Fun Middle Spotted Woodpecker Facts For Kids
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The middle spotted woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius) is one among the nine family members of the large arboreal birds in the order Piciformes.
Till the year 2015, these birds were recognized under the genus Dendrocopos and the scientific name given to them was Dendrocopos medius. The middle spotted woodpecker range map is extremely vast due to their four subspecies available throughout the European region from Northern Spain to Sweden.
The four subspecies of these birds are recognized as Dendrocoptes medius medius, Dendrocoptes medius caucasicus, Dendrocoptes medius anatoliae, and Dendrocoptes medius sanctijohannis.
These woodpeckers are medium-sized birds that grow up to 7.8-8.6 in (20-22 cm) in size and have black underparts that are covered with patches in the shape of a white oval on the white breast and wings. These birds move constantly and forage high on trees feed mostly on insects and tree sap.
If you liked these true facts about middle spotted woodpeckers, then you'll surely like these facts about Flycatcher and Hummingbird too!
Middle Spotted Woodpecker Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a middle spotted woodpecker?
The middle spotted woodpecker is a woodpecker that is common on the European continent. This woodpecker species belongs to the Dendrocoptes genus.
What class of animal does a middle spotted woodpecker belong to?
Middle spotted woodpecker is a member of the class Aves.
How many middle spotted woodpeckers are there in the world?
The total population of middle spotted woodpeckers in the world is estimated to be between 602,000-1,360,000 individuals based on IUCN findings.
Where does a middle spotted woodpecker live?
The middle spotted woodpecker is found only in Southwest Asia and Europe, ranging from the central Caucasus, Italy, and goes further to the northern regions of France, Spain, Ukraine, and Poland. In parts of Great Britain, these birds have not been recorded due to their inactive nature.
What is a middle spotted woodpecker's habitat?
The middle spotted woodpecker prefers a habitat range in the deciduous forest area, particularly areas with elm, hornbeam, and old oak trees and a jumble of openings, meadow, and thick woodland. These birds build their nest in the decaying trunks of large trees.
Who do middle spotted woodpeckers live with?
Middle spotted woodpeckers are solitary and territorial in nature and tend to live alone with their partners. These birds are monogamous in nature but very rarely do these birds change their partners before the next breeding season.
How long does a middle spotted woodpecker live?
The average lifespan of middle spotted woodpecker is 6-11 years in the wild.
How do they reproduce?
Middle spotted woodpecker pairs are monogamous during the breeding season and both sexes mature at the age of one year old. The mating season starts from the month of April extending till the month of May.
The male displays its crested wing to attract females along with an ariel movement. Once the female is ready to mate, she digs a nest hole about 1.9 in (5 cm) wide in decomposing thick branches or tree trunks to lay her eggs.
Female lays four to eight eggs in a single clutch and incubates the eggs for 10-15 days. Both parents share the responsibility of feeding and providing shelter to the chicks.
What is their conservation status?
The middle spotted woodpecker is listed as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and Birdlife International organization. The conservation status of these woodpeckers may change in the future due to the rapid decline in their population due to rapid deforestation.
Middle Spotted Woodpecker Fun Facts
What do middle spotted woodpeckers look like?
The middle spotted woodpecker and great spotted woodpecker are similar in appearance with slightly different plumage.
The underparts of these species are brighter with white coloration and the upperparts, in general, have white and black wing patches on the extreme end of their wings.
The principal distinctions between both species are the absence of a black moustachial stripe along with the dark streaks that are found on the flanks, the absence of a pink vent, a short bill, and the red crown.
The pink vent at the base of this bird is easily visible which helps in distinguishing them from the Great spotted woodpecker, as it has a red vent.
Middle spotted woodpeckers appear smaller due to their rounded and pale head and their slender and short bill. Both sexes are similar in all aspects and it is difficult to differentiate them from each other.
How cute are they?
These European woodpeckers are pretty cute for a medium-sized bird species. The unique black and white pattern on their plumage with dark streaks on the flank and the red crown make them a treat for your eyes to look at.
How do they communicate?
Unlike other woodpecker species, the middle spotted woodpeckers are rarely seen drumming to communicate with each other. This species use song to establish its territory with a passive nasal call.
The middle spotted woodpecker call includes a couple of song variations that can be easily heard in the wild.
The signals represent the intervening form between tapping and sectional drumming but are not meant for long-distance transmission.
How big is a middle spotted woodpecker?
Middle spotted woodpecker is a medium-sized bird that can grow up to 7.8-8.6 in (20-22 cm) in body length and 12.9-13.3 in (33-34 cm) in Wingspan. Middle spotted birds are slightly larger in size when compared to the Acorn woodpeckers and hairy woodpeckers.
How fast can a middle spotted woodpecker fly?
These birds are moderately fast and the accurate flying speed of middle spotted woodpeckers is still unknown. The drumming speed of this bird range from 10-14 strikes per second.
How much does a middle spotted woodpecker weigh?
A fully grown middle spotted woodpecker weighs about 1.7-2.9 oz (50-85 g) with the male being slightly heavier than the female.
What are the male and female names of the species?
Neither the middle spotted woodpecker male nor the middle spotted woodpecker female has any specific name assigned to them.
What would you call a baby middle spotted woodpecker?
Middle spotted woodpecker juvenile is called a chick.
The plumage of these young chicks has brighter white underparts, black upperparts with few patches on the sides of the wings, a duller vent, a smaller bill, and the red crown and the black moustachial stripe. Juveniles lack the common dark streaks that adults have on their flanks.
An immature middle spotted woodpecker sound is similar to that of the song of an adult.
What do they eat?
The middle spotted woodpecker diet mostly consists of insects and insect larvae, which they forage from twigs and branches rather than whacking them from under the bark. These species also use their sharp bill to extract nutrients from the tree sap of old oak trees.
Are they dangerous?
No, these woodpecker species are not dangerous at all to humans but during the breeding season, they become territorial and will not hesitate to attack other birds. The average range of middle spotted woodpeckers consists of about 12 acres (5 ha) of land across the forest.
Would they make a good pet?
No, the middle spotted woodpecker will not make a good pet as they are not caged birds, they like to be free in the open oak forest as the oak sap is a necessary part of their diet.
Did you know...
The United Kingdom is comparatively poor for woodpeckers when compared to the European continent. The three species that inhabit here, are the great spotted woodpeckers which are the most common, and green woodpeckers which are the largest among the tree species and lesser spotted woodpeckers.
Lesser-spotted woodpecker species are extremely rare, with the abundance population range recorded in the southern country such as England, and dispersed populations in central Wales. These birds are absent from Ireland and Scotland.
The great spotted woodpecker is a significantly larger bird when compared to the lesser-spotted woodpeckers, which are almost the same size as a fox sparrow. The shoulder of the great spotted woodpecker houses white patches that are large in nature.
The female has a pale head that lacks the red crown, whereas, in males, the back of the head is the location of the red crown. On the other hand, the lesser-spotted woodpeckers have a red crown and unlike the great spotted woodpecker, lacks white shoulder patches.
Great spotted woodpecker range throughout the Northern Hemisphere, they avoid colder places and migrate to warmer regions during the winter season. The middle spotted woodpecker call is almost similar to the great spotted woodpeckers.
Great spotted woodpeckers are the most hostile woodpecker species found in Europe, these species are omnivorous in nature feed on both insects and seeds, but sometimes these birds are found taking eggs and even young birds from their nest to feed on.
Most of the drumming sounds that you have heard from birds around you are created by woodpeckers.
Are middle spotted woodpeckers endangered?
No, middle spotted woodpeckers are not endangered at present but due to the rapid deforestation and decline in their natural habitat, this species might become endangered in the future. As of now, they have been listed as Least Concern by both the IUCN and Birdlife International.
To help maintain the population of these woodpeckers creating a variety of dead woods provides a suitable microhabitat. Its population can be improved with the increase of mixed forests.
What is special about the middle spotted woodpecker?
The middle spotted woodpecker is often confused with the great spotted woodpecker but they can be easily distinguished from each other as the middle spotted woodpecker has a more slender bill and use more nasal drums to communicate with each other.
Focusing on these nasal calls will help you identify which woodpecker is making the sound in case you are confused by the drums.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Hawaiian honeycreeper facts and whiskered treeswift facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable bird coloring pages.
Image two by Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management
Moumita DuttaBachelor of Arts specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication, Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management
A content writer and editor with a passion for sports, Moumita has honed her skills in producing compelling match reports and stories about sporting heroes. She holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Calcutta University, alongside a postgraduate diploma in Sports Management.
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