Great Spotted Woodpecker question?

[Pete Collins]

Odd coincidence - I just came to the Birds forum to ask this question about GSWs and saw there was a thread asking a question about Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers!

Anyway, my question is this - at what age, or at what time of year, do juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers lose their red crown and change into the adult plumage?

I'm interested because I haven't seen the juvenile GSW that used to visit our garden regularly several times a day for about a month now. I have seen both a female and now a male in that time - I'm not sure whether they are the parents, or possibly one of them is the juvenile now grown-up.

Thanks,

Pete

[Lance Morgan]

I believe they moult in the autumn.

[Ida]

I had a juvenile GSW visiting my garden regularly, and about three to four weeks ago I noticed that he was beginning to lose his red crown and was developing a red nape. I haven't seen him since, but I guess he's probably lost his juvenile plumage by now.

[Pete Collins]

Thanks a lot Lance and Ida. Apologies for not replying sooner.