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Standing Deadwood Was Linked to Higher Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Occurrence and Nest Survival

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker perched on a tree in Germany
Research · Ecology

A four-year citizen-science programme in Hesse, Germany and Bavaria found that lesser spotted woodpeckers (Dryobates minor) were most likely to occur in deciduous, riparian and mixed forests with abundant standing deadwood. Nest survival also increased with the number of standing dead trees near breeding cavities.

Playback surveys broadcast recorded calls or songs to prompt otherwise inconspicuous birds to answer or approach, improving the chance of detecting them.

A transect is a predefined line or route used to survey an area systematically, with observations, signs or sampling points recorded along it.

From 2021 to 2024, trained volunteers surveyed 187 transects and completed 1,012 surveys. Playback was used to improve detection of the inconspicuous woodpeckers, while participants recorded observations in the NaturaList app and collected habitat information including forest type, dead trees and proximity to water. Active nest cavities were also monitored with cavity cameras.

Deadwood and forest type shaped occurrence

Lesser spotted woodpeckers were detected in 323 surveys, or 32% of the total. Detection probability peaked in March and was also higher among volunteers with greater prior bird knowledge. The habitat analysis showed the highest occurrence probabilities in deciduous, riparian and mixed forests with large amounts of standing deadwood.

Nest survival reached 74%

Estimated nest survival was 74%, and broods produced an average of 1.8 fledglings. Recorded predators included great spotted woodpeckers (Dendrocopos major) and garden dormice (Eliomys quercinus). Nest survival increased with the number of standing dead trees near the breeding cavity. The authors conclude that structurally rich deciduous forests and standing deadwood are important for both occurrence and nest survival, while the project also demonstrates that trained volunteers can generate large-scale monitoring data for a species that is otherwise difficult to survey.

Sources and image credit

  1. Höntsch, K., Köhler, A., & Albrecht, J. (2026). Enhancing knowledge about the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dryobates minor in Southern Germany, with citizen science. Acta Ornithologica, 60(1), 63–80. https://doi.org/10.3161/00016454AO2025.60.1.006Primary research article published 5 January 2026. From 2021 to 2024, trained volunteers completed 1,012 surveys along 187 transects in Hesse and Bavaria. Lesser spotted woodpeckers were detected in 323 surveys (32%). Occurrence probability was highest in deciduous, riparian and mixed forests with abundant standing dead trees. Estimated nest survival was 74%, with 1.8 fledglings per brood on average, and nest survival increased with the number of standing dead trees near breeding cavities.

Image: Romzig — lesser spotted woodpecker perched on a branch, photographed 29 March 2024; representative species image, not identified as a study bird — Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 · Source

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