What is this miniature version of a woodpecker in the garden in winter? He’s hanging on a fat ball. It’s lucky that we get a visit from a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor). Although the smallest native woodpecker is actually an insect eater, it doesn’t miss out on such a nutritious calorie bomb in the cold season.
You have to look twice to see a woodpecker in the bird nen. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker looks very similar to the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major). But the lesser spotted woodpecker is actually no bigger than a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). The Great Spotted Woodpecker weighs well over 90 grams – a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker only weighs around 20 grams.
But the fact is that we don’t often see the smallest of our woodpeckers not just because of its small size. This bird is also becoming increasingly rare. Despite occasional excursions – for example to gardens with suet balls – and a weakness for the old fruit trees in orchards, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is primarily a forest dweller. It feels particularly comfortable in sparse deciduous and mixed forests where the dead trees are allowed to remain.
Everything about Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is actually tiny. Unfortunately, so does their number. There are perhaps just 22,000 breeding pairs left in Germany. That is so little that they are endangered in the population. That’s why you have to protect your environment and protect it wherever possible. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker needs trees to rummage under leaves, in branch forks and in the cracks of the bark for larvae, beetles, ants and aphids. He also depends on these trees in order to build a breeding hole together with his partner in a dead tree.
In order to meet the growing demand for top images of the rarer species of Palaearctic Bird-lens.com has specifically made trips to remote places. Additionally every chance is used, if a rare bird is around the homeground. This to do everything to ensure excellent photos of the Birds of the Western Palearctic. The yield of pictures also of rare Western Palaearctic birds is very good. There are other nice images of birds, that you will find behind the tab “Picture Shop“. Just give a notice if you need a picture of a bird which is not online.