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Great Spotted Woodpeckers Began Laying About Two Weeks Earlier Than Grey-headed Woodpeckers in South Korea

Female great spotted woodpecker with clear head and body visible on a mossy log
Research · Reproduction & development

A four-year study in South Korea found that great spotted woodpeckers (Dendrocopos major) began laying eggs about two weeks earlier on average than grey-headed woodpeckers (Picus canus). The study, first published online on 19 February 2026, compared 106 breeding nests in forested areas of Seocheon and Gunsan.

Researchers followed 49 great spotted woodpecker nests and 57 grey-headed woodpecker nests from 2018 to 2021. They recorded nest-tree species and tree structure, as well as laying date, clutch size, incubation period, nestling period and hatching and fledging success. Nests were monitored from outside and inspected internally with an endoscopic camera.

Both species used many of the same nest-tree species

Both woodpeckers most often selected Paulownia coreana, Prunus sargentii and Castanea crenata for nest cavities. Despite this overlap, grey-headed woodpeckers selected taller trees with a larger diameter at breast height than great spotted woodpeckers.

The two species also differed in breeding timing and some reproductive traits. Great spotted woodpeckers began egg-laying about two weeks earlier on average, while grey-headed woodpeckers had significantly larger clutches and a longer incubation period.

Breeding success was similar

The researchers found no clear difference between the species in nestling period, hatching success or fledging success. The authors note that the larger clutch size of grey-headed woodpeckers therefore did not translate into higher breeding success under the nesting conditions studied.

Sources and image credit

  1. Lee, S.-Y., & Sung, H. (2026). Comparative breeding biology of Picus canus and Dendrocopos major in the midwestern region of South Korea. Avian Biology Research, 19(2), 42–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/17581559261428628Primary peer-reviewed article first published online 19 February 2026. The study compared 49 great spotted woodpecker nests and 57 grey-headed woodpecker nests in Seocheon and Gunsan, South Korea, from 2018 to 2021.

Image: Peter Mulligan / Wikimedia Commons — female great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) in Hawthorn Dene, County Durham, England, 21 March 2008; illustrative photograph, not from the South Korean study. Cropped for card display. · CC BY 2.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ · Source

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