Great spotted woodpecker

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great-spotted-woodpecker
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great spotted woodpecker
Dendrocopos major major
Mass
75.1 g
Wingspan
360 mm
Height
120–3600 mm
Theoretical lifespan
3275–4678 days 9–13 years
Comparable in mass
Carrot
Realm
Palearctic realm
Biome
Temperate mixed forest
Biome
Flooded grasslands
Biome
Taiga
Landscape
terrestrial
Climate
Warm summer and lots of rain
Landscape
terrestrial forest
Climate
Always very wet
Climate
Warm summer
Climate
Lots of rain and cool summer
Climate
Pleasant summer
Climate
Winter with snow
Climate
Lots of rain and warm summer
3274.7132451474513
4678.161778782073
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Worker
Elders
Bro
Were {name} like {animal}, then:
birth time
Taxons
if born as {name}
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
age
lots of rain, warm summer, snow in winter
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
birth date
Palearctic realm
Close
was
days
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
Warm summer
The basics
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
Maturity
Potential Habitat
About health
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
results
Mass
cold winter, lots of coniferous trees: spruce, pine
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
summer warm, winter not very cold
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Link copied
No results found
Filters
On the map
Pleasant summer
Female ♀
Palearctic realm
Upcoming birthdays
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0 Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Winter with snow
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
Height
birth year
rains almost always, very humid
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
comfortable summer, +20…+25 °C
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
How similar?
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Male ♂
until the celebration
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
More:
Neither
Business sausages
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Lots of rain and warm summer
much snow in winter, cold
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
What do they look like?
Maturity
water often floods the land, lots of grass
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
Temperate mixed forest
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
This is me
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Always very wet
Gamers
65 to 130 grams, 25 – 60 centimeters
Pets
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Lots of rain and cool summer
Taiga
{name} jubilee
Asexual
swap
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Wingspan
Who among us will transform as if by magic and become like {animal}?
turns
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Rascals
Where do they take shelter?
Warm summer and lots of rain
terrestrial forest
Flooded grasslands
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Share
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Where are they found?
Carrot
summer warm, many oaks, birches, maples
kg
lots of rain, warm and pleasant summer
lots of rain, cool summer, snow in winter
Observations
◉{N} more on tap
egg
chick
chick
pupa
adult bird
imago
fledgling
young bird
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  • The peregrine falcon killed woodpeckers in the Yamal tundra, as birds changed forest habitats to open spaces in search of food. In the treeless area, this hawk became the main threat to woodpeckers.
  • Great spotted woodpecker chicks learn to fly after 20–23 days, spending this time in the nest. Parents fly to the nest every 2–4 minutes, making up to 300 feedings per day.
  • In the great spotted woodpecker, the male differs from the female by a red transverse stripe on the nape. In young birds, regardless of sex, the crown is red with black longitudinal stripes.
  • The average lifespan of the great spotted woodpecker is about 9 years, but in Sweden, an individual aged 12 years 8 months was recorded. This age is the maximum known in Europe.
  • The drumming of the great spotted woodpecker is very short, lasting about 0.6 seconds and consisting of 12–13 merging beats. Individual beats are almost indistinguishable, and the sound quickly fades.
  • The drumming of the great spotted woodpecker is audible up to 1.5 km away. In good weather, the sound spreads especially far.
  • The great spotted woodpecker uses up to 57 “anvils” on its territory, but usually actively uses only two to four. In some cases, up to 5–7 thousand scales and broken cones accumulate under a tree.
  • The great spotted woodpecker makes many different sounds throughout the year. Its voice is heard for various reasons, including mating excitement, territorial disputes, fear, and nest demonstration. In winter, its activity is often accompanied by cracking cones stuck in bark cracks.
  • The great spotted woodpecker pecks bark with its beak and extracts insects with its tongue, creating a hole up to 10 cm deep. Its tongue, about 40 mm long, allows it to reach prey in deep crevices.

Age

  • The average lifespan of the great spotted woodpecker is about 9 years, but in Sweden, an individual aged 12 years 8 months was recorded. This age is the maximum known in Europe.

Phenotype

  • In the great spotted woodpecker, the male differs from the female by a red transverse stripe on the nape. In young birds, regardless of sex, the crown is red with black longitudinal stripes.

Habitat

  • The peregrine falcon killed woodpeckers in the Yamal tundra, as birds changed forest habitats to open spaces in search of food. In the treeless area, this hawk became the main threat to woodpeckers.

Geography

  • The average lifespan of the great spotted woodpecker is about 9 years, but in Sweden, an individual aged 12 years 8 months was recorded. This age is the maximum known in Europe.
  • The great spotted woodpecker pecks bark with its beak and extracts insects with its tongue, creating a hole up to 10 cm deep. Its tongue, about 40 mm long, allows it to reach prey in deep crevices.

Reproduction

  • Great spotted woodpecker chicks learn to fly after 20–23 days, spending this time in the nest. Parents fly to the nest every 2–4 minutes, making up to 300 feedings per day.
  • The peregrine falcon killed woodpeckers in the Yamal tundra, as birds changed forest habitats to open spaces in search of food. In the treeless area, this hawk became the main threat to woodpeckers.
  • Great spotted woodpecker chicks learn to fly after 20–23 days, spending this time in the nest. Parents fly to the nest every 2–4 minutes, making up to 300 feedings per day.
  • The drumming of the great spotted woodpecker is very short, lasting about 0.6 seconds and consisting of 12–13 merging beats. Individual beats are almost indistinguishable, and the sound quickly fades.
  • The drumming of the great spotted woodpecker is audible up to 1.5 km away. In good weather, the sound spreads especially far.
  • The great spotted woodpecker uses up to 57 “anvils” on its territory, but usually actively uses only two to four. In some cases, up to 5–7 thousand scales and broken cones accumulate under a tree.
  • The great spotted woodpecker makes many different sounds throughout the year. Its voice is heard for various reasons, including mating excitement, territorial disputes, fear, and nest demonstration. In winter, its activity is often accompanied by cracking cones stuck in bark cracks.
  • The great spotted woodpecker pecks bark with its beak and extracts insects with its tongue, creating a hole up to 10 cm deep. Its tongue, about 40 mm long, allows it to reach prey in deep crevices.