Ancient Tree Forum

Lesser spotted woodpecker – a good indicator of decaying wood habitat quality		A wide range of birds nest inside tree cavities, some adopting existing cavities with little or no modification - such as owls, kestrels, marsh tit, tree-creeper - while others modify the cavity and its access considerably, eg woodpeckers and nuthatch. Some are directly dependent on the trees for the bulk of their food, including foliage gleaners such as titmice and warblers, while others are specialists on wood-decay invertebrates plus invertebrates which are merely sheltering in the wood, eg overwintering or nocturnal insects. Generally the bird does not concern itself with why the particular invertebrate is where it is, merely eating it! The woodpeckers are the main birds specifically breaking into decaying wood in search of food - even nuthatch and treecreeper are mainly gleaning prey from the external surfaces and shallow cavities.