List of hallucinogenic plants. Plant hallucinogens in the indigenous peoples of Siberia. Why do people have hallucinations

Far in the spring forest, the sound of “trrrr” is heard, similar to a knock on an empty barrel. This is a woodpecker, a forest worker, from morning to evening does not stop his work.

I wonder what the name of the female woodpecker is? Many funny names are obtained if the word "woodpecker" is declined. But what is the right one? What is the correct name for this bird? It turns out that a woodpecker is called a woodpecker, regardless of gender. If you, speaking about this bird, want to highlight its gender, then call it that - female woodpecker. No other scientific name has been coined. Males and females are easily distinguished, the male has a red "cap" on his head, the female does not.

Today we will tell you what a woodpecker bird is very important for the forest. The description and photos will help you learn all the most interesting things about the life of a feathered orderly in the forest.

Male Spotted Woodpecker (Colaptes punctigula)

What does a woodpecker look like

In nature, there are about 20 species of woodpeckers. They live in the forest zone of North America, northern Africa and Eurasia. They are small and medium in size, the structure of all is approximately the same. The most common and well-known species is the great spotted woodpecker. The bird is quite large. The body is up to 27 cm long, and the wingspan is up to 50. The weight is small, about 100 g.

Red-headed king woodpecker (Campephilus robustus)

It got its name because of the variegated color of the feathers. Brown-white, white, gray, black with a blue or greenish tint are the primary colors. There are all shades of brown on the body. The woodpecker's elegance is given by bright red or pink spots on the back of the male's head and, like a cap, crowning the crown.

The same red spots are in the undertail. In general, in different species of woodpeckers, the arrangement of stripes and spots of black and white forms a kind of rhythmic pattern.

White woodpecker (Melanerpes candidus) native to the Andes has an atypical color for these birds without streaks

Why is the woodpecker called the forest doctor?

Woodpeckers live where there are trees: both in the northern taiga and in city parks. Types of trees do not matter, it can live in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests.

The bird is sedentary, lives in the same place for a long time. They migrate to another place only in case of crop failure, and do not return to their native places. In this regard, there may be very few woodpeckers, and it will take a long time until the number is restored.

Golden woodpecker (Colaptes auratus)

What does woodpecker eat

The woodpecker is an omnivorous bird. In the warm season, their main food is a variety of insects. In large quantities, woodpeckers eat harmful insects that spoil wood, their larvae, any caterpillars, ants, occasionally eat snails, crustaceans.

Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

There are cases when woodpeckers ate small chicks, bird eggs, not only from birds of other species, but even from other woodpeckers. On occasion, they can eat carrion and find food in garbage dumps, picking up food waste.

Golden woodpecker in flight. Only by seeing the spread wings can one understand why this species was called golden.

With its cone-shaped sharp beak, the woodpecker hourly hollows out the bark of a tree. To a depth of up to 10 cm, he hollows out a funnel and takes out an insect with a sticky tongue. The tongue is long, up to 4 cm.

Red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) eggs and chicks in a half-hollow

It is noteworthy that he does this only on dried or diseased trees, without touching healthy ones. That is why he is called the "forest doctor". This woodpecker really brings great benefits to the forest.

In winter, the main food is the seeds of trees, more often conifers.

The green woodpecker (Picus viridis) often searches the ground for ants and worms. This bird decided to eat an apple in the garden and stuck out its tongue, the length of which is twice the length of the beak.

An interesting way of extracting a seed from a cone. Having picked a cone, the woodpecker carries it in its beak to a tree, where there is a gap or a narrow fork between the branches. It clamps a bump, hits it hard with its beak - plucked scales fly in all directions. He will eat all the seeds, throw a cone, flies after the next one, returns to the same place again. These places are called "forge" or "anvil", one woodpecker can have up to 57 of them. And under such a tree there is a mountain of empty cones in hundreds and even thousands of pieces.

Cactus woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) examines a giant agave inflorescence in search of nectar and small insects

In addition to the seeds of coniferous trees, these birds also feed on other seeds and nuts, buds, and young shoots. In the spring they hollow out the bark and drink sweet birch or maple sap.

The red-headed woodpecker flies up with food to the nest

Woodpeckers are loud and noisy birds. They jealously guard their feeding territory. A stranger will appear, the “owner” sits opposite, opens his beak, spreads the feathers on his head - it scares. If the uninvited guest is not afraid, he starts screaming, drumming on the tree and chasing the stranger along the trunk. Can fly from above and peck painfully.

Red-headed woodpecker (Micropternus brachyurus) peeking out from a fire ant nest

Woodpecker breeding

In the mating season, the male and female begin to hammer the nest. They will find an old aspen and work for 2 weeks, make a recess. Sawdust is picked up, and they line the hollow from the inside. By the beginning of May, the female lays up to 8 eggs.

Newly hatched chicks do not have plumage, they do not see or hear.

A pair of acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) work on a pantry.The male has a red cap on his head, the female has a completely black head.

Chicks are just as loud as their parents. If they are full, they hum quite a bit. Hungry - gnashing. If you approach a tree and knock on the trunk with a stick, the chicks will squeal loudly.

On the 10th day, they are already climbing the walls of the hollow, and they begin to fly out on about the 23rd day.

The enemies of woodpeckers are birds of prey, squirrels, ermines, martens. The person is not particularly afraid. Seeing him, the woodpecker simply moves to another part of the trunk, continues to knock there and looks out inadvertently - whether the person has left.

The male woodpecker made a hollow in a birch, the female flew in to inspect it. In woodpeckers, the male does most of the work on arranging the nest.

The resounding measured knock of a woodpecker in the forest is a good sign. This means that the forest doctor is on duty and is doing his important job of preserving forests.

The cactus woodpecker hollows out a hollow in the trunk of the cereus.

Species composition of woodpeckers

Based on literary sources, it has been established that seven species of woodpeckers inhabit the territory of the Trans-Baikal Territory.

1. Black woodpecker, or bile (Dryocopus martius L.)

2. Three-toed woodpecker (Pucoides tridactylus L.)

3. Lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor L.)

4. Vertineck (Jynx torquilla L.)

5. White-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos)

6. Grey-haired woodpecker (Picus canus)

7. Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major L.)

One species is migratory - the little wryneck, the rest are found all year round. The most numerous is the great spotted woodpecker, found throughout the region. Zhelna, three-toed woodpecker and gray-haired woodpecker are common species, but their numbers are small. The white-backed woodpecker breeds in the southeastern regions, preferring mixed forests dominated by larch. The wryneck and the lesser spotted woodpecker are also quite numerous, especially in the floodplain forests.

Black woodpecker, or bile (Dryocopus martius L.)

Zhelna is one of the largest woodpeckers. The size of a crow. The color is matte black, the eye is white. The top of the head of the male and the back of the head of the female are crimson red.

The flight is uneven, "loose", with uneven wing beats. Juveniles are similar to adults, but the plumage is without shine, brownish, there are dark marks on the red cap, the beak at the end is not chisel-shaped, as in adults, but pointed. Weight 250-450 g, length 42-49, wing 22, 8-26, 0, wingspan 64-80 cm.

The black woodpecker inhabits the entire north of Eurasia - forest, forest-steppe and partly steppe zones.

Black woodpecker. Photo: Tomi Tapio K

In the Moscow region, zhelna settles in tall complex spruce forests, in white moss forests, blueberry forests and lingonberries. In the western suburbs, it is not uncommon in forests of water protection significance and, for example, in the taiga-type forest area along the river. Moscow on an area of ​​​​4000 hectares in 1956 lived 5 pairs of these birds. Over the years, its number changes and in 1921-1926. only 2 pairs lived in the same area.

According to Izmailov I.V. (1967), the number of birds in the forests of the Vitim Plateau is 0.8 ind. / km 2 - in river urems, in other stations - mountain woodlands, pine forests, larch-birch groves and pegs - this is a rare bird, the number of which does not exceed 0.3-0.4. In the Lena-Aleginsky interfluve, according to Larionov G.P. et al. (1991), the population density of the zhelny was 0.4 ind. / km 2, in pine forests - 0.6. In the conditions of the Trans-Baikal Territory, the zhelna is found in the zone of taiga, mixed and pine forests, but everywhere it is small in number: in pine forests - 0.5 ind. / km 2, mountain dark coniferous taiga - 0.4, adventitious mixed forests - 0.2 (Izmailov I V., Borovitskaya G.K., 1973).

Black woodpeckers are inhabitants of old tall coniferous and mixed forests, both in the continuous taiga and in isolated areas of the forest, up to steppe forests. They like to settle near recent fires or other areas of the forest with diseased and dead trees.

The reproductive cycle begins already in March, when loud drum trills of the zhelna become audible, reaching a special strength in early April. From time to time, voiced, far-reaching cries of “kru-kru-kru ... truyuyuu ... truu ... truu” emitted by birds in flight, or a drawn-out “kneeeeyy” and “kiaai” - from trees can also be heard.

In early April, the yellows begin to make preparations for building a nest. For a hollow choose tall trees without branches. Most often it is aspen, less often - pine, spruce, etc. From the ground to the hollow is at least 4-5 m, usually more than 10. Both members of the pair gouge the hollow, but more male. The letok often has a rectangular shape, on average 8.5 x 12 cm in size, the depth of the hollow is 35-55, the diameter is 15-20 cm. In the clutch there are 3-6, more often 4-5 white eggs, their dimensions are 30-39 x 22-28 mm. The male and female incubate alternately, then they feed the chicks together. At the nest, they are careful and silent. The male is more diligent in nest care. The duration of incubation is 12-14 days.

Newly hatched chicks are very unattractive. Only the upper part of their body is covered with very sparse black-gray down, their head is very large, and their beak is disproportionately thick. They remain in the nest until they learn how to fly properly; they climb the walls of the hollow and often look out of it, poking their heads into the hole. The female spends the night with the chicks, and the male spends the night in a hollow hollowed out by him in the previous year.

The chicks leave the nest at the age of 24-28 days. For several days before departure, they constantly scream, leaning out of the hollow.

Black woodpeckers feed mainly on insects that damage the bark and wood, their larvae and pupae - barbels, bark beetles, sapwood, borers, horntails. Recently dead trees are sanded, wood is hollowed out. In snowless time, and often in winter, they dig in anthills, eating both adult ants and their offspring. Occasionally they eat chicks from other hollow nesters, drink vegetable juices.

At the end of summer and autumn, young ones settle, often migrating tens of hundreds of kilometers from their native hollow. Adult birds live settled or also roam. The maximum known age of the zhelna is 7 years.

Three-toed woodpecker (Pucoides tridactylus L.)

A medium sized bird (larger than a starling). The top of the neck, back, wings, tail and spots on the sides are black. The underside of the body, spots on the back, wings, tail and stripes on the sides of the head are white. The cap of the male is lemon-yellow, with black and white thin strokes, the cap of the female is “gray-haired”, with black and white longitudinal streaks. There are 3 fingers on the foot, since the 1st finger is reduced.

Juveniles (both males and females) with a yellow cap, all black areas of plumage with a brown tint, white areas on the head are smaller than in adults, brown bloom on the sides and abdomen. Weight 50-90 g., length 21-24, wing 11, 8-13, 2, wingspan 33-37 cm.

Three-toed woodpecker. Photo: Armandas Naudzius

Three-toed woodpeckers are found in all types of forests, prefer deaf massifs of mountain dark coniferous taiga, in particular fir and larch forests. They prefer shady, damp, sometimes swampy areas, they also gravitate towards burnt areas, where there is a lot of dry forest, old clearings with stumps and deadwood.

According to I. V. Izmailov, G. K. Borovitskaya (1973), in the adventitious mixed forests of southwestern Transbaikalia, the number of three-toed woodpeckers is extremely low - 0.03 ind./km 2. In the northern regions, it slightly increases. So, according to the accounting data of I. V. Izmailov (1967), in pine forests and larch-birch groves of the south of the Vitim plateau, the population density was 0.2 ind. 0.6. In larch forests in southern Yakutia in July 1986, the average number was 0.2 ind./km 2, in mixed forests - 0.4 (Larionov et al., 1991).

The three-toed woodpecker starts breeding early. At mating time, they also make more drawn-out sounds and trills like chirring.

Drumming begins even in full winter. They hollow out hollows in dry decaying larches or in other trees, at different heights, usually low (rarely above 6 m), sometimes in stumps. The diameter of the hollow is 8-14 cm, the depth is 20-35 cm, the notch is 4-5 cm in diameter. Old hollows of their own species and motley woodpeckers also inhabit. In laying 3-7, more often 4-5 white eggs 21-28 x 17-21 mm in size. Both members of the pair incubate for 11-14 days, starting from the laying of the last egg, both feed the chicks. The nest is restless. Young, barely grown up, become noisy. They leave the hollow at the age of 22-25 days and enjoy the care of adults for about a month.

The main food of three-toed woodpeckers throughout the year are insects, mainly xylophagous insects (barbels, bark beetles). In addition to larvae and adults of barbels and bark beetles, they also feed on larvae of horntails, leafworms, scoops, cocoons of riders, dark beetles, weevils, and sawflies. Along with insects, birds eat larch, pine, cedar, and birch seeds in winter. The three-toed woodpecker feeds mainly on trees, preferring larch, stumps and on the ground. The search for food is concentrated in the lower part of the trunks, occasionally carried out on the branches. Food is obtained by chiselling.

Birds live settled in winter. Juveniles move widely in autumn and early winter. Some old birds also roam, but rarely go beyond the nesting range.

Lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor L.)

This is a rare, sometimes common, sedentary species. Listed in the Red Book of Buryatia. The size of a sparrow. The length of the small spotted woodpecker is only 16 cm, the wingspan is 30, the length of the wing is 7, the tail is 6 cm. The top of the neck and front of the back, wings and tail are black. The forehead, cheeks, back, transverse stripes on the wings and on the side feathers of the tail and the entire underside of the body are white. The cap of the male is red, the cap of the female is white, ocher- or brownish-white.

Young birds are colored like adults, but black elements with a brown tint, more dark strokes on the back. The male can already be distinguished by the red cap, but it (like that of the young female) is small and with dark “blots”.

Small spotted woodpecker. Photo: Wojsyl

The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker prefers deciduous and mixed forests in the floodplains of small and large rivers. Usually found in riverine thickets of willows, large willows, bird cherry. During non-breeding time it flies into suburban forests, parks, gardens.

According to Izmailov I.V., Borovitskaya G.K. in 1973, in the adventitious mixed forests of southwestern Transbaikalia, the abundance of the species does not exceed 0.06 ind./km 2.

This bird is one of the most frisky and agile birds of its group. With great dexterity, she jumps up the trunks of trees, runs around, always climbs with her head up, occasionally moving backwards.

The lesser spotted woodpecker is more common on lateral branches and thin branches of trees than on trunks. It is more mobile and does not linger on the same tree for more than a minute when searching for food.

After winter migrations, woodpeckers appear in nesting places in mid-late March. At this time, you can hear his "drum roll" and regular cries, the peak of which falls on the end of March - the beginning of April. The drum roll of the small woodpecker is crackling, silent, sounds often, every 3-5 seconds.

Birds nest in hollows, which are hollowed out in rotten wood - both in trunks and in large branches, at very different heights, from the ground itself (often in stumps) to a height of 10-12 m. The diameter of the notch is 32-38 mm, hollow depth - 10-20 cm, diameter - 10-12 cm. They settle only in freshly hollowed out hollows. They start nesting early, in the steppe regions - as early as April-May, in the far north of the range - in late May - early June. In laying 3-8 white eggs, more often - 5-6. Their dimensions are 17-22 x 13-16 mm. The male and female incubate the clutch and feed the chicks. The male sits at night. The duration of incubation is 14 days. Chicks in the hollow are constantly screaming. Adults, when a person is found at the nest, immediately raise a cry, but usually soon calm down and tolerate an observer not far from the nest. Young fly out at the age of 3 weeks. The broods disintegrate very soon and the chicks move on to an independent life.

The basis of the nutrition of the small woodpecker, regardless of the time of year, is insects. The results of studying the diet of its diet by scientists in southern Yakutia show that in summer the birds feed on barbel larvae, ants, caterpillars of lepidoptera, diptera, ants, sawflies, barbels and borers, ant adults, bark beetles and leaf beetles. In other areas of the south of Eastern Siberia, barbel, bark beetles, sawflies, and butterfly caterpillars are also food objects. In the winter feeding of woodpeckers in the cedar forests of the Komarsky Range, scientists have discovered pine nuts.

The main methods of obtaining food are chiselling, pecking, and occasionally catching on the fly.

At the end of summer, young birds actively move, and adult birds also begin migrations in autumn. Lesser woodpeckers spend winter wandering, more or less shifting to the south. In the north of the range, these migrations have the character of real migrations. In winter, they are often found in the steppes to the south of the nesting range.

Vertineck (Jynx torquilla L.)

A bird the size of a sparrow. Outwardly, it looks more like a passerine bird with a long movable neck than woodpeckers, retains an outward resemblance to them only in the structure of the legs (the 1st and 4th fingers are directed backwards) and in the nature of the flight - it is wavy, consists of alternating fast strokes and flight by inertia with folded wings.

Vertineck above is ash-gray with dark wavy spots and speckles; the lower part of it is white and sparsely covered with dark triangular spots, the throat and lower part of the neck in transverse wavy stripes on a yellow background, a blackish longitudinal strip stretches from the top of the head to the lower back. The rest of the pattern of the upper body consists of blackish, rusty and light brown spots. The eyes are yellow-brown, the beak and legs are greenish-yellow. In young, the color is paler, the pattern is coarser and the eyes are gray-brown. Length reaches 17-20 cm, wingspan 25-30, wing length 8.0-9.7, tail 6.5 cm, weight 32-48 g.

Wryneck. Photo: Arnstein Ronning

The spring song of the male is the monotonous nasal calls “kii-kii-kii ...” or “knuyu-knuyu-knuyu ...” that follow one after another. They actively sing only in pre-nesting time. A bird caught in a hollow hisses. With anxiety - soft "tek-tek-tek ...", "pizz", "pizz-pizz-pizz ...".

Vertisheeks live in light forests - mixed and deciduous forests of different ages, while they prefer island forests, edges, glades, clearings, where small groups of trees, young growth and shrubs, and rotten stumps are found. They avoid solid forests, mountainous dark coniferous taiga, and mountain woodlands.

According to Izmailov I.V., Borovitskaya G.K. (1973) in pine, adventitious mixed forests, pine and elm forest-steppe of southwestern Transbaikalia, the number of wryneck was 0.1-0.3 ind./km 2 . And in the Vitim Plateau, the wryneck is common - it reaches its highest density in larch-birch groves and groves of the forest-steppe (4.0 ind./km 2), it is somewhat less common in sparse larch forests (1.5-1.8); rare (0, 1) in overgrown clearings and to the north on the Stanovoy Upland (Izmailov I.V., 1967).

Vertineck is a lazy bird, moving only when necessary. Its legs are used for clinging, but apparently not at all suitable for climbing. On the ground, she jumps with heavy jumps and, having flown, soon again goes to some tree. From a height, it flies headlong, almost close to the ground itself, flies here with quick flaps of wings for a certain distance in a straight line and again rises upward in a large regular arc. Sitting on a tree, the bird constantly turns its head, then to the left, then to the right, for which it got its name.

Everything unusual irritates the little girl. It stretches its neck, puffs up its head feathers and spreads its tail like a fan, all accompanied by slow repeated nods, or it stretches its whole body, leans forward, especially when angry, closes its eyes and moves its throat like a tree frog, emitting a strange muffled coo.

The wryneck is a migratory bird. They arrive late, to the steppe regions - about the middle - the end of April, to the north of the range - at the end of May.

Males begin to sing a few days after arrival, having found a suitable hollow. They nest in woodpecker hollows and natural hollows of tree trunks and thick branches, willingly settle in nest boxes and birdhouses. They can occupy voids in buildings, found nests even in burrows in steep banks and slopes of steppe gullies.

The little neck in the hollow of a woodpecker does not make any nest, in hollows with a flat bottom it lays several blades of grass in a ring around the middle of the bottom, in titmouses with a quadrangular bottom it makes a flooring that completely covers the bottom. Settling in someone else's nest, the wryneck does not make a new one, but lays its eggs directly on the dead chicks of the previous owners of the nest.

The clutch is large, from 5 to 14, more often 7-10 white eggs and quite varied in shape, from elongated-ovoid or oblong-elliptical to almost round. The size of the eggs is 16-23 x 13-17 mm. They incubate, starting from the laying of the last egg, 12-14 days. The female sits mainly, the male replaces her for a short time. The bird sits tightly on the nest, flies reluctantly. The chicks sit in the hollow for 23-27 days, they are fed by both adult birds. Be careful at the nest. Grown up chicks are noisy, before flying they can briefly crawl out of the hollow and hide back in case of danger. The brood stays together for several days, then breaks up.

A narrow specialization in nutrition in both adults and chicks is characteristic of the wryneck. The last, until the fourth day of their life, parents bring only ant larvae, then along with larvae and pupae, and later - only pupae. The male and female consume the same food as the chicks, but the number of adult ants prevails in them and in some cases reaches 95% of the total food composition. Sometimes other insects are also found in their food: beetles (May beetles, small dung beetles, bark beetle larvae), lepidoptera (caterpillars and moth butterflies, leafworm caterpillars), orthoptera, aphids. All these foods are collected partly on the trunks and branches of trees, but mainly on the ground, in forest glades and open places, which explains their desire to settle near the outskirts of the forest. In addition, they also feed on mollusk shells; as a mineral admixture, the chicks also receive sand.

Although according to scientists who observed the feeding of chicks in July 1976, it was found that all the food of chicks consists only of ants and their pupae. Other types of food (mollusks, larvae of caddisflies, leaf beetles, ground beetles, bark beetles, lepidoptera) were not found.

In August-September they fly off singly, occasionally there are groups of several birds. The main wintering grounds are in Central Africa and South Asia. Adult birds are very attached to their territory and tend to return there in the spring. The young return to their area, but are widely dispersed from the specific birthplace. begin to breed at the age of less than a year, the maximum known age is 10 years.

The question of the economic significance of the vertineck is complex and debatable. It is generally believed that this bird is harmful by the extermination of red ants useful for the forest. But studies in the Oksky Reserve (Evstratova, 1961) showed that the basis of the food of the little rat is not red, but black ants.

White-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos)

The white-backed woodpecker is listed in the Red Book of Buryatia. Slightly larger than the spotted woodpecker and similar in coloration. Distinguished by the white color of the lower back and the innermost flight feathers, black longitudinal strokes on the sides; undertail pink. The cap of the male is completely red, with whitish specks; the top of the head of the female is black.

Juveniles have a gray “dirt” on the chest, the black color on the wings and upper back has a brownish tint, the pink spot on the undertail is smaller. Already in the nest, the sex of the chicks can be determined: the males have a red cap with black “blots”, the females have a dirty black one. Weight 100-130 g, length 26-31, wing 14, 3-15, 9, wingspan 44-49.

White-backed woodpecker. Photo: Alastair Rae

For the first time, the white-backed woodpecker was mentioned in the southwestern Transbaikalia in 1891 by Molleson V.S., and in the southeastern Transbaikalia - in 1929 by Shtegman B.K.

It lives in light deciduous forests and mixed forests of various types, but prefers old, often swampy birch forests and sparse areas of elm and willow plantations in floodplains. Very rare in pine-deciduous forests with rotten trees and stumps. During autumn-winter migrations it occurs in cities.

The white-backed woodpecker is one of the very rare and poorly studied birds in the south of Eastern Siberia. Currently, there is little data on its distribution and the nature of its stay in Transbaikalia. According to Izmailov I.V. and Borovitskaya G.K. Selenga was 0.1 OS / km 2. In more northern regions, it was either not observed at all (Izmailov, 1967), or only single flights were noted (Skryabin, Filonov, 1962). Information on the ecology of this species is completely absent.

White-backed woodpeckers start nesting earlier than all other woodpeckers, in April-May. They make hollows in dead rotten aspens, alders, birches and other deciduous trees, at very different heights. The hollow is very spacious, much larger and higher than that of the spotted woodpecker. Every year they make a new hollow, the old ones are not used. In clutch 3-7, more often - 4-6 white eggs, their dimensions are 26-31 x 19-22 mm. The male and female incubate for 14-16 days. Chicks sit in the hollow for 27-28 days. Unlike the chicks of other woodpeckers, they cry little, only when they are fed by adults.

Both parents feed the chicks, but the male brings food much less often than the female. It has a watchdog function. The frequency of feeding is quite low - 4 times per hour. Feeding activity is somewhat higher in the morning and evening hours (5-6 times per hour).

The female flies quite far for food - 200-300 m from the nest, while the male constantly stays within a radius of 40-50 m and, when disturbed, immediately appears at the nest. Birds forage in the lower (surface) part of the tree. They spend up to 3-5 minutes looking for food on one tree. Departure of chicks does not come at the same time. After emergence, parents and fledglings stay together near the nest for about a week, then they begin to move and meet singly in different habitats.

White-backed woodpeckers feed mainly on various insects living in rotten wood and under the bark of dead trees: larvae of barbels, horntails, woodworm caterpillars, leaf beetles, and occasionally spiders. In the winter diet, in addition to insects, there is a small amount of plant foods, in particular the fruits of bird cherry, mountain ash.

For most of their lives, woodpeckers of this species are engaged in peeling bark from dead wood, mainly birch. At the end of summer they eat berries and nuts. Cones are not hammered.

They live settled or migrate. Young birds are most mobile after the breakup of broods in the middle of summer. Pairs are constant and exist all year round.

Grey-haired woodpecker (Picus canus)

The gray-haired woodpecker is larger than the spotted woodpecker. The dorsal side is grayish-green, the loins are bright greenish-yellow. The underside of the body and head are mostly grey. The eyes are white, with a greyish-blue, reddish or pink tint. The male has a red cap, the female has only black streaks on the crown, there is no red, the green color on the back is dimmer.

Young birds are colored like adults, males already have a red cap, but the entire plumage is more gray, almost entirely with indistinct blackish ripples, “whiskers” and bridle are indistinct, eyes are reddish or red-brown. Weight 90-170 g, length 25-28, wing 14, 3-15, 1, wingspan 38-42 cm.

In the pre-nesting time, the male performs a loud song consisting of a series (usually 6-10) of monotonous, but melodic, slightly melancholy unhurried calls “kyu-kyuyu-kyuyu ...”, “keel-keel-keel”, “kii-kii-kii ... ". Many other sounds are used in communication.

Gray woodpecker. Photo: arudhio

The gray-haired woodpecker lives in mixed and deciduous forests, preferring areas of tall aspen forests of middle and old age. Willingly settles in light floodplain forests with a large number of dead and drying trees, developed undergrowth. Young stands and woodlands avoids. Usually for nesting it chooses areas with a variety of tree species, large clearings and places where one type of forest passes into another. In the autumn-winter period, it often flies into cities and other settlements.

Hollows are hollowed out by a male and a female, most often in aspens or other deciduous trees at a height of 3-5 m from the ground, the depth of the hollow is 25-30, the diameter is 15-20 cm, the notch is round, about 6 cm. In clutch 5-10, more often - 6-7 white eggs, their dimensions are 24-31 x 19-24 mm. Incubation begins after the laying is completed and lasts 14-15 (up to 17) days. The male usually sits at night, the female - during the day. At the nest, they are careful, from the beginning of incubation and often until the chicks fly out, adults almost do not give a voice. The chicks leave the nest at the age of 24-28 days. 2-3 days before departure, almost all day long, one of the chicks protrudes from the hollow and gives a voice.

The gray-haired woodpecker feeds mainly on ants and especially likes to feast on some of their species; where these species of ants are rare, probably not a single gray-haired woodpecker will settle for the summer. And in winter he also tries to get himself these ants. Therefore, it is not surprising that he has to move when the ground is covered with such deep snow that it is difficult or completely impossible for him to get to his favorite food. Hollowing trees, he pulls out of them all the insects and larvae that he comes across, and if he happens to stumble upon bare caterpillars in the summer, he eats them too. In late autumn and winter, he also feeds on plant foods.

Adult birds are sedentary, young at the end of summer and autumn actively settle. In winter, adults can also roam. More often than other woodpeckers, they can be seen in cities and villages climbing wooden houses, examining cracks in brickwork.

The maximum known age is over 5 years.

The great spotted woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family of the genus Spotted woodpeckers. Do you want to know more about him?

These small birds play a very important role in the forest ecosystem, what? Let's try to figure it out...

The appearance of the spotted woodpecker

In length, individuals of this species reach 23-26 centimeters, and their wingspan is 38-44 centimeters. Large woodpeckers weigh no more than 100 grams.

The bird has a colorful plumage, which acts as a camouflage among the vegetation. Males have a dark red stripe on the back of the head, while females do not have such a stripe. The tail plumage is very stiff as woodpeckers use their tail as a support when perched in trees.

The head, back and rump of the large motley woodpeckers are black, and the throat and belly are light brown. On the sides of the body there are light stripes. The outer tail feathers are white. The tail is black. A black stripe extends from the beak to the chest.

Habitat of spotted woodpeckers

These birds live in Asia and Europe, both in zones with warm and cold climates. Spotted woodpeckers live in Scandinavia, Great Britain, the Caucasus, on a vast territory from the northern regions of Russia to the Urals.

Also, representatives of this species live in Eastern and Western Siberia, in the northern parts of Iran, in Kamchatka, in Korea, in the Far East, in Japan and in the western regions of China. Some representatives of the species can be found in the northern regions of Africa, namely in the Atlas Mountains with rugged vegetation, as well as in the Canary Islands.

Behavior of Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Large spotted woodpeckers prefer a solitary lifestyle, each individual has its own feeding area. But with a high density of birds, these allotments can intersect with each other. In such cases, conflicts arise, especially strong during nesting.

Woodpeckers of only one sex are in conflict with each other, that is, the male will not mind if a female appears on his territory. During the showdown, the birds strike each other with their wings and beaks. At the same time, they become in a threatening pose - slightly open their beak and ruffle feathers on their heads.

The great spotted woodpecker is a bird that does not leave its habitat, birds lead a sedentary lifestyle, and only inhabitants of the northern regions during power outages can change their habitat, moving to warmer and more satisfying lands.

Listen to the great spotted woodpecker

Great spotted woodpeckers fly very well and climb trees. Most often, woodpeckers climb, and fly only when they need to move to another tree.

Woodpeckers live on various trees, they have chosen both taiga trees and city parks. At the same time, the bird is not afraid of a person and lives in close proximity to him.

Feeding spotted woodpeckers

In the summer, woodpeckers prey on various insects that are found in the bark of trees. Woodpeckers carefully check every crack on the trunk. Birds have a long beak and a large sensitive tongue up to 4 centimeters long. It is with the help of the tongue that birds determine the presence of insects, after which they hollow out a hole about 10 centimeters deep. Woodpeckers get insects out of the cracks also with the help of the tongue.

The search for insects begins from the bottom of the tree, after which the woodpecker moves gradually up. On the next tree, the procedure is repeated again. Great spotted woodpeckers always choose old trees damaged by tree beetles. From this follows the conclusion that woodpeckers are the orderlies of the forest, since they rid the trees of pests.

In winter, woodpeckers eat plant foods: acorns, nuts and seeds. Insects are extremely rare in winter. If there is not enough food, then the woodpecker has to change the habitat. Young birds may not return to their native places for several years, and old birds are reluctant to change their usual way of life.

In the spring, when there are no more seeds and buds, and new insects have not yet appeared, woodpeckers feed on tree sap. They extract juice in the usual way, breaking through the bark of trees with their powerful beak.

Breeding spotted woodpeckers

Great spotted woodpeckers choose one partner for life. At the end of the nesting period, the female and male can winter together, or they can live in different parts of the forests, but by the next year they pair up again.

Birds are ready for breeding in the second year of life. In April, the couple makes a nest, a difficult job lasting at least two weeks. For the nest, the male chooses a tree and knocks out a hollow in it, with the help of his beak, at a height of about 10 meters from the ground. If there are many knots, the woodpecker quits work and picks up another tree. The depth of the hollow, as a rule, reaches 30-35 centimeters, and the diameter is 10-12 centimeters. The male is mainly engaged in construction, and the female replaces him extremely rarely.

The female lays eggs in the hollow built in early May; as a rule, the clutch consists of 4-7 eggs. White eggs are very small - half the size of a matchbox. The chicks hatch about 2 weeks after the eggs are laid. Baby woodpeckers are naked and blind.

Both parents feed the chicks. At the 3rd week of life, young woodpeckers take to the wings, but for at least 3 weeks the young do not leave their parents. Parents feed their offspring until they become completely independent. The lifespan of the great spotted woodpecker in the wild is about 10 years.

Enemies of spotted woodpeckers

Woodpeckers are brave birds, they are not afraid of predators, but in case of imminent danger they quickly fly away. Large motley woodpeckers ignore people, if a person comes close to a tree on which a woodpecker sits, then the latter simply moves to the other side of the trunk. Only in the case when a person shows increased interest in a woodpecker, he screams loudly and flies to another place.

But it is worth noting that woodpeckers get along well with people for many hundreds of years. The population is not threatened with extinction, as the number of large spotted woodpeckers is consistently high.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

There is a thud through the woods like a drum roll. This is a motley bird in a red "cap" busy with her work. She herself is about 30 centimeters long, and weighs from 60 grams. The back, head and upper part of the tail are blue-black. Under the tail, on its inner side, there is a red plumage. The shoulders are white, the belly too. There is a black longitudinal stripe on the back. The white muzzle is also decorated with a black stripe resembling a mustache. Wings - white with black. This is a woodpecker. One of its varieties is the big motley.

Species of woodpeckers and their habitat

This bird is distributed almost all over the globe. You will not meet her only in the icy Antarctica and on some small islands. Woodpeckers do not live in Australia either. On the other continents, wherever there are forests, there are definitely woodpeckers.

These are predominantly forest dwellers. Moreover, they settle in any forests: both deciduous and coniferous. They can choose the area for their residence, both dry and swampy.

There are a lot of varieties of woodpeckers. According to some estimates, there are currently about 200 of them, according to others - a little more species.

Their color varies depending on the species. And, quite significantly. So, there are woodpeckers with green plumage. This species feels great on a horizontal surface, unlike others. The largest are black woodpeckers. The most gluttonous is a gray-haired three-toed.

In Russia, there are about 14 varieties of them. The most common is motley. This species has several subspecies. In city squares and parks you can meet a small motley. In general, woodpeckers do not settle near people as often as other birds. Their main habitat is forests.

Despite significant differences in size and color, depending on the variety, all woodpeckers have several distinctive features that are inherent in all of them. Almost everyone has a red spot on their head. In motley - on the back of the head. This sign is perhaps the most distinctive, by which many recognize him.

Distinguishes woodpeckers and the structure of their body, some of its features. So, woodpeckers are not adapted to being on a horizontal plane, with the exception of one species. You almost never see them on the ground. The tail serves as a springy support for birds to move vertically (along the trunk of a tree). They move up the tree, with a slight slope to the side.

Woodpeckers have hard feathers. Especially in the tail section. They are very close to the body.

The woodpecker's legs are short and strong, concave inward. The strength of their beak is fully consistent with their main occupation - chiselling wood. He is very durable. And the tongue is long, thin, rough, with notches at the end. When extracting food from the trunk, woodpeckers can stick it out a few centimeters forward (sometimes up to 15 cm.). And, bugs and spiders stick to it. Inside, their tongue wraps around their heads. The woodpecker breathes with one nostril - the left. And through the right he has a long tongue.

The diet of woodpeckers at different times of the year

Do not disdain woodpeckers and dead animals. Still, they can be called predators. They eat smaller birds: sparrows, tits. They can destroy their nests by drinking eggs and stealing chicks, which they will certainly eat later. So, woodpeckers will not refuse the meat menu.

In spring, their food is the buds of trees, shoots of young plants. Do not mind woodpeckers to drink and tree sap. They especially love birch. The sucking woodpecker, for example, feeds exclusively on them.

What do woodpeckers eat in the harsh winter? As already mentioned, these birds rarely settle near humans. But, and they can be found in the winter at bird feeders. Especially if there are tree plantings in the city, or other settlement.

In the forest, woodpeckers eat cones, berries and seeds left on the trees in winter. Sometimes, walking through the forest, you can see on the ground, near a tree, a bunch of walnut husks. The woodpecker did it. They stick the cones into the crevices of trees and peel them, extracting nuts. Sometimes, woodpeckers store them for future use, hiding them in tree crevices. Some species make provisions for the cold season. Moreover, in the fall they will not eat them, leaving them for more hungry days.

Woodpecker lifestyle

Woodpeckers are non-migratory birds. Having chosen the forest area, they will not leave it. This can happen only in extreme cases. For example, these places will become poor, there will be little food. Deforestation, of course, can also lead to the resettlement of this bird species. After all, the main activity of woodpeckers is the study of trees.

For this occupation they spend most of their lives. By the way, they live, sometimes more than 10 years. The minimum duration of their life is from 5 years. Woodpeckers lead to death, most often, human activity and predator attacks. A woodpecker can be caught and eaten by, for example, a kite or a hawk, or other large birds of prey.

Woodpeckers living closer to the north, nevertheless, with the intensification of cold weather, begin to look for a warmer place. But, once they have moved, for whatever reason, they do not return back. And so, they lead a sedentary lifestyle. Sometimes, woodpeckers make small trips around the surrounding area, in search of new trees and stumps to study.

Having found a suitable tree, the woodpecker gets down to business. Having flown up to the chosen plant, he will sit down, first, on the lower part of the trunk. Further, as necessary, the woodpecker will move along it in jerky upward movements, with a slight slope to the side. But the woodpecker will not just sit on a branch. It is not adapted to a horizontal position.

The flight of these birds is undulating. They don't fly straight. The trajectory of their air movement fluctuates to the sides. The wing beat frequency is quite high. They fly fast.

Woodpeckers are loners. They don't huddle in packs. But, many of them, having chosen a mate for themselves and parted after feeding the chicks, reunite next year with the same individual.

"Family life" woodpeckers

Birds begin to take care of the reproduction of offspring from the middle of winter. During their mating season, their cries and knocks are heard throughout the forest. Woodpeckers are generally very noisy creatures. In addition to knocking on trunks, they also make noise with tree branches, setting them in motion. During the choice of a partner, male woodpeckers arrange dances and flights to attract females. And their songs are short, often repeated trills. Also, for the same, attracting a female, choosing a dry bough that will perfectly spread the sound, the woodpecker will arrange such a drum roll that it can be heard around the area within a radius of 1.5 km.

The place for the future incubation of the chicks is chosen by the male. The choice falls, as a rule, on trees with soft wood.

By mid-May, their mating games are over. And, the couple is taken for arranging the hollow. Both are engaged in construction alternately: both the male and the female. They line the “floor” in the hollow with chips.

Usually, it takes woodpeckers no more than two weeks to build housing. But, there is such a species of woodpeckers living on the American continent, which can be engaged in such a responsible business for several years! Here is such a "serious" American woodpecker! This subspecies is called cockade.

Also, woodpeckers, after completing their annual parenting mission, may leave their home. Next year they will make a new hollow for themselves. And in the old one, titmouse and other homeless feathered inhabitants of the forest can safely settle.

Interesting woodpeckers equip their hollows. They usually hide the entrance there under the branches. And sometimes, you can see their house under a kind of "balcony" - tree fungus. It also plays a camouflage role.

When the hollow is ready, the female woodpecker lays her eggs. Usually, clutch does not exceed 5 - 7 eggs. Hatching them, to a greater extent, is done by the male. Sometimes, they change with the female. But both parents will feed the chicks.

After two weeks, blind and deaf chicks are born. They have no plumage in the first days of life. But, in a month, already feathered chicks will run along the tree trunk. At first, they will wait at the entrance to the hollow of their parents with food. And a little later, they will run all over the tree, not yet able to fly. For about a month, young woodpeckers will spend near mom and dad. And, already with the approach of their first winter in their life, an independent life begins. Parents are also separated from each other, and from their brood. After all, the woodpecker is an individualist!

By the way...

Woodpeckers hammer trees not only for food. This also helps them in the spring call of females. And yet, this is how they let you know who is in charge in this territory.

Woodpeckers don't like to fly. Although they do it very well. The woodpecker will not rush to fly away even in case of danger. At first, he will simply hide by jumping to the other side of the trunk, so that the predator does not see him. And he will watch him, looking out from behind a tree. And, only in the case of the inevitably dangerous proximity of the enemy, he will fly away.

A woodpecker lives in America, without fail making stocks. This is an acorn woodpecker. And, he stores acorns, hiding them in the cracks of tree trunks.

You can meet a woodpecker even in the desert! There he hollows cacti. Not all in a row, of course. Tree-like.

There are species of woodpeckers that make their nests in the ground. They dig minks and line them with animal hair.

Woodpeckers are rather voracious birds. This is due to the fact that they spend a lot of strength and energy on chiselling trees. Therefore, they experience an almost constant feeling of hunger. And they hammer trunks with great force and frequency. In a second, they are able to make up to 25 hits! Fortunately, their beak is very strong. And the brain structure is arranged in such a way that it protects them from concussions.

A woodpecker hammers a tree - chips fly! And to him - at least that! It is so arranged that literally a moment before they hit the tree, a natural protective reflex is triggered - the eyelids cover their eyes. And, they are protected from chips falling into them!

Read more:

Research project for elementary school students "Forest bird - woodpecker"

Great spotted woodpecker.

Green woodpecker.