Dendrocopos major
The great spotted woodpecker is the most widespread and well-known woodpecker in Romania. Adaptable and hardy, it occupies almost any habitat that offers trees, from the dense forests of the Delta to village parks and gardens. It is the "doctor of the forest", cleaning the trees of pests, but also an opportunistic bird, being a frequent visitor to feeders in winter.
The plumage is a contrasting mosaic of black and white. The black back has two large white "shoulder" patches; the underparts are whitish with a vivid red vent. The male has a red nape patch; the female's crown is entirely black; juveniles have a fully red crown. The zygodactyl feet (two toes forward, two back) are ideal for climbing vertical trunks.
Present throughout the Delta wherever trees grow: willow gallery forests, ridge woodland, shelterbelts and village gardens. A resident species that defends its territory year-round.
In summer it feeds on insects and larvae extracted from under bark. In winter it switches to seeds and fruit. It uses an "anvil" technique, wedging nuts or pine cones into a bark crevice to crack them open. Famous for its rapid drumming rolls in spring, used for territorial communication.
A new cavity is excavated each year, usually in a tree with softer or partially rotted wood. Eggs are laid in May. Chicks are very vocal and can be heard from a distance when parents approach with food. Abandoned cavities are subsequently used by tits, flycatchers or bats.
Globally Least Concern (LC). The population is stable. A keystone species for the ecosystem — its nest holes provide shelter for numerous other species. No significant threats in the Delta.