Great Spotted Woodpecker

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Great Spotted Woodpecker, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern	Green listed
Species of European Conservation Concern	Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	No
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	WBD(I*), Bern(III)

This species increased rapidly in the 1970s and again in the late 1990s and 2000s. The BBS map of change in relative density between 1994-96 and 2007-09 indicates that increase has been fairly uniform across the British range. A completely unexpected colonisation of Ireland, where there had previously been no resident woodpeckers, began in 2008, with genetic studies indicating Britain as the likely origin (Balmer et al. 2013). There has been an increase across Europe since 1980 (PECBMS: PECBMS 2020a>).

UK breeding population

+388% increase (1967–2022)

Bird Atlas 2007–11 coincided with the colonisation of Ireland by Great Spotted Woodpeckers: breeding was first proved in Northern Ireland in 2006 and the Republic of Ireland in 2009. This species is undergoing a substantial range expansion in Britain too, most notably towards the north and west, with gains in occupancy evident in Scotland and Wales. The Northern Isles, Outer Hebrides and most of the Inner Hebrides remain unoccupied.

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Occupied 10-km squares in UK

No. occupied in breeding season	2360
% occupied in breeding season	78
No. occupied in winter	2345
% occupied in winter	78

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Breeding Season Habitats

Most frequent in

Deciduous Wood

Relative frequency by habitat

Relative occurrence in different habitat types during the breeding season.

The range expansion is in line with the rapid increase in population documented in the 1970s, with further increases from the early 1990s.

Great Spotted Woodpeckers are widely recorded throughout the year.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing

11 years 10 months 21 days (set in 2017)

Wing Length	Adults	132.4±2.7 | Range 128–137mm, N=2663
	Juveniles	131.3±3.5 | Range 126-136mm, N=2357
	Males	132.5±2.6 | Range 128–137mm, N=1335
	Females	132.2±2.7 | Range 128–137mm, N=1319

Body Weight	Adults	78.7±5.3 | Range 71.0–87.0g, N=2113
	Juveniles	76.9±5.7 | Range 69.3–85.0g, N=1878
	Males	79.8±5.3 | Range 72.0–88.0g, N=1046
	Females	77.7±5.1 | Range 70.0–86.0g, N=1061

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	C
Field Codes	2-letter: GS | 5-letter code: GRSWO | Euring: 8760

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Causes of change

There is good evidence that nest survival has increased, most likely due to decreased competition with Starlings. This is based on one local study but supported by more extensive analysis of nest record cards. Use of garden feeders may be another of many factors contributing to the population increase.

Further information on causes of change

The initial increase in Great Spotted Woodpeckers during the 1970s has been attributed to Dutch elm disease, which greatly increased the amount of standing dead timber, thereby increasing associated insects and so improving food supplies and providing nest sites (Marchant et al. 1990). However, studies giving demographic evidence supporting the effects of this are sparse. There has been speculation that the storms of 1987 and 1990 also benefited Great Spotted Woodpeckers by increasing the availability of dead wood, although a detailed study by Smith (1997), in two study woodlands, reported no specific link between woodpecker increase and the storms, despite the increase in dead wood.

A long-term study of the breeding success of an increasing population of Great Spotted Woodpeckers in southern England provides good evidence that nest survival has increased dramatically over the last 20 years (Smith 2005, 2006). Nest-site interference by Starlings was frequent during the 1980s and was described as the main cause of low nest survival and delayed nesting. Smith found that Starling numbers declined to such an extent later in the study that they ceased to nest in the study woods and nest-site interference was no longer a factor. Thus, the reduction in nest-site competition from Starlings is likely to be one of the factors contributing to the increase in Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Smith (2005) analysed national nest record cards and found similar trends in nest survival, supporting the hypothesis that reduced competition with Starlings has led to the increase in woodpecker population. The decline in Starling numbers in recent decades may also have allowed Great Spotted Woodpeckers to expand their breeding distribution into less-wooded habitats (Smith 2005). Great Spotted Woodpeckers appear limited in their ability to advance their breeding period to maintain synchrony with their natural prey and thus their ready use of garden feeders has the potential to increase breeding success (Smith & Smith 2013).

It is possible that recent increases of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, are also, at least in part, driven by changing climate (Fuller et al. 2005). In Scandinavia (Nilsson et al. 1992) and Bialowieza Forest, Poland (Wesolowski & Tomialojc 1986), breeding numbers were found to be related to the severity of the preceding winter and the availability of conifer seeds on which the birds then feed. No similar relationship has been found in Britain (Marchant et al. 1990), which is probably not surprising given our relatively mild winters (Smith 1997). Smith (2006) found no evidence that increasing spring temperatures impacted on clutch size, nesting success or number of young fledged. Smith & Smith (2019) found that caterpillar abundance influenced breeding productivity; however, although caterpillar abundance trends may be linked to temperature, they are apparently also cyclic and hence there is no evidence linking UK population trends to caterpillar numbers.

Information about conservation actions

This species is increasing in the UK and hence it is not a species of conservation concern and conservation actions are not currently required.

Woodland management, provided deadwood features are maintained, is likely to continue to provide foraging and nesting habitat for this species. This species has significantly increased its use of garden feeders (Plummer et al. 2019) and, in addition to improving survival, this could also benefit this species by increasing breeding success (Smith & Smith 2013).

Some concerns have been raised about the possible impact of increasing populations of Great Spotted Woodpeckers on other species through predation; however studies of Willow Tit suggest that predation by Great Spotted Woodpeckers has made little or no contribution to the decline of that species (Siriwardena 2004; Lewis et al. 2007). Where concerns occur, measures such as covering boxes in wire mesh (Mainwaring & Hartly 2008 Mainwaring & Hartly 2008) or changing nest box design (Kalinski et al. 2009) can reduce predation of nest boxes.