SymbiosisSymbiosis
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Andrey Gulivanov / CC BY 2.0

Bird · Picidae

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Dryobates minor

Bird call

© Thierry THOMAS / XC1149002 / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Facts

Habitat
Open broadleaf woodland, riparian forest, orchards and parks with standing deadwood; especially Birch, Alder, and Aspen stands
IUCN status
LC (Least Concern)
Wingspan
~27 cm
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker plumage
Plumage · (c) Miriam Sokhet, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Ecological relationships

Nests in

  • Silver BirchBetula pendula

    Excavates nest cavities in soft-rotted Silver Birch, often in trunks weakened by Birch Polypore.

  • AspenPopulus tremula

    Nests in dead or dying Aspen, particularly where Tinder Fungus has softened heartwood.

Symbiosis with

  • Birch PolyporeFomitopsis betulina

    Feeds on invertebrates in birch polypore fruiting bodies and relies on polypore-softened wood for cavity excavation (Wiktander et al. 2001).

  • Tinder FungusFomes fomentarius

    Excavates nests in birch and aspen heartwood softened by Tinder Fungus; fungal decay is near-prerequisite for cavity creation.