Last weekend, while walking through the forest at my dacha in Uglich, I met the Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) for the first time.

Not just one, but a couple at once!

These are miracles. Of course, I knew that they existed somewhere, I saw them in pictures in atlases of identification documents, but in Moscow they are very rarely seen, nesting is not noted. For ornithological research, all of Moscow within the Moscow Ring Road is divided into 242 “squares” with an area of ​​4 square meters. km., these squares are being surveyed. According to the book “Atlas of Birds of the City of Moscow” (2014. M.: “Fiton XXI”), the three-toed woodpecker was recorded only in 8 squares, the place of winter meetings was one square. In the Moscow region, this species is listed in the Red Book.

In Uglich it is also a rare species; in the Red Book of the Yaroslavl region it is classified as category 4. They write that three-toed woodpeckers are more often found in northern taiga forests; they love swampy spruce forests and burnt areas.

The woodpecker is called a “three-toed” woodpecker because it has only three toes on its foot, while other species have four. Two fingers point forward and one back.

They differ from other species in that they do not have red markings on their heads. The male has a yellow stripe on the top of the head, and the female has a black crown with streaks.

These woodpeckers are not large, the size of a starling. Not noisy, the cry is quiet and not sharp: such a musical “gyuyuk”. They live in tree hollows, and what’s interesting is that, unlike other species, they choose strong trees, which are more difficult to hollow, but the house is more durable. Three-toed woodpeckers raise chicks once a year. Both parents incubate the clutch and feed the chicks in turns, changing 5-6 times a day; only the male incubates at night. Chicks appear in June. Although they write that these woodpeckers are solitary, like other species, but as you can see, sometimes they fly in pairs.

Previously, it was believed that these woodpeckers, like other species, were monogamous, but then it was noticed that polyandry also occurs (one female has two partners). This is due to the fact that if the female sees that the first spouse is not a particularly good father and is afraid for the offspring, then she lays eggs with the second spouse. At the same time, the female then lives in two houses, cares for and feeds the chicks in both families.

I noticed them by their quiet tapping. But in general it’s difficult to notice them, the color of the feathers is such that they completely merge with the tree, and if you can’t hear them, you won’t even be able to see them.

Three-toed woodpeckers were sitting high in the tree, so we had to shoot very close, and the photos are not very sharp, but you can still see these beautiful birds.

So interesting and unusual birds found in our Uglich dacha forest.

Picoides tridactylus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Bird Squad - Aves

Woodpecker family – Picidae

Status of the species in the country and in adjacent regions

Listed in the Red Books and taken under protection in the Moscow (category 3), Ryazan (category 3), Lipetsk (category 4) regions.

Distribution and abundance

The species is distributed throughout the forested north of Eurasia and North America. Apparently, a rare breeding species in the Tula region. Bird sightings are most likely in the forests of the Aleksinsky and Zaoksky districts (an adult bird was recorded here at the end of June 2008). In the territory under consideration, the species is located near the northern border of its range. IN winter period meetings of nomadic individuals are observed more often.

Habitats and biology

Sedentary appearance. Prefers larch, coniferous and mixed forests. The three-toed woodpecker begins nesting in April. It hollows out hollows in trees of various species, most often at low heights (up to 6 m). It can also inhabit old hollows of birds of its own species and the Great Spotted Woodpecker. There are 3-7 eggs in a clutch. Incubation lasts about 2 weeks. Young woodpeckers leave the hollow when they reach the age of 22-25 days, but their parents feed them for about a month. The basis of nutrition is insects and their larvae. Birds find food by stripping bark from dead and dying trees. To a lesser extent, they chisel wood or inspect the surface of trunks and branches. They can collect insects and spiders crawling on the forest floor. In spring, woodpeckers often tear apart anthills and drink tree sap. As a food of plant origin, rowan berries are consumed in small quantities.

Limiting factors and threats

The species is located at the southern border of its range, which is the main reason for its rarity in this territory. In addition, the coniferous and mixed forests preferred by the species are very few here.

Security measures taken and required

The species is included in Appendix 2 of the Berne Convention and is listed in the Red Book of the Tula Region.

Three-toed woodpecker - Picoides tridactylus

Appearance.

Medium size (larger than a starling). The top of the neck, back, wings, tail and spots on the sides are black, the underside of the body, spots on the back, wings, tail and stripes on the sides of the head are white. The top of the male's head is golden-yellow, while the female's is dirty whitish. There are 3 toes on the paw.

Lifestyle.

Inhabits dense coniferous forests on plains and mountains. A fairly common resident bird. The nest is placed in a hollow, the entrance to the hollow is round, a clutch of 3-6 white eggs is laid in May - June. It is more secretive than other woodpeckers, alone and in pairs. Silent, the voice is a sharp monosyllabic cry.

It feeds on insects and their larvae (mainly bark beetles). It differs from other woodpeckers in having a yellow or white top of the head and three toes on the paw.

Reference books by geographer and traveler V.E. Flint, R.L. Boehme, Yu.V. Kostin, A.A. Kuznetsov. Birds of the USSR. Publishing house "Mysl" Moscow, edited by prof. G.P. Dementieva. Image: “Three-toed Woodpecker - Finlandia 0005 (3)” by Francesco Veronesi from Italy - Three-toed Woodpecker - Finlandia 0005 (3). Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 from Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Three-toed_Woodpecker_-_Finlandia_0005_(3).jpg #/media/File:Three-toed_Woodpecker_-_Finlandia_0005_(3). jpg

General characteristics and field characteristics

Typical woodpecker; larger than small, but smaller than medium motley. It differs from all woodpeckers of the fauna of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia by the presence of a black facial stripe across the eye (and not light brown and poorly defined, as in the great and lesser woodpeckers and some young spotted woodpeckers from the Far East), a bright yellow “cap” "in males and dull yellow - in juveniles before the first autumn molt, the presence of transverse streaks on the chest and belly (developed to varying degrees in different subspecies), the absence of the first digit, black speckling of the white back developed to varying degrees, the presence of white color only on two outer pairs of tail feathers, lack of red color in the plumage. There are no white shoulder patches, a black "whisker" running from the beak along the side of the head, like black line through the eye, connected to the black neck. Longitudinal streaks are developed on the chest, giving way to transverse streaks on the sides of the belly. The degree of development of white in the plumage of the back, belly, sides of the head and wings varies greatly.

In females, the tips of the parietal feathers, forming a “cap,” are not yellow, like in males, but whitish. Young birds of both sexes have a dirty yellow “cap”, mottled with gray due to a smaller proportion of feathers with yellow tips, as well as more strongly developed longitudinal streaks on the underside of the body to the detriment of the transverse ones; fingerlings are also characterized by dull coloration. The specific calling cry most often sounds like a quiet and inexpressive, difficult to locate “kick”, but a cry that sounds like a sharp “kick” of a large spotted woodpecker; during courtship, it emits a long trill, not crackling, like that of a great spotted woodpecker, but melodiously squealing.

Description

Coloring (Gladkov, 1951; Cramp, 1985). There are no seasonal differences in color. Adult male. The upper part of the head is golden yellow due to the corresponding color of the edges of the parietal feathers. These yellow edges are separated from the dark base of the feather by a white belt. There is a clearly defined gray coating on the sides and back of the crown. The sides of the head and the back of the head are black; a white stripe runs from the eye back, which merges at the back with the white color of the back of the neck. Below the ear feathers on the sides of the head there is another white stripe, originating from the base of the beak and bounded below by a black “whisker”. A fairly wide white stripe runs from the back of the neck along the back, sometimes interrupted by black markings: in dark subspecies the latter can displace the white color almost completely. The remaining feathers of the upper body are black or blackish-brown. The short upper tail coverts sometimes have white tips. The ventral side of the body is white with black transverse streaks on the sides of the belly, longitudinal ones on the chest and in the upper part of the belly. In the area of ​​transition from the chest to the belly, the feathers bear both types of streaks, which is reflected in the cross-shaped pattern on them (Volchanetsky, 1940). The lower tail coverts are white or with black transverse stripes. The flight feathers are black with opposite white spots on the vanes. They are larger on the inner webs of the secondary flight feathers. The upper wing coverts are black, the underwings are striped with black and white. All helmsmen, with the exception of the 5th and bth pair, black; the latter with a black base and a black cross pattern on a white background.

The adult female is colored similarly to the male, only the tips of her parietal feathers are not yellow, but whitish. Young birds of both sexes have a smaller dirty yellow cap and a larger space occupied by longitudinal streaks in the lower part of the body. Fledglings of the year are usually darker than adult birds of the same subspecies (Volchanetsky, 1940).

Structure and dimensions

The dimensions of the three-toed woodpecker are given in table 34 (col. ZM MSU).

Shedding

In general, the types of outfits and the sequence of their changes are similar to species of the genus Dendrocopos. In adult birds there is one complete post-nesting molt per year, occurring from July to October; The duration of molting for males is 2-3 weeks longer than for females. The primary flight feathers molt from mid-July to the end of August: the change of the secondary flight feathers extends until September-October. The order of their molt is from X to I. However, the simultaneous change of X and VII flight feathers is not uncommon. The sequence of changing tail feathers is: 2-3-6, 5-1-1 or 2-6-3, 4-5-1. The second tail feather falls out simultaneously with the VI flight feather, the central pair of rudders - from III and I. The secondary flight feathers molt from the 8th or 9th feather in both directions. These feathers fall out at the same time as the second tail feathers. The change of plumage on the head and body begins simultaneously with the change of the sixth flight feather (July) and ends by September-October.

Young of the year undergo a partial post-juvenile moult. The primary flight feathers, like those of many other woodpeckers, begin to be replaced even in the hollow before departure: their shift stretches until the first ten days of September, sometimes until mid-October. The tail molt takes 48 days, ending in September - early November (Gladkov, 1951; Stresemann, Stresemann, 1966; Piecholski, 1968; Ruge, 1969).

Subspecies taxonomy

Within the range of the species, 8-10 subspecies are distinguished (Volchanetsky, 1940; Gladkov, 1951; Vaurie, 1965; Short, 1974; Bock, Bock, 1974; Stepanyan, 1990). Intraspecific variability is expressed primarily in variations in the abundance of transverse streaks on the lower part of the body, the degree of development of the black pattern on the light parts of the plumage of the sides of the head and neck, the lower belly and light back, as well as the white pattern on the flight and tail feathers, in the variation in the length of the lanceolate tip the yellow cap feathers of the males and the degree of expression or discontinuity of the light stripes under this yellow tip of the decorative feather. The most stable pattern is the head, wings and tail. On the sides of the head, only the ratio of the width of the black stripes and the white gaps between them changes - from the very narrow “mask” of P. t. albidior and P. t. dorsalis to very narrow openings in southern mountain forms (P. t. alpinus, P. t. bacatus); in P. t. tianschanicus and P. t. funebris the white facial stripes are even interrupted in places.

At the same time, the brow lumen narrows more than the infraorbital lumen. In the same row, the width of the black transverse stripes on the outer tail feathers also increases, and the feathers of the dorsal pterilia also darken centripetally. The degree of development of spotting on the chest and underbody is minimal in albidior, subspecies crissoleucus, dorsalis, tridactylus, fasciatus occupy an intermediate position in this order; the underparts of alpinus, bacatus and tianschanicus are even darker. This series is closed by the darkest Western Chinese form of P. t. funebris. In the same series, the degree of development of longitudinal streaks increases to the detriment of transverse ones, which are less and less pronounced. The latter are most strongly developed in the American subspecies, which brings them closer to a related species - the black-backed three-toed woodpecker (P. arcticus), which does not have obvious longitudinal streaks in the lower part of the body at all. Linear dimensions also vary, reaching a maximum in northeast Asia (Volchanetsky, 1940; Short, 1974; Bock, Bock, 1974).

In the territory former USSR There are 5 subspecies (descriptions are given according to: Stepanyan, 1990).

1.Picoides tridactylus tridactylus

Picus tridactylus Linnaeus, 1758. Syst. Natur. cd.10, p.114. Sweden, Uppsala.

The white coloration on the back, lower body and lower tail coverts is less developed, the outer tails with a more developed black transverse pattern, the black pattern of the underbody (longitudinal on the chest and transverse on the sides of the belly) is more developed than in P. t. crissoleucus. It intergrades with the latter form along the meridian of the Ural Mountains, in Western Siberia - along the 57th parallel, then along the line Novosibirsk - the northern part of the Eastern Sayan - the northern parts of the Baikal region and Transbaikalia - the Stanovoy Range - Ayan, covering the area of ​​this form from the west and south.

2.Picoidees tridactylus crissoleucus

Apternus crissoleucus Rcichcnbach, 1854. Die vollstandigc Naturgcsch., abt. 2, Vogel, 3, Synopsis Avium, pt.6, continuatio 12, Scansoriae Picinac, pp. 1187–1199.

The white coloration on the back, lower part of the body, and lower tail coverts is more developed, the outer pair of tail feathers with a reduced transverse pattern, and the longitudinal and transverse types of patterns on the underbody are less developed than in the nominate race. Within the range of the form, there is developed clinal variability - from west to east the birds become lighter, and the black pattern of the underparts and tails is reduced. This tendency is maximally manifested in Ayan and Anadyr birds, which in these characteristics are close to P. t. albidior, with which the crissoleucus form intergradates on the territory of the Parapolsky Dole and the Penzhina basin (Kishchinsky, Lobkov, 1979).

3.Picoides tridactylus albidior

Picoides albidior Stcjnegccr, 1888, Proc. U.S. Nation. Mus., II, p.168, Kamchatka.

The lightest race. The underparts, lower tail coverts and outermost pair of tail feathers are pure white. The black pattern of the lower body is not developed. The white spots on the flight feathers are larger than in previous races.

4.Picoides tridactylus alpinus

Picoides alpinus S. L. Brchm, 1831, Handbuch Naturgesch. Vogel Dcutschlands, p.194. Switzerland.

Darker than the nominative race. The transverse pattern of the outer tail feathers and the pattern of the underbody are more developed. The white coloration on the back, belly, and tail coverts is less developed.

5.Picoides tridactylus tianschanicus

Picoides tianschhanicus Buturlin, 1907. Omithol. Monatsber., 15, building 9, Tien Shan.

Close to alpinus, differing in an even more limited distribution of white on the back, slightly more white spotting on the upper tail coverts, a darker yellow “cap” in males, and the absence of a transverse pattern on the sides of the body in young birds. The black color of the "whiskers", the pattern of the underparts and tail feathers is as strongly developed as in alpinus.

Entirely outside the territory under consideration, in Eurasia there are also: P. t. kurodai - Manchuria, Korea (6); P.t. inouei - oh. Hokkaido (7); P. t funebris - mountains of Western China (8).

Notes on taxonomy

Sometimes it is proposed to isolate the isolated and noticeably different morphologically race funebris into an independent species. Not all taxonomists recognize the races tianschhanicus, kurodai, inouei; they are often included in the very broadly understood subspecies alpinus, distributed south of the nominative form in the latitudinal direction from Europe to Japan. The subspecies P. t. described from Sakhalin. sakhalinensis, also recognized as invalid by L. S. Stepanyan (1975, 1990) and V. A. Nechaev (1991), this name is considered a synonym for the nominative form. Based on molecular studies recent years Three North American races of the three-toed woodpecker - dorsalis, fasciatus and bacatus - have been proposed to be separated into an independent species: the American three-toed woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis Baird, 1858). This decision is supported in some recent reports (Hanp.Winkler, Christie, 2002).

Spreading

Nesting area. The nesting area of ​​the three-toed woodpecker occupies a vast territory of the coniferous forest zone of the Holarctic. In North America, the species is distributed from Alaska in the west to Labrador, Quebec, and Newfoundland in the east. The northern border runs through northern Alaska, northern Yukon, the lower Mackenzie, Great Slave Lake, northern Manitoba, northern Labrador and Newfoundland. To the south it is distributed to eastern Nevada, central Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota, Ontario, northern New York and New England (Fig. 102).

Figure 102.
a - nesting area. Subspecies: 1 - P. t. tridactylus, 2 - P. t. crissoleucos, 3 - P. t. albidior, 4 - P. t. alpinus, 5 - P. t. tianschanicus, 6 - P. t. kurodai, 1 - P. t. inouei, 8 - P. t. funebris, 9 - P. t. fuscialus, 10 - P. t. bacatus, 11 - P. t. dorsalis.

In Eurasia, the range covers the territory from Scandinavia, the Alps, Yugoslavia, Northern Greece, Bulgaria to the middle reaches of the Anadyr River, the Koryak Highlands, Kamchatka, the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan, northeastern Korea, the northern part of the island. Hokkaido. North to the 70th parallel in Norway, in Finland to 68° north latitude. On the Kola Peninsula, the northern border of the range runs along the northern limit of the forest zone from the mouth of the p. Kola to the throat of the White Sea (breeds on the Solovetsky Islands), on the Kanin Peninsula it goes approximately along the Arctic Circle to the southern coast of the Czech Bay. In the Pechora valley and in the middle reaches of the river. It passes the mustache along the 67th parallel, on Yamal in the middle reaches of the river. Khadytayakha and the north of Western Siberia along the 67-68th parallel, on the Yenisei - up to the 69th parallel (Norilsk Lakes, Putorana Plateau) (Krechmar, 1966; Ivanov, 1976; Estafiev, 1977; Rogacheva et al., 1978; Zyryanov, Larin, 1983; Danilov et al., 1984; Stepanyan, 1990; Semenov-Tyanshansky, Gilyazov, 1991; Romanov, 1996, 2003; Anufriev, Demetriades, 1999; Ryabitsev, 2001) (Fig. 103).

Figure 103.
a - nesting area, b - unclear boundary of the nesting area, c - area of ​​bird encounters during autumn-winter migrations, d - flights, e - cases of nesting outside the area. Subspecies: 1 - P. t. tridactylus, 2 - P. t. crissoleucos, 3 - P. t. albidior, 4 - P. t. alpinus, 5 - P. t. tianschanicus.

Further to the east, the northern border of the range is very incompletely clarified, especially in Central Siberia. To the Lena Valley in the east it goes along the 68th parallel, in the Lena Valley to 69° N. latitude. (meetings are known 70 km northeast of the village of Kyusyur, lying on the 70th parallel); in the Indigirka basin up to the 70th parallel, Kolyma - up to the 68th parallel. Further, the border of the range turns to the south, covering the basin of middle Anadyr to the north to the 65-66th parallel and limiting the Koryak Highlands from the north and east. Lives in Kamchatka, Parapolsky Dol and in the Penzhina basin (Kapitonov, 1962; Uspensky et al., 1962; Ivanov, 1976; Kishchinsky, Lobkov, 1979; Kishchinsky, 1980; Lobkov, 1986; Stepanyan, 1990; data from P. S. Tomkovich ).

Further, the border descends along the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, capturing the Shantar Islands and Sakhalin south to the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk; further along the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan. Details of distribution in the Ussuri region have not been fully studied. K.V. Vorobyov (1954) notes the nesting of the three-toed woodpecker only to the south of Sikhote-Alin (43°30′ N). Breeds in northeastern Korea, but has not been found in the south of Primorye (Nazarenko, 1971a; Panov, 1973; Nechaev, 1991). Probably, in Primorye it is distributed only in places where fir-spruce forests of the Okhotsk type grow, as a result of which the habitat has a complex configuration.

The southern border of the species range within the former USSR runs from Belovezhskaya Pushcha (an isolated section of the range is in the Ukrainian Carpathians - Strautman, 1954, 1963) through Pinsk, Gomel region, the southern part of Smolensk, Kaluga, possibly the north of Tula, the south of Moscow, the northeast of Ryazan , north of Tambov, Penza and Ulyanovsk regions. Breeds sporadically in Mordovia, Chuvashia, in the south of the Mari-El Republic and in the north of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Further, the border approaches the Belaya River basin in Bashkiria. In Bashkiria, the range has a large protrusion to the south through the mountain forests of the Urals to the Bashkir Nature Reserve. A three-toed woodpecker was recently found nesting in Lithuania, where it was previously absent; not recorded in the Kaliningrad region. The species is expected to nest in the Bryansk region, in the north of the Oryol and Lipetsk regions. Flights have been recorded in the Kursk, Voronezh, Samara and Orenburg regions (Fedyushin, Dolbik, 1967; Ptushenko, Inozemtsev, 1968; Popov et al., 1977; Kuleshova, 1978; Zinoviev, 1985; Ilyichev, Fomin, 1988; Stepanyan, 1990; Friedman , 1990a; Tomialojc, 1990; Ivanchev, 1991, 1996, 1998; Grishanov, 1994; Borodin, 1994; Key..., 2000; Sokolov, Lada, 2000; Lapshin, Lysenkov, 2001; Ryabitsev, 2001).

In Western Siberia, the southern border of the range runs approximately at 55° N; however, the species is known to be found during nesting time in Northern Kazakhstan near the village. Suvorovka (52° N). To the east, the border shifts south along the right bank of the Irtysh and, covering Altai and the Markakol Basin from the south, goes beyond the borders of the former USSR, passing through northern Mongolia (southern slopes of Khangai and Kentei), the southern part of the Greater Khingan, the south of Heilujian Province (PRC) to the north -eastern Korean Peninsula. An isolated area of ​​the range is located in Southern Gansu, Northern and Western Sichuan, Eastern and Southern Qinhai (Cramp, 1985; Stepanyan, 1990).

In Eastern Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the range is divided by spaces not covered by mountain spruce forests into 3 isolated areas. The three-toed woodpecker nests in the coniferous forests of Saur, Dzungarian Alatau and the eastern Tien Shan. In the Dzhungar Alatau it is distributed from the islands of spruce forest on the southern slopes of the range. Alty-Emel in the west to the headwaters of the river. Terekty (tributary of the Lepsy) in the east along the coniferous forests of the northern slope. In the Trans-Ili Alatau it inhabits all coniferous forests up to the headwaters of the river. Kaskelenki in the west. In Kyrgyzstan along the Kungei-Alatau and Terskey-Alatau ridges, along the river basin. Chon-Kemin, Naryn ridge to the south to the ridge. Atbashi. Absent in the Western and Central Tien Shan, as well as in Tarbagatai (Yanushevich et al., 1960; Gavrin, 1970; Shukurov, 1986).

Migrations

Not studied within the former USSR. In Scandinavia, birds are known to be sedentary or irregularly migratory. In the northern taiga of European Russia and Siberia, in the fall, the bulk of the populations migrate to the south, and individuals of the southern populations are obviously sedentary. Sometimes migrations turn into invasions and birds appear in large numbers at the southern limits of distribution or even beyond the border of the breeding range (Rogacheva, 1988; Vartapetov, 1998; Anufriev, Demetriades, 1999). In the European part of Russia, in the autumn-winter period, three-toed woodpeckers were recorded in Kaluga, Tula, Kursk, Voronezh regions. A number of researchers have noted periodic nesting to the south of the range boundary, which can turn into permanent nesting and thereby expand the range after invasions of the species; This is exactly how the woodpecker’s range expanded in the Moscow region in 1992-1995. (Kuleshova, 1978; Komarov, 1984; data from V.V. Kontorschikov).

It is possible that these nesting cases were a consequence of winter movements of the species and the establishment of some individuals in wintering areas. At the same time, during many years of mass bird catches on the Curonian Spit and in Pskov region migration of the three-toed woodpecker has not been recorded (Paevsky, 1971; Meshkov, Uryadova, 1972). Siberian populations of the three-toed woodpecker migrate to the forest-steppe zone (sometimes followed by nesting), periodically developing into invasions (Chernyshov, Bakurov, 1980). According to these authors, in the area of ​​the lake. M. Chany recorded autumn infestations of the three-toed woodpecker in 1972, 1975, 1976. The most massive invasion was noted in September-October 1975. All captured birds turned out to be underyearlings of the nominate subspecies.

Habitat

In most of its range, the three-toed woodpecker inhabits mainly taiga-type coniferous forests, overgrown burnt areas, and silkworms with a large number of dead and drying trees. Willingly settles on the edges of coniferous forests with windfall, on the outskirts of ryams; It lives in small-leaved forests of river valleys only in the north of its range. In autumn and winter, as a result of migrations, it is found in unusual habitats: deciduous forests, populated areas, tundra bushes.

For nesting, birds most prefer a combination of dark coniferous taiga with burnt areas, clearings, or sparse pine forests in high bogs; in the Kirov region, on the outskirts of swamps, woodpeckers even inhabit small clumps of oppressed pine forests. For collecting food, the clutter of the forest and the abundance of dead and drying trees are especially important. Less optimal are oppressed pine forests in raised bogs (only a few nests in pine forests on dry soils), larch and cedar forests. The species also inhabits mountain spruce forests, rising with them to the forest border (forms P. t. alpinus and Pt. tianschanicus). On the northeastern and southern edges of the range, it can nest in chosen forests or in birch-aspen forests, but these sites are clearly suboptimal, although hollowing out of hollows in small-leaved trees has been noted throughout the range (Short, 1974; Bock, Bock, 1974; Ruge, 1974; Hess, 1983; Chernyshov, Bakurov, 1980; Ivanchev, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1998; Fetisov, Ilyinsky, 1993; Friedman, 1996; Sotnikov, 2002).

In the Carpathians P. t. alpinus lives in old and dark tall spruce forests, preferring areas with dry and dead-topped trees. Rise to the upper border of the forest (1,600 m); the lower limit of the heights inhabited by it is 650-1500 m. During the period of migrations, it moves to valleys and foothills (Stroutman, 1954, 1963; Talposh, 1972).

In Western Siberia, the habitats of the species are somewhat different. The boundary of the ranges of the subspecies P. t. tridactylus and P. t. crissoleucus generally coincides with the vicariate zone of Picea europaea and P. obovata (Volchanetsky, 1940). In the Ob valley in the northern taiga subzone, the three-toed woodpecker prefers low-growing ryams, in the middle taiga - floodplain and mixed willow forests, in the southern taiga - mixed semi-flooded forests, interfluve ryams and floodplain willow forests. In the interfluves of Western Siberia, it is most common in reindeer pine forests and low-growing ryams (northern taiga), in pine forests and clearings in the middle taiga, in mixed and small-leaved forests in the southern taiga. In the Irtysh region it inhabits dark coniferous taiga and mixed forests of the river valley (Gyngazov, Milovidov, 1977; Ravkin, 1978; Vartapetov, 1984). In Altai it lives mainly in mid-mountain dark coniferous forests, mixed larch-birch forests, and fir-cedar plantations. At the end of summer and autumn, some birds descend into the coniferous, mixed and even aspen forests of the foothills. In winter it is found only in the taiga midlands (Ravkin, 1973).

At the northern limit of its range in Eastern Siberia, it occupies valley mixed and deciduous forests. In the Kharaulakh ridge it is found in chosenenia-larch forests, in the lower reaches of the Kolyma - in larch and urem forests, in the Anadyr basin and on the Koryak Highlands - in poplar, birch and willow forests of river floodplains (Gladkov, 1951; Spangenberg, 1960; Kapitonov, 1962; Kishchinsky , 1980). In Evenkia and Yakutia, the three-toed woodpecker is common in dark coniferous, larch and mixed forests (Vorobyov, 1963; Vakhrushev, Vakhrusheva, 1987; Borisov, 1987). In Transbaikalia it is found in all types of forests; prefers dark coniferous taiga and old burnt areas. On the Vitim Plateau it inhabits larch, pine and mixed forests, and occasionally river urems (Izmailov, 1967; Izmailov, Borovitskaya, 1973).

In Kamchatka it inhabits tall forests of various types, prefers dark coniferous and mixed ones, and is very rare or absent in birch forests. On Sakhalin it nests in lowland, mountain coniferous and coniferous-birch forests. It inhabits mainly spruce, spruce-birch and larch forests, larch forests with dwarf cedar, spruce-fir forests with larch and white birch. Three-toed woodpeckers nest most readily in larch forests. In Primorye, the species is closely associated with the mountain taiga of Ayan spruce and whitebark fir. It is rare in forests containing cedar and does not nest every year. In autumn and winter it penetrates into the cedar-deciduous forests of the valleys, stone birch forests and into the belt of dwarf cedar forests (Vorobiev, 1954; Gizenko, 1955; Bromley, Kostenko, 1974; Nazarenko, 1984; Lobkov, 1986; Nechaev, 1991).

Number

In the territory of the former USSR, the number of three-toed woodpeckers has not been sufficiently studied. The secretive lifestyle and sporadic distribution make it difficult to quantitatively record this species. In most publications, the number of three-toed woodpeckers is characterized only verbally, by a general assessment. The most common species is in the coniferous forests of the northern and middle taiga. Towards the boundaries of the range, the number decreases, especially sharply at its southern limits. Here the distribution of the species is mosaic, and nesting is irregular. In the middle taiga of Karelia (Kivach nature reserve), the average density during nesting time was from 1.6 to 6, and in some years in optimal habitats up to 16 individuals/km2. In winter, the abundance of the species here is, on average, 2.7 individuals/km2; in North Karelia - 0.01-0.04 individuals per 1 km of route (Ivanter, 1962, 1969; Zakharova, 1991; Zimin et al., 1993).

In the northern taiga of the Arkhangelsk region, the population density of the three-toed woodpecker ranged from 0.4 to 0.6 individuals/km2, only in some habitats it reached 0.7-2.6 individuals/km2 (Sevastyanov, 1964; Korneeva et al., 1984; Rykova, 1986). Similar abundance indicators of the species are also typical for the river basin. Pechora, the western slopes of the Northern and Subpolar Urals: in dark coniferous forests from 0.3 to 4.6 and in pine forests - 1.4–15 individuals/km2 (Rubenstein, 1976; Estafiev, 1977, 1981; Anufriev, 1999). In Ukhta in winter the density is 0.1 individuals/km2 (Demetriades, 1983).

In the Middle Urals, the population density in various forest types ranges from 0.6 to 0.9 individuals/km2, reaching 2.7 individuals/km2 in pine forests (in some forest types in some years the species was not found). In winter, the recorded level of population density is no more than 0.3 individuals/km2 (Korovin, 1982).

In the west of the European part of the former USSR, the number of the species is lower. This species is definitely rare in the northwest. In the Leningrad region, its distribution is uneven and does not nest annually; only in the northeast of the region are up to 5 individuals per 10 km of route noted (Malchevsky, Pukinsky, 1983). In Belarus, it is recorded only in separate points, but in the spruce forests of Belovezhskaya Pushcha the abundance is 0.1-2.2 individuals/km2 (Fedyushin, Dolbik, 1967; Vladyshevsky, 1975). In the mountain coniferous forests of the Carpathians there are few - 0.2-1.3 individuals/km2 (Stroutman, 1963; Vladyshevsky, 1975).

In the European Center of Russia, the three-toed woodpecker is rare almost everywhere, but in some areas, especially in the southern taiga, it is common. Thus, in mixed forests and nemoral spruce forests of the Central Forest Reserve, the density during nesting time is 1-2.5 individuals/km2; in the spruce-linden forests of the Kirov region - up to 11 individuals/km2. In the east of the Vologda region it is equal to 1.3 individuals/km2 (post-nesting period), during nesting time in the center of this region it is usually less than 1 individual/km2, however, in fresh clearings with undercuts, the density in some places can reach 18 or more individuals/km2; in winter, no more than 1 individual/km2 was recorded in spruce forests. In the Moscow and adjacent regions, the average density usually does not exceed 0.6-1 individuals/km2, although in some places it can be higher (Korenberg, 1964; Ptushenko, Inozemtsev, 1968; Butyev, 1972, 1986; Izmailov et al., 1974; Spangenberg , 1972; Zinoviev, 1985; Avdanin, Buivolov, 1986; Izmailov, Salnikov, 1986; Friedman, 1990). The species is very rare in the south of its range, where it is attached to isolated tracts of mature spruce forests - in the Tambov, Ulyanovsk regions, Mordovia, Udmurtia, Bashkiria (Lugovoy, 1975; Nazarova, 1977; Shchegolev, 1981; Borodin, 1994). In the northern taiga of Western Siberia, the three-toed woodpecker prefers dark coniferous and, especially, pine forests and clearings; its abundance here is 0.3-2 individuals/km2; in the Yenisei middle taiga it ranges from 0.6 to 3 individuals/km2 in dark coniferous forests and 0.5 individuals/km2 in pine forests; in the Lower Angara region, respectively, 0.2 and 0.3 individuals/km2 (Vartapetov, 1984; Ravkin, 1984).

In Central Siberia, in the forest landscape of the Putarana plateau, there is an abundance of three-toed woodpeckers in different types forests is 0.1-1 individuals/km2 (Romanov, 1999), in the area of ​​the Central Siberian Nature Reserve, the abundance of this species during nesting time was 2.3-2.6 individuals/km2, in winter - 0.6 individuals/ha (Rogacheva et al., 1988). It is common on the Salair Ridge - in the deep areas of the taiga the density is 3.2 individuals/km2 (Chunikhin, 1965). In winter, it is also common in the Middle Lena (Sidorov, 1983). In the forests of the Barguzinsky Nature Reserve, the population density of the species ranges from 0.3 in pine forests to 8.3 individuals/km2 in floodplain mixed forests and 5.4 individuals/km2 in cleared areas. On the Vitim Plateau, the abundance of woodpeckers was 0.2-0.3 individuals/km2 in larch and pine forests (Ananin, 1986; Izmailov, 1967). In the south of Central Siberia, in some years, pockets of high density of the species appear locally: at the end of June 1984, the density of the three-toed woodpecker in an old burnt area reached 26.3 individuals/km2; in the southern dark coniferous taiga there is an average of 2.3-3.7 individuals/km2 (Polushkin, 1980). In the transitional forests of Primorye from mixed to dark coniferous forests, the density reaches 4.4–6.4 individuals/km2, in spruce-fir forests - 2.8–3.6 pairs/km2 (Bromley, Kostenko, 1974; Kuleshova, 1976; Nazarenko, 1984). In Kamchatka, the average density of three-toed woodpeckers is 13.6 individuals/km2 in spruce forests, in mixed forests 1.6, in stone-birch forests - 1-1.8 individuals/km2, the maximum abundance in some areas is up to 30 individuals/km2 (Lobkov, 1986).

Reproduction

Daily activity, behavior

Typical daytime appearance. Details of daily activity have not been studied. In Siberia, during cold weather, it spends the night under the snow (Zonov, 1982).

It is practically not afraid of a person, allowing it to come within 5 m or less (Suffer, 1951), but when it appears, it ruffles the feathers of its cap and emits a contact cry or a cry of dissatisfaction. At the same time, the bird tries to hide behind a tree trunk rather than fly away. A very disturbed woodpecker quietly taps on the trunk; males also extend their necks upward. When a person is detected at the nest, adult birds emit excited screams, and if predators appear, they quietly hide (Ruge, 1974; Sollein et al., 1982; Cramp, 1985).

The woodpecker rarely forms interspecific associations with tits: in the Darwin Nature Reserve it is recorded in only 0.8% of flocks in autumn and 1.8% in winter (Polivanov, 1971).

Nutrition

Of all the woodpeckers of Northern Eurasia, the three-toed woodpecker is morphologically the most specialized for year-round feeding on xylophagous larvae of coniferous trees, obtained by chiselling (Poznanin, 1949; Spring, 1965). The diet is uniform throughout the entire range.

In Karelia and the Arkhangelsk region it feeds on the larvae of Cerambycidae (75% of encounters) and Scolytidae (55% of encounters) beetles. One stomach contained 269 larvae and adults of Polygraphus polygraphus and Pissoides pinus (Scolytidae and Curculionidae, Neufeldt, 1958b; Sevastyanov, 1959). In the stomachs of 3 woodpeckers killed in the Leningrad region, the larvae of bark beetles and woodcutters accounted for 93.1% of all food items (Prokofieva, 2002).

In Eastern Siberia, birds eat mainly beetle larvae of Buprestidae (12.5% ​​of encounters), Cerambycidae (62.5-75% of encounters), Ipidae (18.8-30.6% of encounters), as well as horntail larvae (16.7 -18.8% of meetings). In summer, it also occasionally eats larvae of Scarabaeidae, Elateridae, Chrysomelidae beetles (2.2-5.6% of encounters), spiders, imagoes of Curculionidae, Chrysomelidae beetles, and bedbugs (2.8-8.6% of encounters). In all seasons, caterpillars are common in the diet, mainly Tortricidae and Geometridae (8.3-18.8% of occurrences), as well as woodworms (Cossidae). Cicadas, lacewings, flea beetles, mollusks and ants are rarely represented in the diet (less than 6.2% of encounters) (Verzhutsky et al., 1974; Sirokhin, 1984; Cramp, 1985). In summer, the proportion of open-living insects in the diet increases (Formozov et al., 1950).

Among plant foods, it eats small quantities of rowan berries, blueberries, lingonberries, and elderberries all year round (up to 2.8% of the food volume). In Eastern Siberia and the Far East, in autumn and late summer it often eats the seeds of Pinus sibirica, P coraiensis, extracting them from cones. It also eats P. sylvestris seeds in all seasons (2.8-12.5% ​​of encounters) (Formozov, 1976; Sirokhin, 1984).

The feeding of chicks is similar to that of adult birds: these are the larvae of bark beetles and longhorned beetles. The diet includes an increased proportion of caterpillars and flies, as well as aphids. Adult birds may bring clumps of plant sap to the nest (Cramp, 1985).

Collecting food on the ground is not typical. In spring and summer, the woodpecker rings trees, gouging longitudinal grooves on the trunks that reach the cambium. Birds return for a long time to ringed trees, feeding on their sap. In Eastern Siberia and Sakhalin it feeds on the sap of fir and larch (Sirokhin, 1984; Cramp, 1985; Nechaev, 1991).

In general, the three-toed woodpecker is a rare bird listed in the Red Book of the Moscow region. This is due to the fact that it prefers to live in dark coniferous forests (mainly spruce), so here we have it on the border of its range. Although if you take its entire range, it is quite wide and occupies a huge area from Western Europe to Kamchatka. But despite this, the population density of this woodpecker is quite low everywhere, because he likes a solitary lifestyle, without large quantity competitors.

So imagine the Moscow region. There are only a few forests left here, so give this comrade some spruce forests, withered ones and more xylophages (bark beetles). So our region cannot boast of a large number of them, unlike, say, the BPD. The Red Book of the Moscow Region says that their number in the region is estimated at approximately 1000 pairs. Moreover, most of them live in the area of ​​the Klinsko-Dmitrovskaya ridge. And in the south of the region and in the near Moscow region it is especially rare.

In connection with the above, every meeting of a three-toed animal on Elk Island was an event for me. I was especially happy when V.V. Solodushkin found its nest here in 2011. Apparently, this was the first recorded woodpecker nesting on Elk Island.

The range of the three-toed woodpecker includes a large territory of Russia.

A small analysis showed that the nesting of the woodpecker on Losiny Island coincided with the beginning of a great disaster for our forests - the invasion of the typograph bark beetle. Many old spruce forests in the region died, some of them fell under sanitary felling. There is a lot of information about this on the Internet. The outbreak of bark beetle numbers is linked to the drought of 2010, when the entire region was in smoke and fires.

Biotope of the three-toed woodpecker in Elk Island

But for some it is misfortune, and for others it is their daily bread. So this winter, in the dried-up spruce forests there was simply a festival of woodpeckers: the common woodpecker, the white-backed woodpecker, the BPD and, of course, the three-toed woodpecker. With such an abundance of food, it’s not a sin to nest. And nested. In general, I won’t muddy the waters; I found two nests on Elk Island. I watched them all June. The chicks successfully hatched and left their home. It must be said that two nests on Losiny Island, located a kilometer from each other, are good, this means the birds are comfortable here. I decided to present the details of the observations and specific ornithological information about nesting in the form of an article in the magazine “Moskovka”, if anyone is interested, read it.

Besides me, three-toed nests were found this year victor_tyakht And a_nikoros . If anyone else has found it in the Moscow region, write, I will consolidate the data in one article.

In general, one of the nests was at a surprisingly low height and convenient for photography - exactly 1 m. I wanted to film how they feed the adult chicks so that they stick out of the hollow. But I didn’t calculate the date of departure and the chicks flew out before I tried to carry out my plan.

What did I take away from my observations? Birds replace each other during incubation. The male often fed the chicks. When worried, the male makes sounds similar to the sounds of anxiety of the BPD, I have not heard this from Veprintsev. Hollows are built strictly in dry trees, not necessarily in spruces, but also in pine and aspen.

Well, here are some photos from observations of their life (mostly on weekends).

Incubation stage. The female replaces the male.

When feeding very small chicks, woodpeckers climb into the hollow with their heads.

The female brought food.

Male at the nest

The male takes out dust and sawdust from the nest

Yummy

See you in Elk Island.