The Woodpecker

There are three types of woodpeckers found in the UK, The Great Spotted, The Green Woodpecker and the more elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is the size of a house sparrow, but it also drums like the larger Great Spotted Woodpecker, but it is quieter. It also nests higher up in the tress so is more difficult to spot.

The Green Woodpecker is the largest of the three woodpeckers. Unlike the Spotted Woodpeckers it rarely drums to communicate. It has a softer beak so builds its nesting holes in soft wood trees.

The great spotted woodpeckers, are busy making new homes in the trees within Rockingham Forest Park and you will often hear drumming in the spring months. They are black and white, with white patches on their body, and just under the tail they are bright red.

We have recently spotted the ‘Lesser Spotted Woodpecker’ just outside of our reception. The male was black and white with a red crown cap, and the female was plain black and white, both had the distinctive white ladder marking down their black back. They were as small has a sparrow.

The Green Woodpecker is the largest of the three woodpeckers. Unlike the Spotted Woodpeckers it rarely drums to communicate. It has a softer beak so builds its nesting holes in soft wood trees. The green woodpecker communicates with loud laugh known as a ‘yaffle.’

5 Fun facts about Woodpeckers

1.Woodpeckers have unusually long tongues so that they can reach insects inside the holes they peck in trees, and these are also sticky. Woodpeckers also rely on nuts and acorns when insects and larvae are scarce, that is why you can sometimes see them in your garden on the nut feeders.

2. How do Woodpeckers keep their balance? They have strong tail feathers so that they can hold themselves against a tree trunk with two back toes that they can lean back on. Unlike other tree creepers such as nuthatches who climb down trees they climb up.

3. Why don’t Woodpeckers get a headache I hear you ask? They have a specially adapted beak to distribute the shock throughout the skull when pecking.

Woodpeckers are perfectionists their nest holes are always perfect circles; their nostrils are covered in feathers to keep the splinters and dust out when they are pecking.

5. The woodpecker drums on a variety of objects this is to communicate its territory, to attract mates, and to locate food to name few. Although both male and females drum, a male can drum up over 400 times a day to attract a mate.

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