Little spotted woodpecker or great? (Belgium - 23/02/2025) (1 Viewer)

[StijnL]

Hi all,

This is the first time I post in this forum on this theme so please do correct me if I am forgetting any needed information.

Yesterday I was walking in a forest where I heard and sow the great spotted woodpecker and also the green woodpecker. But suddenly I saw a much smaller woodpecker. Way smaller than all other great spotted woodpecker I saw and determined earlier.

Unfortunately I was unable to take a clear picture but did manage to record his sound.

What do you think? Is it possible this is a little spotted woodpecker?

Thank you in advance!

Stijn

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[NickBrown]

Hi, foraging pecking, to the best of my knowledge, can't be distinguished. What can be distinguished is drumming (e.g. XC800962 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor)).

If you're sure it was much smaller, then it could well be a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. I'm not familiar with woodpecker distributions in Belgium, could Middle Spotted Woodpecker be possible there as well?

 

[StijnL]

Hi, foraging pecking, to the best of my knowledge, can't be distinguished. What can be distinguished is drumming (e.g. XC800962 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor)).

If you're sure it was much smaller, then it could well be a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. I'm not familiar with woodpecker distributions in Belgium, could Middle Spotted Woodpecker be possible there as well?

Hey Nick,

Big thanks for your reply! Thank you for pointing out the difference between foraging pecking and drumming.

Well, in this particular area some lesser spotted are seen frequently. So therefore I really think it's possible. Mainly because I really think it was smaller.
Middle spotted woodpecker are possible in Belgium but not so much in my region so they are rare. Less chance for this one.

Have a great day.
Stijn

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

In the woods, the Middle spotted woodpecker appears to have the same size as the Great Spotted. Most of their calls sound pretty much the same. When you are familiar with the Middle spotted you see and hear the difference at larger distances.

The Lesser spotted woodpecker is much, much smaller, it's the size of a sparrow. The pecking sounds very light, like in your recording, but to be sure you have to check what kind of tree it's using (and which part of the tree). A Great spotted high up in a tree, on a small branch may sound the same.

 

[lou salomon]

Pecking sounds too strong for Lesser, but this is not a sure ID criteria.

 

[StijnL]

In the woods, the Middle spotted woodpecker appears to have the same size as the Great Spotted. Most of their calls sound pretty much the same. When you are familiar with the Middle spotted you see and hear the difference at larger distances.

The Lesser spotted woodpecker is much, much smaller, it's the size of a sparrow. The pecking sounds very light, like in your recording, but to be sure you have to check what kind of tree it's using (and which part of the tree). A Great spotted high up in a tree, on a small branch may sound the same.

Hi!

Thank you, this surely is a great addition for me and something I did not think of like that before.

Enjoy your day!

Stijn

 

[StijnL]

Pecking sounds too strong for Lesser, but this is not a sure ID criteria.

Hi Lou,

Thanks, the more I listen and think about it, I am not convinced it's a Lesser so I will keep it with the great one.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Hi Lou,

Thanks, the more I listen and think about it, I am not convinced it's a Lesser so I will keep it with the great one.

Or the unknown one 🙂

Gives incentive to visit the site again 👍

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

Strangely enough, when you watch them with your binos in the top of a tree the size may be hard to see, as well as the colors. However, the Lesser ones move to the finest twigs and there is almost always a moment when they hang upside down like tits. The same applies to the Middle spotted woodpecker, it will sit down on a branch like a 'normal' bird. The Great Spotted always behaves like a woodpecker, no weird actions for this one

Of course there are exceptions but when watching them for a few minutes, when the trees are in full leaf, sometimes these movements are the only clues. Often you see them in backlight or in dark thick forests, sightings may be short and you only see a small part of the bird when they are at a height of 25 meters or more. Then the typical body color and face pattern of the Middle spotted and the back pattern of the Lesser are not always visible. Especially the Middle spotted woodpeckers hide from the observer in mysterious ways, as if they enjoy it.