Woodpeckers.
- Jen Blaxall.
- Feb 15
- 2 min read
Woodpeckers have a skull that absorbs shocks, safeguarding their brain from the strong impact of drumming. Moreover, they possess extremely long tongues. With their powerful beak, they drill into trees and use their long tongue to extract a tasty meal of grubs and insects. Interestingly, when not in use, their tongue wraps around the inside of their skull. As you walk through a broadleaf forest, you may notice the woodpecker's unique dipping and rising flight as it travels between trees.
To me, one of the clear signs that spring is nearing in February is the sound of the greater spotted woodpecker's territorial drumming. The male firmly establishes his territory by drumming on dead trees. Greater spotted woodpeckers are easy to identify by sex, as males have a red patch behind their heads. They feed on grubs and insects found in trees, and when walking in a woodland, you can hear their distinctive drumming as they create holes with their strong beaks before extracting a meal with their long tongues. In spring, they are known to prey on eggs and young chicks while feeding their own young. They nest in tree holes and lay eggs in March or April. The chicks are fed by both parents for nearly a month while they stay in the nest. Fledglings have a red crown until they shed their first plumage.
The lesser spotted woodpecker is more elusive than the greater. It is a smaller bird, just the size of a great tit. You will find it high in the tops of the trees. They have white barring across their wings, and the male has a red cap. The best way to spot them is by their drumming; it is quieter than the greater spotted, and their drumming lasts longer. When they fly, they have that familiar dipping flight just like the greater, but a little less noticeable being so high in the trees and such a small bird. We are very lucky that the New Forest is the best place in the country to see them.
The green woodpecker is the largest of the species and mostly lives on a diet of ants. They are typically found in open areas of gardens or parks that are near woodland, as they need trees for nesting. You are most likely to find the green woodpecker on the ground, probing for ants with its long beak, then sucking them out of the ground with its long, sticky tongue. The male can be identified by the red markings under his cheek, which the females lack.
The green woodpecker has the same characteristic dipping flight, but doesn't drum on trees in the same way as the other species. They are recognised by their call, which has fondly earned them the nickname 'the yaffle,' as their loud call sounds like a high-pitched cackle or laugh.
All three species of woodpecker nest in trees, which they excavate themselves with their strong beaks, and lay between four to six eggs on a layer of wood chips. The chicks are fed in the nest for approximately three weeks before they fledge, and we are so lucky to have all three species thriving here in the New Forest.
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