The Great Spotted Woodpecker is a pied woodpecker, being black with a large white shoulder patch and scarlet underneath the tail. It is much larger than our other British pied woodpecker, the 'Lesser Spotted'. The Great Spotted Woodpecker is about the size of a Starling, while the Lesser Spotted is more sparrow-sized.
The nest is a chamber in a tree which is chiseled out by both birds. When chiseling, the woodpecker does not tap as quickly as when the male performs its drumming song.The eggs are white, smooth and glossy, and about 25 mm by 18 mm. Both birds share the incubating the eggs and feeding the young.
Both male and female are feeding the young in these pictures.. a small green caterpillar being the most numerous food taken back to the nest.More from here tomorrow
3 comments:
Interesting photos, Peter. Similar in appearance to our red-bellied and about the same size but different too.
Nice photos, glad both parents share in the feeding and caring of the babies.
Wow these woodpeckers are colourful and beautiful.
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