Yellow

Appearance

This is the largest woodpecker in the Western Palaearctic , its size is only slightly inferior to the rook - in contrast to this crow, it has a more slender physique, a long thin neck and a long tail. Length 42–49 cm, weight 250–450 g, wingspan 64–80 cm. ^[3]

The plumage of an adult male is shiny black, except for the top of the head, which has a bright red spot in the form of a cap from the base of the beak to the back of the head. The female plumage is also black, however, compared with the male, it is more dull and has a brownish tint, the red spot is small and developed only on the back of the head. The beak of both sexes is grayish with yellow on the mandible, very powerful, chisel-shaped, long and straight; legs are bluish gray; the iris is whitish or light yellow. Young birds are similar to adults, but have loose plumage, painted in less bright, matte tones. The chin of the first-year-old has a grayish tint, the red spot on the head is unclear and sometimes not expressed at all, the beak is pointed, mainly pale horn in color. ^[four]

There are two subspecies of the black woodpecker: nominative D. m. martius , distributed over most of the territory, and D. m. khamensis , whose area of ​​distribution is limited to Southwest China and Tibet ( Qinghai south to northwest Yunnan ). ^{[5] [6]} In the Chinese form, the overall color is more saturated and brilliant, and the size is slightly larger. The so-called “wedge” is characteristic of the nominative subspecies - the total sizes gradually increase from west to east, and the populations of the Far East are almost as large as the khamensis subspecies. ^[7] The skull is massive, its distinctive feature is large occipital crests absent in other woodpeckers; their appearance is associated with active lateral head movements.

Voice

Screaming throughout the year; possesses a sonorous voice, audible over long distances. The signal of communication or attention-grabbing is a series of high melodic screams “cru-cru-cru-cru-cru”, at the end of which a long, aching “clea”, often lower in tone, often sounds like a buzzard's cry. ^{[8] [9]} Mating mating, in addition to the voice also includes drum roll, lasts from the first of February to April, and for single males until the end of June. The second wave of current occurs in August, but this month it is less intense and irregular. Both males and females are current. ^[10] The drum knock lasts 1.75–3 seconds and is well heard at a distance of 2–4 km. As a rule, the knock of males is longer. ^[eleven]

Range

The area of ​​the black woodpecker is the forest and forest-steppe zone of Eurasia from the northern and eastern parts of the Iberian Peninsula east to Kamchatka , the coasts of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan , the islands of Sakhalin , Hokkaido and the northern part of Honshu . It nests to the north to the border of the taiga , sometimes flying into the southern part of the forest-tundra . The most northern habitat is the region of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia , where it is found up to 70 ° C. w. On the Kola Peninsula, it nests to the north to the Khibiny and the upper reaches of Tuloma , in the Ural Range up to the 62nd parallel, on the Ob to the 63rd parallel, in the Yenisei Valley to the 65th parallel, east to the north to the basin of the Lower Tunguska , Verkhoyansk Range , basins of the Yana , Indigirka and Kolyma . In Kamchatka, it occurs to the north to 62 ° C. w. ^{[7] [12]}

In Western and Southern Europe , Asia Minor , the range of the black woodpecker is highly scattered and is mainly tied to the plain ripe coniferous and mixed forests with the participation of spruce . A denser population is noted in Eastern and Northern Europe and Siberia , as well as in the Greater Caucasus , Transcaucasia , along the Caspian coast of Iran . In Ukraine, nests south to the Carpathians , Zhytomyr and Chernihiv regions, in the European part of Russia south to the Oryol , Tambov , Penza regions and the Orenburg region. To the east, in the region of the 53rd parallel, the southern border of the range goes to Kazakhstan , where it reaches Tarbagatai and Saura , and then passes through southern Altai , Hangai , Kentei , Heilongjiang and Korea . A separate site is located in southern China from western Sichuan to the east to southwestern Gansu and central Sichuan. Outside the mainland, there are the Solovetsky , Shantar Islands, Sakhalin , Kunashir , Hokkaido and possibly the northern part of Honshu . ^[7]

Habitats

Leads a sedentary lifestyle, but in winter it can make small wanderings beyond the main biotopes . It inhabits ripe high-stemmed forests, mainly coniferous and mixed, but also sometimes broad-leaved. It settles both in continuous taiga massifs and on small islands of the forest, including those located in the middle of the steppe . Often lives on burned areas, clearings and areas with rotten, drying and diseased trees. ^[3] In the foothills and mountain forests of Europe, it prefers beech or mixed forests with the participation of beech and fir , but also inhabits forests with a predominance of larch , spruce , European cedar and other tree species. In the Alps it is found up to the upper border of the forest above 2000 m above sea level. ^[4] In the north and east of Europe, as well as in Siberia, the main habitats are coniferous and mixed forests, often spruce, including dead taiga. The woodpecker does not avoid the presence of man and can sometimes be observed in city parks even in the days of crowded people. ^[10] Each pair occupies an average of 300-400 hectares of forest. ^[6]

Eats a wide variety of insects - xylophages , while giving preference to ants and bugs . Vegetable feeds make up a very small fraction of the diet - mainly fruits, berries and seeds of conifers. Among ants, large species predominate - red-chested , red-bellied ( Camponotus ligniperda ) and black wood ants, red and brown forest ants, as well as a black garden ant . ^[4] In addition to finding these insects in wood, woodpeckers often bust ant heaps, eating both adults and pupa. ^[3] Among other insects eats adults , pupae and larvae of barbel , bark beetles , sapwood , goldfish , sawflies , horntail , ichneumonids , etc. ^{[3] [4]}

In search of food, the woodpecker grinds rotten stumps and removes bark from dead trees, leaving deep traces and breaking off large chips with a thickness of a finger. When she gets to the ants, she sometimes makes moves up to half a meter in the anthills. ^[10] The tongue is not as long as the yellow one, for example, of a green woodpecker , and extends only 5-5.5 cm long at the tip of the beak (for green it extends about 10 cm), however, the beak is much more powerful and can thoroughly “clean out” »Wood. A sticky substance secreted by the salivary glands , as well as inwardly pronged teeth on the tip of the tongue, helps to get food for the bird. ^[4] The ability to chisel in this woodpecker, however, is not as pronounced as in most variegated woodpeckers .

Starts breeding at the end of the first year of life, monogamous . Pairs form for one season, although when using the same site, they often reunite again the next year. If the forest area is small, such as an island in the steppe, then the male and the female can coexist on it together and outside the breeding season; otherwise, the birds, at the end of breeding, fly to different sections or to different ends of the same section and keep one by one. ^[4] Occupation of the territory begins in late autumn, the distance between adjacent nests is at least several hundred meters. ^{[3] The} protected area, however, is limited to only a small area around the nest; more extensive food areas sometimes intersect with each other and this does not lead to conflicts between birds nesting in the neighborhood. ^[four]

Spring awakening of birds begins already on sunny days in late January or early February, however, the most intense current occurs in March and April: during this period, birds actively hollow trunks, scream and chase each other, jumping from one trunk to another. The hollow is usually located on the withering part of a still living tree, where there are no branches, at an altitude of 8–20 m from the ground. ^[9] Old aspen is most commonly used, less commonly pine , spruce , beech , larch , birch and other tree species. One and the same nest can be used repeatedly, while a newly hollowed out one is not necessarily immediately used for laying eggs, and is often left for the next year. ^[10] The construction of a new nest takes 10–17 days, during which time a thick layer of wood chips accumulates under the tree. Both members of the couple hammer, however, the male does a lot of work, sometimes spending up to 13 hours a day on it. ^[8] Old nests are freed from debris and deepened if necessary. Often, last year’s nest is occupied by other birds, and in this case, a woodpecker can evict uninvited guests. The summer is large and narrow; its shape can be oval or almost rectangular. The average size of the letka is 8.5 x 12 cm , the depth of the hollow is 35–55 cm, diameter is 15–20 cm. ^{[3] There is no} additional litter, the bottom is covered only with pieces of wood. ^[four]

In clutch usually 3–6, most often 4–5 small oblong eggs. The eggs are white, their sizes are 30–39 x 22–28 mm . ^[3] Hatching, unlike most other woodpeckers, begins not with the last, but with the first or second egg - for this reason, the chicks appear asynchronously for several days and noticeably differ in size. ^{[8] The} duration of incubation is 12-14 days. Both parents feed offspring, bringing them large lumps of food, almost entirely consisting of ants and their pupae. ^[10] Cages appear 24–28 days after hatching (in central Russia in the first half of June), before which the chicks protrude for a long time from the hollow and scream. Adult birds, on the contrary, behave silently near the nest. At first, the brood keeps on the site of the parents, but at the end of the summer it finally dissipates. Life expectancy is up to 7 years. ^{[8] The} maximum known age in Europe was recorded in Finland - 14 years. ^[13]

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• Description and distribution are yellow (neopr.) . Vertebrate animals of Russia . RAS Institute named after A.N. Severtsov . Date of treatment April 24, 2010. Archived August 27, 2011.
• Photos, sound files, and video clips featuring are yellow (neopr.) . Internet Bird Collection . Lynx Date of treatment April 24, 2010. Archived August 27, 2011.
• Yellow (neopr.) . Encyclopedia of Brema . povodok.ru. Date of treatment April 24, 2010. Archived August 27, 2011.