Woodpeckers of Europe

Photos: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

2008-04-27T20:44:00.010+02:00

Here are three fine photos of a displaying / courting pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers.

By Will Forest

Taken in Yorkshire, UK.

Quiz woodpecker 15

2008-04-12T07:56:00.005+02:00

Another quiz woodpecker without the actual bird! Which woodpecker made these holes? What is the purpose of this work ? That is, just what is bird looking for ?

Middle Spotted Woodpecker: drumming

2008-04-07T18:01:00.002+02:00

Middle Spotted Woodpecker does not regularly drum. Females probably do not drum at all. Any drumming that is done by this species is rather mild, limited to early spring and usually made in response to competition from another male. Both adults do however tap loudly at the nest-hole in spring. This tapping is clearly a communicative signal and not part of hole excavation and is not drumming. Middle Spotted Woodpeckers seems to rely more on the meow-ing “song” when announcing territory rather than drumming. But it is important to state that this species does drum. Some observers have stated this it does not. Personally, I have seen this woodpecker drumming on a handful of occasions, the most recent being on April 3rd, 2008 in the Bukk Hills, Hungary.

Woodpecker artwork: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

2008-03-31T18:00:00.003+02:00

In an earlier post on this blog I highlighted the art of wildlife artist Szabolcs Kokay from Budapest, Hungary. In my opinion Szabolcs is one of the very best artists when it comes to capturing woodpeckers, whether it be in oils, watercolours or just pencil. This wonderful painting of a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos minor in riverine habitat in Hungary, is yet another fine example of the artist's ability at capturing woodpeckers that are not only accurate plumage-wise but also shown in the correct habitat and behaviour context.

Woodpeckers and houses: clever solution?

2008-03-27T13:28:00.003+01:00

I recieved this method of detering woodpeckers (in this case a Green Woodpecker in the Buda Hills) from hammering and boring into wooden buildings. Hang balloons, left over from kids' parties etc, over the areas that are being visited by the birds. Apparently this ingenuous, yet simple, method immediately solved the problem for one family, as the woodpeckers stopped visiting and the occupants have slept soundly ever since. However, it remains to be seen for how long those balloons have to be left dangling there!

Woodpeckers and houses

2008-03-23T12:33:00.003+01:00

I sometimes am asked about "what to do" when woodpeckers start to "attack" timber houses, holiday homes, log cabins and the like. Besides the actual holes made and damage done the noise when the birds hammer (perhaps outside a bedroom) can also be a problem. Now this behaviour is actually quite common but it is desirable that the occupants and owners of such buildings try to tackle the problem in a woodpecker-friendly way. Shooting or harming these birds is not the answer and indeed in most countries would be illegal. A simple solution is to hang ribbons, lines of tape or aluminium strips over the areas being hacked into, so that the bird cannot get at those spots and to generally just deter the bird. Though it deals mainly with North Amercan woodpeckers the following website is worth browsing. The background and methods suggested to deter woodpeckers are mostly valid for European species: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/wp_about/

Quiz woodpecker 14

2008-03-21T17:52:00.004+01:00

This Quiz Woodpecker is a little different from the previous 13 ... i.e. there is no bird! The question is which European woodpecker species made these holes ?

Woodpeckers: liked or disliked ?

2008-03-15T12:45:00.005+01:00

I think we can say that woodpeckers are not disliked as a group of birds by the average person. Some birds and bird families seem to be disliked by many people (for example, crows and brood parasites, even hawks) whilst others (for example, White Stork and swans) are held in regard or even "loved". I have no way of proving it but it seems to me that most people “like” or at least “do not mind” woodpeckers, On the other hand, in some parts of Europe woodpeckers are occasionally regarded as pests. In Scandinavia cabins and holiday homes are regularly “attacked” by Black Woodpeckers, which does not endear them to the owners. In Norway all woodpeckers have been legally protected since 1981, however individual Black and Green Woodpeckers can be culled in Norway if they are proved to be damaging man-made objects. It cannot be denied that Black Woodpeckers attack wooden man-made structures, for example, soon after the species populated the Danish island of Bornholm in the 1960s unhappy residents reported that Black Woodpeckers were boring holes in their houses. In the UK telecommunications companies have complained that they have had to replace wooden telephone poles because they have been riddled with holes by woodpeckers. Wooden tiled roofs of churches are also somes hacked into by woodpeckers. Other things woodpeckers do which brings them into conflict with man are: Green Woodpeckers boring into man-made bee-hives in search of larvae, Grey-headed Woodpeckers feeding on garden and allotment fruits, as already mentioned, several species bore holes in telegraph poles which obviously does not go down well with electricity suppliers, etc. In Sweden protective nets are placed around wooden power-lines poles to protect them from Black Woodpeckers. In recent decades some woodpeckers, particularly Syrian and Great Spotted, have moved into suburban areas across Europe and such "damage" has become more evident. But whatever damage woodpeckers inflict on humankind’s interests, it pales into insignificance when compared to what mankind has done, and still does, to woodpeckers. Above all the felling of natural forests, and management methods of existing and newly planted ones has decimated woodpeckers in some regions. Due to this Middle Spotted Woodpecker is extinct in Sweden, White-backed is all but extinct there and is declining badly in Finland. Middle Spotted Woodpecker finally vanished in Sweden when its habitat became fragmented by the onward surge of commercial forestry. In the UK, the obsession with "health and safety" means that rotting trees, and decaying boughs, are often removed, though these are prime woodpecker timber. The photo above of woodpecker holes in a wooden cross in Poland was taken by Romuald Mikusek.

Quiz woodpecker 13

2008-03-03T13:55:00.003+01:00

Can you decide which species this is ? Let's start with that !

White-backed Woodpecker: winter feeding site

2008-02-27T20:12:00.005+01:00

In winter woodpecker feeding sites are often easier to locate than in other seasons. Not in the least because of the lack of foliage on trees, but also because wood chips and other debris is easier to spot on snow-covered ground. This photo shows a typical winter feeding site of White backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos. A thin, rotting tree has been worked extensively to expose the wintering quarters of wood-boring beetles and other invertebrates. The tree is worked carefully and systematically for days, being shaving and chiselled rather than bored deeply into or hacked apart. The rucksack at the base of the tree gives an indication of how slim the tree is. This photo was taken by Romuald Mikusek in the Biebrza National Park, north-east Poland.

Black Woodpecker: winter feeding site

2008-02-24T19:47:00.005+01:00

This photo is of a Black Woodpecker feeding site in a parkland on the edge of Budapest (taken by Szabolcs Kokay). In winter Black Woodpeckers (and indeed most woodpeckers) will rove locally to search for foraging sites. That is, they will feed in areas where they do not breed, or even visit, in the breeding season. Note the size of the wood chips on the ground beneath the tree. In Europe, only Black Woodpeckers leave debris of this size after hacking into timber.

Tongues

2008-02-20T10:59:00.004+01:00

Woodpeckers have extensible tongues. In some species they are even prehensile. There are two basic types of woodpecker tongue: those with pointed tips and those with blunt, rounded tips. Pointed tongues are used to impale prey, rounded tongues are covered in a sticky substance and are used to lap up prey. We might say the first feeding method uses a spear, the second a gluey lasso. Tongues are also barbed but this varies between species. As a rule the more arboreal species (such as the Dendrocopos species) have more barbs on their tongues than the more terrestrial species (Picus species). Tongue length varies between species, too, and is also related to feeding methods. Species that specialise in eating ants tend to have longer tongues than those that feed on wood-dwelling beetles. In Europe the two Picus species, Green and Grey-headed (Grey-faced) Woodpeckers have the longest tongues. These long tongues are retracted and stored (in a loop) in a cavity around the skull and fixed near the nostril or eye-socket. This fantastic photo of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, with tongue protruding, was taken in Hungary by Laszlo Nehezy.

Middle Spotted Woodpecker: Voice

2008-01-26T09:17:00.000+01:00

Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius has a reportoire of calls, many quite unlike those made by its relatives. There is a distinct and diagnostic song made mostly, but not only, by males which is quite unlike those of any other European woodpecker. It is made throughout the breeding period but particularly just before laying, and occasionally in autumn and winter. It is usually composed of 4-10 slow-paced notes, though sometimes over 30 are made in a series and can perhaps be described as "kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah" or "kvar-kvar-kvar-kvar" or "gwarh-gwarh-gwarh-gwarh" or "gwaar-gwaar-gwaar-gwaar". It is a cat-like, meowing, whining, nasal, almost painful sounding "song" and is surprisingly far carrying. When establishing territory, courting or excited or annoyed, birds make this same song in a more rapid and strident manner. Sometimes just a single note or two is uttered. There is also a fair degree of individual variation. There is also a series of a rattling "ge-ge-ge-ge-ge" or "kik-kik-kik-kik-kik" notes, which to my ear recall a young Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus begging for food. THis is sometimes more like "kvek-kvek-kvek-kvek" and perhaps recalls some shorebirds, too. There is a slow but hysterical edge to this call and it is often uttered in a series, starting higher-pitched than it finishes, something like "kik-kik-kuk-kuk-kuk". There is a also a rattling call, a bit like that a call that Mistle Thrush Turdus vicivorus makes. These rattling calls may be contact calls and are made all year round. Though there is a typical single Dendrocopos "kik" or "kyk" call, softer than a similar call made by Great Spotted Woodpecker, most like Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, it is often rather feeble and not regularly made. A short, sharp "tek" or "teuk", again similar to other "pied" woodpeckers but lower pitched. Sometimes a Syrian Woodpecker-like "gug" is made, repeated and perhaps recalling Great Spotted Woodpecker but softer and lower pitched. Finally, there is a series of quiet, soft appeasement calls made between adults and recently fledged juveniles. Soon after fledging juveniles start to call like adults.

Grey-headed Woodpecker: voice

2008-01-23T13:47:00.000+01:00

The most typical vocalisation of Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus is a song of some 6-10 fairly musical fluty notes “poo-poo-poo-poo-poo-poo” or “pew-pew-pew-pew-pew-pew” or “pu-pu-pu-pu-pu-pu”. Sometimes a slightly harsher beginning, perhaps like “koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-koo”. This call is made by both sexes though females usually make a shorter version. This call is sometimes a more whistle-like “kee-kee-kee-kee-kee-kee”, descending in pitch, at varied speeds, perhaps “kii-kii-ki-kuu-kuu-kuu". The classic version slows down to a lower pitched dribble after fast start. This “song” is quite easy to imitate and even a poor imitation can attract unpaired or particularly territorial birds. Alarm calls include a croaky, harsh kind of “yaffle”, not unlike that of Green Woodpecker but more of a panicking cackle than a laugh. A Great Spotted-like “kvik” or “kik” is often made briefly in flight. Other calls made when excited include a short, sharp “kuk” or “kook” sometimes in series “kuk-kuk-kuk” and “djack” or “kjak”. When Grey-headeds are excited or nervous they also make a gentle, soft “wee-wee-wee” and a gentle “chuck, chuck, chuck”. During courtship display males call “witty-witty-witty” in series whilst swaying and pointing the bill upwards. In addition, a gentle whinnying sound is made by birds at nest.

Quiz woodpecker 12

2008-01-20T10:50:00.000+01:00

Which species is this ? And race ? And gender ?

Black Woodpecker: distribution

2008-01-19T12:22:00.000+01:00

Black Woodpecker is a widely distributed species in the Palearctic region. It is a resident, sedentary species which ranges across the cooler temperate regions of the Palearctic, in a zone falling roughly between 62 and 69 degrees north. Black Woodpeckers are not uncommon locally from Spain, France and the Low Countries in the west, to Italy and Greece to the south, as far as the Arctic Circle in the north and eastwards through the taiga belt into Asia. The nominate martius occurs over most of this vast area. In Europe Black Woodpeckers occur in suitable habitat from sea level to the timberline in uplands, breeding in 33 European countries, being absent only from Portugal (seen but no confirmed breeding), Iceland and Britain and Ireland. The species is also found on the island of Kefallinia, Greece, and used to breed on Sicily. In the Baltic Sea they are resident on Gotland, Aland, Bornholm and other islands.

Quiz woodpecker 11

2008-01-15T11:16:00.000+01:00

Here is the next woodpecker to ID... species ? sex ? Again, this should not be too hard. The photo was taken in Romania in the summer of 2006.

Quiz woodpecker 10

2008-01-13T18:05:00.000+01:00

And which woodpecker species is this ? Is it possible to sex it? Again, this should not be too difficult to ID, though the bird is obscured and the light poor. Photo taken by Robert Tuff in Hungary in 2007.

Quiz woodpecker 9

2008-01-11T13:28:00.001+01:00

What is this woodpecker species ? And sex ? And age ? Not too hard actually, though the bird does show a less than typical plumage feature. Photo taken by Robert Tuff in Hungary in 2007.

Encouraging and helping woodpeckers

2008-01-08T10:19:00.000+01:00

Woodpeckers can be helped in various ways. They can be encouraged to occupy, or remain in, an area in various ways. On a small scale garden owning birdwatchers can feed Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Syrian Woodpeckers with peanuts, seed, suet and fat, especially in winter when foraging is tough (The Great Spotted in this photo was taken by Jari Peltomaki in Oulu, Finland). Green Woodpeckers are attracted to lawns, golf courses and the like, which have not been treated with pesticides. In some countries Grey-headed Woodpeckers come into gardens, too, especially to feed on fat put out for them. As Wrynecks do not create their own holes, they need natural or old woodpecker cavities in which to nest and roost and they can suffer when trees containing holes are removed for "health and safety" or other reasons. This species will readily accept suitably placed nest-boxes. Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers will also use nest-boxes, but on the whole the best policy for these species as regards nesting sites is to provide suitable trees in which the birds can excavate their own cavities. All in all, landowners, workers and gardeners should refrain from “tidying-up” hedges and trees, leaving some standing dying or dead wood for woodpeckers to open up in search of insect prey. Town councils should be encouraged to resist tidying up parks, verges and lanes, unless a clear safety hazard exists. Deadwood and mature timber should be left and felling resisted.
On a larger scale foresters can do much to conserve woodpeckers and their habitats. Stands of trees used regularly by woodpeckers for breeding or feeding should be left unlogged for as long as possible. If this is not practical then at least the most frequented individual trees in a woodland should be spared the chain-saw. Wherever and whenever possible dead wood or rotting timber should be left alone and the pruning of healthy trees also avoided. In forest monocultures, such as conifer plantations, a few faster growing deciduous species (such as birch) should be left and/or planted to provide some diversity.
In areas where forests are heavily fragmented ecological corridors linking patches of forest should be maintained. In all forests woodpeckers create cavities and those trees with woodpecker created holes should be spared the chain saw, not only for the sake of the woodpeckers but for he benefit of all birds and other wildlife that use them. In the case of Black Woodpecker holes (which are used by other wildlife species) this may be crucial to the survival of secondary cavity nesters. Foresters should be encouraged to set-aside and spare trees with holes. Such conservation measures should concentrate on living trees with holes as these are the ones that foresters may be tempted to select and fell. In areas with few dead trees the protection of living trees with holes may well determine whether or not Jackdaws, Stock Doves and various owls live there or not.
Where woodpeckers have expanded their ranges into suburban areas the single most important factor for successful breeding is a supply of suitable trees. To this end old and decaying trees need to be retained in built-up areas.

Woodpeckers in decline?

2008-01-07T08:59:00.000+01:00

As a group woodpeckers are relatively understudied, globally they have not attracted the attention of as many professional and amateur ornithologists as most other bird families. In Europe, the Fenno-Scandic countries and Germany have a relative wealth of woodpecker literature, whilst there is a relative paucity of woodpecker literature from the Mediterranean and Balkan countries. The population studies that have been carried out in Europe have revealed that several species are experiencing declines. Taking the European continent as a whole it seems that eight species are declining and two probably have stable populations. Black Woodpecker is increasing in range and may be increasing in number, but this is hard to calculate as reliable figures are only available for certain localised areas.
Today one must explore Europe’s high altitude forested regions or the east of the continent in order to encounter woodpeckers in good numbers. Sadly, much of the west of Europe is now decidedly non-woodpecker friendly in terms of habitat, and it has been like this for some time. The bias in terms of both the number of species and numbers of birds towards the east is partly due to how the woodpecker family evolved and spread itself historically and to the evolution of habitats. However, there is little doubt that the low number of species found in much of western Europe today is a result of human influence rather than to “natural” factors. The creation of agricultural land (a process with started thousands of years ago), deforestation, re-forestation with alien tree species and general industrialization, have resulted in the removal of vast areas of original forest across Europe. These processes were more intense and advanced in the west of the continent, especially in modern times. In Central and Eastern Europe agriculture and forestry developed at a slower pace and at a less intensive level. Added to this is the fact that human population densities are also lower in Eastern Europe. This is not to say that all is well habitat-wise in Eastern Europe, and it should be remembered that the differences in land use and land management in modern times in the east largely came about by accident not design. Nevertheless, the result is that more forests and woodlands in the east of Europe are in a closer to nature state than those in the west . In fact, the diversity and abundance of woodpeckers across Europe closely mirrors that of human influence on the forest landscape. There seems to be little doubt that human activities across Europe have affected, and are still affecting, woodpeckers.
As an example, we can consider Sweden, a country with plenty of forest cover where eight out of Europe’s ten species are found. On the face of it this must be a paradise for woodpeckers. Yet, things are not as rosy as they may first appear to be. There used to be nine woodpecker species in Sweden, before Middle Spotted became extinct in the late 20th century. Furthermore, six of the eight species that remain are in decline, with only Great Spotted and Black Woodpeckers having stable populations. It is clear, and accepted, that modern forestry methods are responsible for this situation. A similar situation exists in Finland where a considerable number of forest invertebrates have declined sharply resulting in dangerous breaks in the complex food-chain. Claims by Finland’s logging companies that timber production in the country is ecologically sound have been largely exposed as false. The loss of (and fragmentation of remaining) original deciduous and mixed forests in countries such as the UK, Holland, Belgium and Denmark, is the main reason why so few woodpecker species are found there today. In countries like Austria, Italy and Spain woodpeckers only occur in healthy numbers in some high mountain areas which have been spared the worst of the agricultural and the forestry industries. This has resulted in the populations of some species, such as White-backed and Three-toed, becoming fragmented, existing in isolated pockets in unconnected areas. This is a situation which, in the long term, does not bode well for their genetic diversity.
Photo top left: Adult female Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major, Europe's most common and widespread woodpecker species. Gabot Vasuta, Hungary.

Woodpeckers in Europe: status, abundance

2008-01-04T11:15:00.000+01:00

Globally, many woodpecker species are threatened or endangered. This is also the case for some species in certain parts of Europe. This situation is largely due to the degradation, fragmentation and loss of the wooded habitats in which these birds live. The conservation of Europe’s woodpeckers is inextricably linked to the conservation of wooded habitats. Woodpeckers are good indicators of forest quality. They are indicators of forest bio-diversity, as they are often rather demanding in terms of their ecological needs. Innumerable other woodland and forest species depend upon the same ecological requirements as woodpeckers for their existence and survival. Thus, besides being worthy of protection and conservation for their own sakes, woodpeckers are highly suitable candidates for so-called “umbrella species”. That is, the study and conservation of woodpeckers and their habitats directly relates to, and invariably results in, the study of many other species of plant and animal.The study of a demanding species, family or guild defines the basic requirements for forest habitats and landscapes. However, each woodpecker species uses a given forest differently and this fact is of great use to those studying woodpeckers and to conservationists in general. Subtle changes in a forest ecosystem can be detected via the responses and trends of woodpeckers. Each woodpecker species can be regarded as an umbrella species for all those inconspicuous, and often threatened, invertebrates that inhabit the same forests. In Finland and Sweden, for example, efforts to conserve White-backed Woodpeckers habitat also means that threatened and rare beetle species are also helped as they share the same old-growth habitat. Saving the White-backed Woodpecker means saving it’s habitat and hence all the diverse species that share it. Three-toed Woodpecker, too, is a species that can act as an indicator of the presence of rare spruce bark beetles, or in other words, of the condition of old-growth boreal forest.The conservation status of Europe’s woodpeckers varies across the continent. Species which are endangered in one area, may be common elsewhere. A range of factors, both natural and unnatural, have made this so. However, in many parts of Europe the factors which determine whether certain woodpeckers occur or not, and whether they are common or not, are most certainly not natural. In a nutshell, human influence has shaped much of Europe’s wooded landscape and this influence has almost always been detrimental. As a general rule it can be taken that there are fewer woodpeckers in highly developed countries than there are in less-developed countries. In highly developed European countries greater rates of urbanisation have resulted in an overall picture composed of landscapes of inferior quality and ultimately there is less suitable woodpecker habitat. Of course, there are exceptions but the relative abundance of woodpeckers in Eastern Europe (in terms of both species and actual populations) and the relative paucity of woodpeckers in Western Europe (again, in terms of both species and actual populations) bears this out. There is no doubt that forest biodiversity in Europe has been negatively affected by the economic advances and urban developments of the last 100 years or so.

Forest cover and quality

2008-01-04T09:03:00.000+01:00

Since the 1920s the total amount of forest cover in Europe has steadily increased. Today around 30% of the European land-mass is covered by forest . This may at first seem a positive development for woodpeckers (and other woodland wildlife) but things are not as rosy as they might seem. Europe’s forest cover is largely artificial, that is it consists mainly of intensively managed plantations, plantations which are often mono-cultures of non-native tree species. Only a few scattered islands of "natural" old-growth forest remain, mostly in high mountains and in the east. In Europe only two woodpecker species (Great Spotted and Black) are regularly found in forests with low levels of tree species diversity. All other woodpeckers require essentially unmanaged forests with a rich tree diversity and a significant proportion of older deciduous trees. Today the most dangerous threat to woodpeckers, and indeed to all forest flora and fauna, is intensification in the forestry industry. In many parts of Europe "natural", old-growth forests have been, and still are being, converted into mono-cultures. A rich heritage is being clear-felled and replanted with trees of the same age, which are then felled at the same age. And if that were not cause for concern enough, some areas are planted with non-native tree species. Threats to Europe’s forest include inappropriate forestry management, that is, intensification and afforestation with alien species, pesticide use, logging of old-growth forest, fragmentation, road building, urbanisation, conversion to farmland, inappropriate water management (drainage, dam construction ) and general pollution. The successful conservation of Europe’s woodpeckers depends upon various factors being tackled together. They include the maintenance of wooded areas in which dead and dying trees are retained, the retention of stumps and snags on live trees, management of damp forests that includes retaining rotten timber and selective rather than blanket clear-cutting of trees.

Black Woodpecker foraging in winter

2007-12-20T11:03:00.000+01:00

This shot of a female Black Woodpecker foraging recently in Hungary is by Dan Bastaja. Note the red is only on the hind crown (rather than on the whole crown as on males). In most winters, woodpeckers rove a little more than at other times of year and are often more approachable as they forage in difficult conditions. Black Woodpeckers will come down to the ground to feed and are often first located by the sound of the solid, single "knocks" they make on timber. If carefully approached they will remain and feed where they are. This foraging site is clearly a fairly new one, judging by the freshness of the hacked away timber. Snow rarely presents a problem to Black Woodpeckers as long as it is not several feet deep. They will swish snow away with sideways blows of their large bill to get at hibernating invertebrates, such as ants, in timber beneath.