BirdPicidae
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Dryobates minor
- Habitat
- Open broadleaf woodland, riparian forest, orchards and parks with standing deadwood; especially Birch, Alder, and Aspen stands
- IUCN status
- LCLeast Concern
- Wingspan
- ~27 cm
Ecological relationships
Nests in
Silver BirchBetula pendulaExcavates nest cavities in soft-rotted Silver Birch, often in trunks weakened by Birch Polypore.
AspenPopulus tremulaNests in dead or dying Aspen, particularly where Tinder Fungus has softened heartwood.
Symbiosis with
Birch PolyporeFomitopsis betulinaFeeds on invertebrates in birch polypore fruiting bodies and relies on polypore-softened wood for cavity excavation (Wiktander et al. 2001).
Tinder FungusFomes fomentariusExcavates nests in birch and aspen heartwood softened by Tinder Fungus; fungal decay is near-prerequisite for cavity creation.