The Great Spotted Woodpecker - Dendrocopos major
Males have a crimson spot on the nape, which is absent in females and juvenile birds. In the latter, the top of the head is crimson between the bill and the center of the crown instead.
Their contact call is a loud "tchick" sound.
The male Great Spotted Woodpecker is renowned for drumming its bill on a branch, which usually last only a few seconds and comprises 8-12 beats and fades away at the end.
Woodpeckers probe tree trunks for insects and larvae, but also feed on nuts and berries. They grip the bark with their strong claws and, when probing the crevices or drilling holes, use their stiff tail feathers as a prop.
The woodpecker's tongue is extremely long and sticky for extracting insects, such as ants, from their nest chambers and crevices. The tongue is so long that its muscles wrap around the rear of the skull and back to the upper mandible.
The nest is a chamber in a tree which is chiseled out by both birds. When chiseling, the woodpecker does not tap as quickly as when the male performs its drumming song.
The eggs are white, smooth and glossy, and about 26 mm by 19 mm. Both birds share the duty of incubating the eggs and feeding the young.
Great Spotted Woodpeckers can often be seen here at the Plotlands.