Woodpecker calls

[rowanalder]

Do the Lesser Spotted and Great Soptted Woodpeckers have the same sort of call as the Green Woodpecker. and do Green Woodpecker drum atall?

Just a little confused lerning bird calls at the minute.

[Dae]

From what I understand from the rspb website, the Great Spotted woodpeckers have a cheeping sound, but no real call as such. Whereas the Lesser spotted have a call which is similar to the Green's call, but higher-pitched and a bit faster. The Greens, as far as I'm aware, don't drum much, if at all.

Check out the RSPB Website which will give you recordings of the different birds' calls.

[RobinP]

From Birds of Britain:

Lesser Spotted:

In early spring their drumming on tree trunks can be quite loud at close quarters, but, as might be expected, it has less resonance and carrying power than that of the larger species, though the vibrations are more rapid (reminds me of a distant power drill).

Greater Spotted:

One branch, long dead, has provided a drumming post. The vibrating rattle produced by an extremely rapid rain of blows with the bill is audible from a great distance.

If the "sounding board" is of the right condition it may be heard up to a distance of half a mile. Both sexes in fact drum, commencing in January and continuing until late June.

Green:

Like the other woodpeckers, Greens do drum, but their drumming is neither so resonant nor harsh as the other two species, nor as frequent - they rely on their laugh to demarcate their territory.

[big bill]

Like you not upto date with the calls but heard yesterday the tapping of a woodpecker in the woods about 150 mts away from the house its the first I have heard up here since I have been here and thats been 12 years so once its stopds raining will have to try and seek it out