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The small white-backed woodpecker is a subspecies of the main family. The bird is very useful for the development of the forest as it destroys populations of larvae, beetles and other pests. Killing the smallest parasites, woodpecker prevents the destruction and decay of tree bark, significantly prolonging the life of plants and forests in general. The woodpecker also spreads the seed of shrubs and trees through the digestive system, contributing to the colonization of the forest.
They are inhabited by small orderlies in the light deciduous forests of Eurasia.
Representatives belong to the genus motley, and also have about 12 different subspecies. For example, only in Siberia 2 subspecies of the bird have been studied, in which the white color of the feathers dominates, while in the Far East individuals of darker pigmentation.
Appearance
The length of the body of a white-backed woodpecker ranges from 26 to 31 centimeters, the average body weight is up to 130 g, and the wingspan is about 45 cm. The bird is considered one of the largest individuals of the whole family.
In bright males, the sides of the head and forehead are painted white, and on the crown there is a red “cap” with white spots. The back of the head and the top of the back of the bird, as well as the "mustache" are darkly pigmented. The belly and lower back of the male are light with a tinge of brown (ocher), and the sides have characteristic dark spots. The undertail of a bright person may be characterized by a pink hue. The female is no different in appearance, but the “cap” on her head is black. The wings of the species have a black and white color with spots. Young birds of these birds are outwardly inconspicuous, have feathers of brown, ocher or black hue.
White-backed woodpeckers prefer sedentary life on trees, their elongated cone-shaped beak is specially adapted to extract insects from under the wood. The skull of the bird is large and strong, which allows it to withstand the load during the "knocking" on the tree. The tail of the specimens has the shape of a wedge and includes rigid feathers, which allows it to be used as a support.
Lifestyle
An inconspicuous woodpecker hides in open hardwood areas. He prefers to build houses in hollows of dilapidated trees with comfortable loose tree bark. Most often chooses birch or aspen, forming a niche at a height of more than 10 m from the ground.
The woodpecker lives in the forest constantly, preferring to return to the familiar area every year. Here only the house has to be built every time a new one. By the way, the male and male live separately, uniting only in the season of mating and breeding of young stock.
White-backed woodpeckers are monogamous, ready to breed at the end of the first year of life. Nesting begins before the other individuals of the family (a surge of activity is observed in April). To find a partner, the male starts actively banging on the bark and branches, screaming. In response, females perform distinctive sounds, tumbling. Interested birds can circle around each other, making “mating” flights. After the pair is formed, the birds become aggressive in relation to other representatives.
The tree for the organization of the nest is chosen by the male, after which he hollows out a comfortable niche for more than 10 days. The height of such a hollow from the ground, as a rule, reaches 8 meters, but the depth is up to 35 cm with a diameter of up to 12. After mating, the female lays from 3 to 8 (less often) small white eggs.Both stalls incubate the clutch for approximately 2 weeks (it is noted that the male is longer in the nest). By the end of May, chicks hatch — blind, naked, and helpless. Parents feed offspring, committing up to 300 acts of food transfer per day! In the nest the youngsters are about 3 weeks, after which they learn to fly independently. Even when the brood falls apart, young woodpeckers try to stay near the nest even for 3 weeks.
Life expectancy ranges from 8-9 years.
Nutrition and distribution
White-backed woodpecker prefers mixed food depending on the habitat. Of insects and larvae, the victims are beetles, imagoes, ants, aphids, caterpillar bugs, and horntails. Mollusks and crustaceans were also found in the stomachs.
In winter, woodpeckers fly around closer to the places where people live, where they can eat on equipped feeders or garbage dumps. In rare cases, the woodpecker ravages other people's nests, eats eggs, chicks and even carrion.
In the cold season, the white-backed woodpecker is not squeamish about the seeds of cones, beech, hornbeam, oak, as well as nuts and acorns.Birds prefer gooseberries, cherries, raspberries, juniper, currants. In the spring, individuals pierce the bark of the tree and drink the juice.
Representatives live in the middle zone of the Eurasian continent (mixed zone and deciduous foxes, where there are enough old trees). Occasionally settles in city parks, as well as near ponds or lakes. Even less often settlements are noted in mountainous terrain at an altitude of up to 2 km above sea level.
The bird is listed in the Red Book of some regions of the Russian Federation and Belarus.
Video: White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos)
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