Great Spotted Woodpecker

Nests in

• Pedunculate OakQuercus robur

  Excavates nesting cavities in mature oak trunks.

• AspenPopulus tremula

  Excavates nest holes in Aspen more readily than in oak. The soft, fast-decaying wood requires significantly less effort. Aspen stands are disproportionately important for woodpecker nesting density relative to tree abundance.

Feeds on

• Oak BracketInonotus dryadeus

  Excavates infected oak wood weakened by Inonotus dryadeus to reach beetle larvae. Bracket-infected oaks are disproportionately represented in woodpecker foraging sites.

• Birch PolyporeFomitopsis betulina

  Preferentially excavates Birch Polypore-infected Birch trunks, where the brown rot created by Fomitopsis betulina softens the wood sufficiently for cavity creation. A documented three-way chain: Birch → Birch Polypore → Woodpecker.

Symbiosis with

• WryneckJynx torquilla

  Depends on cavities excavated by Great Spotted Woodpecker; obligate commensal.

• Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata

  Obligate secondary cavity nester relying on woodpecker-excavated holes.