green woodpeckers

[cceejd]

hi
new to this forum
we spotted two green woodpeckers in our garden not sure if they are a pair as we don't know how to distinguish between male and female.
how can we encourage them to stay round here?

thanks

[htcdude]

Originally Posted by cceejd

hi
new to this forum
we spotted two green woodpeckers in our garden not sure if they are a pair as we don't know how to distinguish between male and female.
how can we encourage them to stay round here?

thanks

Welcome to the forum cceejd

If you look at their 'cheeks' the female will have a black marking, the male has a red marking within this. Juveniles have a drab white speckled head and chest.

Their diets mainly consists of ants, but also other insects. I guessthis time of the year they'll be looking to things like fatballs for food? Not sure they eat seeds in particular.

Nige

[Dogghound]

Sexes can be differenciated by the spot (malar stripe) at the base of the bill. This is red in males and black in females. All birds can be sexes at this time of year, including ones born this year.

Green woodpeckers are often solitary (a male and female per territory) outside of the breeding season. Pairs usually form around spring, although occassionally they form earlier in the winter, which could explain the two together. I would expect them to be a pair or a forming pair.

I would imagen specifically encouraging green woodpeckers to regularly visit a garden would be difficult, unless conditions were already good there and on surrounding land, although I have never tried it. They like to feed on lawns, so having a close cropped well drained lawn would help. They feed heavily on ants. They usually nest in rotten wood, particularly heart wood of live trees, they have quite a weak bill and tend not to be as good at excavating as what great spots are.

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by htcdude

I guessthis time of the year they'll be looking to things like fatballs for food? Not sure they eat seeds in particular.

I may be proved wrong, but I think it would be incredibly unlikely (or if not uncommon behaviour) for green woodpeckers to use feeders or eat fat blocks.

[cceejd]

thanks for this, i read they often dont move far from nests so hopefully either of them have a nest near by!!!
i think they like our garden as there are many fallen apples which could attract insects so the woodpeckers decide to eat them

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by cceejd

thanks for this, i read they often dont move far from nests so hopefully either of them have a nest near by!!!

They wont have an actual nest at this time of year as they dont start laying eggs until around April. Adults do stay within their territory though and they are quite sedentary birds. 1st winter birds tend to move around a bit more as they have often not yet established a territory.

They will occassionally eat apples.

[htcdude]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

I may be proved wrong, but I think it would be incredibly unlikely (or if not uncommon behaviour) for green woodpeckers to use feeders or eat fat blocks.

I've not seen it myself, but only photos of these birds on a single fatball on a piece of string. Not seen them on feeders of any sorts before.

Nige

[basquesteve]

Female

http:// Female and juvenile



http:// Male


Regular visitors here pics taken from kitchen sink