Winter foraging of the Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius in managed forest in south-central Sweden

Abstract

The results of the study on winter foraging of radio-tagged Black Woodpeckers Dryocopus martius (n = 6) in south-central Sweden (59° 40'N, 15°25'E) are presented. The foraging places (n = 112) of tracked individuals were described and fresh droppings collected from these places (n = 83) were analysed. Among different types of dead wood, cut stumps created by forestry were found to be the most important foraging substrate and constituted from 64 to 78% of all strata used by particular individuals. Woodpeckers used stumps proportionally to their availability, however selection for stumps of larger diameter was observed. Carpenter ants Camponotus herculeanus were the most important food items found in all droppings. I discuss the shift in the foraging habits of the Black Woodpecker which enabled the species to successfully spread into heavily managed forest plantations .