What does the Great Spotted Woodpecker eat?

The Great Spotted Woodpecker's diet shapes where and when you'll find it. Understanding what it eats helps you predict where to look.

Diet overview

Omnivore, primarily insectivorous, especially during breeding season. Also consumes seeds, nuts, berries, and tree sap.

How it forages

Forages by climbing tree trunks and branches, probing bark crevices with its bill, and excavating wood to extract insects and larvae. Also consumes seeds from cones (especially conifers), nuts (often wedged into bark crevices to be hammered open), berries, and occasionally raids nests for eggs or young birds. Known to visit bird feeders for suet and peanuts.

When it feeds

Diurnal.

Explore the Great Spotted Woodpecker