Birds · Piciformes · Picidae

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Dryobates minor

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The smallest of the European woodpeckers, barely larger than a sparrow, with a plump, short body, a rounded head and a small bill angled slightly upwards. A black and white back with a strongly marked chequered pattern; the crown is red in males and dirty white in females.

Weight

20 g – 25 g

Size

14 cm – 16 cm

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Insectivore Diurnal In pairs Bird

46countries 221parks14same family

Fun facts

GeneralThe smallest woodpecker in Europe, the size of a sparrow.
Its skull is made of spongy bone full of air chambers that cushion the impact, and its bill is longer on the underside so that the lower part of the head absorbs most of the blow.
It is strictly resident: the SEO/BirdLife ringing database records not a single movement between provinces.
In Asturias it is called "piquetín".

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Riverside woods, poplar stands and copses
Gestation / incubation: 11-12 days, with both sexes incubating: the female by day and the male by night
Litter / clutch size: 3-8 white eggs, with a single brood a year from early May on; there are replacement clutches if the first fails, but no second broods

Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife (ficha y III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España); IUCN Red List; Asturnatura; Prieta Díaz 2022, III Atlas; Lista de aves de España de SEO/BirdLife 2019; SEO/BirdLife 2012, Atlas de las aves en invierno