries, and gooseberries. City dwellers often feed in garbage dumps.

In winter, the diet is dominated by plant foods - acorns, nuts and conifer seeds, as well as aspen bark. Woodpeckers extract seeds from cones using a “forge”: they clamp the cone in a pre-prepared “anvil” - a split wood and pull out the seeds with powerful blows of their beak. In the spring, at the beginning of sap flow, woodpeckers break through the bark of trees and drink the sap.

Woodpecker breeding

Woodpeckers are monogamous and a pair that breaks up after breeding often reunites the next year. The mating season, depending on the area, lasts from late December to mid-May. During the breeding season, the drumming and calls of woodpeckers can be heard up to 1.5 km away. Males organize mating dances and flights, which end with mating.

The male himself chooses a place for the nest - a tree with soft wood (alder, birch, larch) and begins to hollow out a hollow at a height of up to 8 m. The work takes 2 weeks, sometimes the female replaces the male. The result is a hollow, 25-35 cm deep and up to 12 cm in diameter, sometimes with a canopy of tinder fungus.

At the end of spring, the female lays 5-7, less often 4-8, pure white, glossy eggs. The male does incubation at night and most of the day. The incubation period lasts 10-13 days, after which naked and blind chicks are born.

The offspring are fed by both parents, making about 300 feedings per day. After 10 days, the stronger chicks meet their parents at the entrance to the hollow, and after another 10-13 days they begin to fly out of the nest. The brood stays nearby for three weeks, at first still feeding at the expense of its parents, and then leaves its native territory.

On average, woodpeckers live about 9 years, in exceptional cases 2-3 years more.

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Anyone who has a summer house or who visits the forest is familiar with the sound of a loud knock. The source of this sound is a woodpecker. The family of this bird is widespread throughout the world, making it one of the most numerous. Ornithological scientists identify more than twenty species of woodpeckers. Since ancient times, these birds have attracted the attention of people. For a long time they were considered pests and were destroyed.

Great spotted woodpecker: photos and features

The most common species of woodpecker in the world is great spotted woodpecker. It is especially easy to meet it in Russia. Its habitat can be considered old parks, cemeteries, and summer cottages. As a rule, representatives of this family do not have a nomadic lifestyle, preferring to settle in one area. Mass migrations are observed only during periods of unfavorable feeding. Then the birds gather in flocks and fly to another region.

Appearance of a large woodpecker

Like many birds, the woodpecker has a memorable appearance. It is she, together with the characteristic knock makes this family extremely recognizable:

Habitats of the Great Woodpecker

The range of woodpeckers is extremely wide. It’s easier to say – there are birds where there are trees. There are species in the family that prefer privacy. But many of them have adapted to life next to humans. Therefore, they can be found in summer cottages, city parks and squares. Prefers coniferous forests with a predominance of pine, but can also settle in mixed forests.

As ornithologists note, two hectares of land are usually enough for one individual. This area is enough for normal feeding. Under unfavorable conditions, the spotted woodpecker can fly long distances, but then it does not return to its old place. Such birds easily tolerate frosts, adapt to the conditions, and therefore there is no point in flying to other countries for the winter.

Lifestyle of a Great Woodpecker

Watching different birds brings a lot of pleasure. This is especially true for forest dwellers. The peculiarity of woodpeckers is that they do not sit idle. Therefore, from early morning they are busy with their hard work: chiseling wood. After their work, hollows remain, which are then used by various birds and animals.

The peculiarity of woodpeckers is that they don't like flying. Most often they prefer to climb trees using their claws and tail. It is noteworthy that this also applies to chicks. They begin to move around the tree earlier than to fly. In winter they lead the same lifestyle.

Pileated woodpecker feeding

Partly, the fact that woodpeckers remain to spend the winter in their habitats dictates their need for omnivory. This is especially helpful in times of hunger. Under favorable circumstances, the main diet consists of insects and their larvae. The woodpecker gets them out with the help of his long tongue, covered with sticky juice. Ornithology during dissection of specimens found up to 500 bugs in the stomach. This is the amount of food required per day.

Occasionally they may eat crustaceans and mollusks. Unfortunately, living next to a person left its mark on them. Woodpeckers can be seen in garbage dumps, where they get leftover food: sausage, cheese, meat, etc. Ornithologists also noticed: with poor food supplies, they may well temporarily feed on carrion and destroy the nests of small birds - eating eggs and their chicks.

Interesting Facts:

• When crawling, they never hang upside down on a tree - this is how their vestibular apparatus is structured;
• They move mainly in a spiral;
• The tongue is covered with a sticky substance, which makes it easier to capture all kinds of insects;
• Woodpeckers have a taste for music. Sometimes they knock on wood not for food, but for pleasure;

Great woodpeckers are important participants in forest life, protecting it from pests. Their role in helping other animals is also important, since the fruits of their activity - hollows - are used by other birds and small mammals to build homes.

woodpecker bird