BTO Bird ID - Great & Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers

Are you unsure of the identity of a black and white woodpecker coming to your garden feeder? Great Spotted or Lesser Spotted? Let this workshop help you to confidently identify these two species.

[@tommarshall7247]

These are great. If you ever do an updated version, it would be good to compare the calls.

[@marleybu302]

Absolutely beautiful birds. ❤️

[@nathanpinch8079]

I now know I have a great spotted woodpecker visiting my garden, such a great charactered bird

[@fmos4919]

Where. In England?

[@nathanpinch8079]

@@fmos4919 yeah I'm in Hull, Yorkshire

[@jeremymaynard2323]

Just seen a Greater spotted woodpecker chasing off a Jay near my peanut feeder - bravely, as the Jay was quite a lot bigger!

[@patriciafionabrown4936]

We have breeding Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in a local wood and they feed from the nut hangers. Last year, the male, female and fledgling all came together and the male fed the young ones whilst sitting in our tree. I live in North Devon

[@MeT2338]

Excellent descriptions. A Great Spotted often visits our feeders in the morning and evenings and is a joy to observe. Located near Bovey Tracey, Devon. Thank you...

[@liliaaaaaaaa]

Thanks, helped me ID a greater spotted woodpecker I've seen on my allotment for the 2nd time today, he introduced himself and had a clear red undertail too. ✌🐦😊

[@debstarcrazy]

Very helpful! We have a gsw that visits from the local park. Lovely birds to see.

[@ezeerbanmurd]

I spotted a Greater Spotted at the feeder station outside my study window, location in Northern Ireland East of Lough Neigh.

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

I'm in West London and had my first for about a year on one of my feeders this morning. Lovely

[@Grahamvfr]

Thank you!

[@sneakybagger1]

Very informative, thank you :-)

[@patricktaaffe4796]

I Just SUBD. I Love Woodpeckers! Thay Used To Have A Lot In P.A. But Not Anymore? I Wonder Why, I'm Sure It's The Cemtrals. Thank You.

[@sarahjanesmith3996]

I have one that comes to my garden in Newcastle, loves feeding on the suet blocks, it's always chasing the starling's away,

[@Xidcat]

beautiful birds!

[@theresaalison1621]

My mom lives by the Aston Expressway in Birmingham and I caught one on cam in her garden , were trying to figure out if its a lesser or greater but was a first for me and mom to be so close to one and to actually see one . It has decided to visit more than once but where mom lives it's so busy and mostly houses can't believe there's one so close to mom's home .

[@susanecook9492]

Very informative. We have 3 visiting, two with a red undercarriage, one of whom has no red on head or back of head, the other has red on the back of the neck. The third woodpecker, appeared recently, has a red crown. Will look out to see if it has a red undercarriage as it may be a fledgling Greater spotted.

[@delythphillipps9108]

Very useful. Thank you.

[@trancehi]

A bunch with the bright red/scarlet heads are hanging out around my garden. I had no idea what they were until I tracked it down. They are proving to be a serious pest sadly as they sit in a hedge all night with a relentless quack type noise keeping everyone awake.

[@TechnoMoffat]

lovely birds

[@shyannedianne1962]

I've just spotted these in my garden, I'm in Chorlton Manchester

[@celt4life979]

i get a greater spotted woodpecker and its juveniles at my nut feeders they are my fav birds along with my 2 nuthatches.im in scotland west ,is there any lesser in scotland?.

[@philjamieson5572]

I think the VAST majority of recorded sightings of the L.S.Ws are juvenile G.S.Ws. I'm also struck by how many photos of recent 'sightings' seem identical to stock library pictures ( mostly from elsewhere in Northern Europe. Curiously, none of the reported viewings tell you exactly WHERE they were seen.

[@portcullis5622]

That is because lesser spotted woodpeckers don't exist!

[@AlexZorach]

I visited Germany recently and saw a ton of great spotted woodpeckers and never saw a lesser spotted woodpecker, although I did see one middle spotted woodpecker (which was easy for me to identify, and which I see you don't mention here). I'd be curious to learn more about why the lesser spotted woodpecker is declining. Here in the eastern U.S. where I live, our smallest woodpecker, the downy woodpecker, which is similar to the lesser spotted woodpecker in size (and also shares the habit of sometimes feeding on weed stems), is a very common bird, abundant, and found in a wide range of habitats.

[@BTOvideo]

Hi Alex. We don't mention Middle Spotted Woodpeckers as they aren't British birds.

[@AlexZorach]

Ahh this makes sense. I'm still curious though about why the lesser spotted woodpecker is declining, whereas in North America the small woodpecker (downy woodpecker) is thriving.

[@loadedmore]

incredible

[@alexcaudwell9479]

a female greater spotted comes to my garden sometimes

[@renuprasad4204]

want to know more about warblers

[@dillonsmart6834]

Get them in Scotland to lol not just Wales and England

[@matthewsadler4899]

Intr esting

[@AndreaRushSugarWombat]

I often record their sounds but never see them:( west wales

[@AshBoio]

One landed in a tree about 5m above me yesterday! Also West Wales! Beautiful birds.

[@stevemanhattan6771]

Let us hear it then

[@susandruce1064]

i have a greater spotted woodpecker come to my bird feeder....he makes me laugh as he is such a bully...and sees off anyone who dares to land there