# Great Spotted Woodpecker

*Dendrocopos major*

To prevent brain damage from hammering wood up to 20 times per second, their skull has a spongy structure and their long tongue wraps completely around their brain as a seatbelt.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Piciformes › Picidae › Dendrocopos
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous, coniferous, and mixed woodlands, as well as mature parks and large gardens.
- **Diet:** Insects (especially wood-boring beetle larvae), tree sap, pine and spruce seeds, and occasionally eggs or chicks of other birds.
- **Range:** Europe, North Africa, North Asia, East Asia
- **Size:** Length: 20-24 cm, Wingspan: 34-39 cm, Weight: 70-100 g
- **Lifespan:** 5 to 11 years in the wild
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Removal of deadwood and mature trees which they rely on for nesting and foraging.
- **Safe to approach?:** This species is harmless to humans and generally wary. Observe quietly from a distance of at least 10 meters, especially during nesting season. Do not attempt to handle wild birds. If you find an injured woodpecker, contact a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

## About

The great spotted woodpecker ( Dendrocopos major ) is a medium-sized woodpecker with pied black and white plumage and a red patch on the lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. This species is found across Eurasia and parts of North Africa. Across most of its range it is resident, but in the north some will migrate if the conifer cone crop fails. Some individuals have a tendency to wander,...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/57a6000a-3726-41a2-8e47-3ca05ad1b5fb
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/17871
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrocopos major
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/11783387/medium.jpg (Paolo Zucca, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.