The GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER (_Picus major_) is black upon the upper
portion of the body, of a dull yellowish grey beneath, and the brow
indicated by a yellow line. The cheeks, a line on the sides of the throat,
the large spots on the shoulders, and some irregular markings on the wings
are all white; the back of the head and lower part of the belly are light
red; and a black line passes from the base of the beak to the nape. The
female is without the red upon the nape; and in the young the top of the
head is bright red. The eye of all is brownish red, the beak light grey,
and the foot greenish grey.
These well-known birds inhabit the whole of Europe and Siberia, as far
as Kamschatka. Woods, forests, and plantations of all kinds are their
principal resorts, and they especially delight in fir or pine trees. In
these localities each bird appropriates a certain district as its own
particular domain, and within this boundary no intruder is permitted to
forage; for no sooner does the vigilant proprietor hear the bony tap that
indicates a close inspection of his hunting-ground than he sallies forth
and encounters the unwelcome visitor, chasing it from tree to tree, until
it is glad to retire in search of more hospitable quarters. Nuts and the
seeds from fir and pine cones are largely consumed by these birds, who
exhibit the utmost adroitness in extricating the latter from their hard
covering.
This species, which is found throughout the British Isles, though
less common than the Green Woodpecker, "is," says Gosse, "much more
strictly an arboreal bird than that species. It climbs with great
ease and dexterity, traversing the trunks and limbs of trees in all
directions--perpendicularly or horizontally--and digging with great
diligence and effect into the bark and wood for insects. In Kensington
Gardens, London, where this bird is quite common, it usually keeps
about the highest branches of lofty trees, and the loud tappings of its
carpentry may frequently be heard; though a fair sight of its person is
difficult to obtain, as it dodges from side to side of the trunk or branch
on which it happens to be with much cunning and adroitness whenever an
observer approaches. It does not, however, confine itself entirely to the
tall trees, for it occasionally alights on pollards, as well as on the
rails and posts of fences, where, in the accumulated moss and lichen, or
in the various holes and crevices, it finds a harvest of spiders, ants,
caterpillars, and other insects; while in the season it varies its bill of
fare by stealing cherries, plums, and other fruit."
Colonel Montague gives the following instance of the devotion of the
female of this species for her young:--"It was with difficulty that the
bird was made to quit her eggs; for, notwithstanding a chisel and mallet
were used to enlarge the hole, she did not attempt to fly out until the
hand was introduced, when she quitted the tree at another opening." The
eggs, from five to seven in number, are pure glossy white.