Europe's biggest woodpecker is heading for Britain
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.ONE OF Europe's most spectacular woodland birds, the black woodpecker, is heading towards Britain.
As big as a crow and twice the size of its nearest British relative, the great spotted woodpecker, it is traditionally a bird of Central European forests, but it has been spreading westwards for the past 50 years.
Some of them are now nesting so close to France's Channel coast that the nearest pairs are just 100 miles from Kent and Sussex and one expert is predicting they will soon make their first appearance in England.
In the latest edition of Birding World, published by the Bird Information Service, Gerard Gorman writes: "I personally find it hard to believe that the species has so far never managed to reach Britain. Black woodpeckers are purposeful, strong flyers which often travel several miles cross-country between nesting, roosting and foraging sites.
"Quite large bodies of water present no problem for dispersing black woodpeckers and clearly the waters separating Britain from mainland Europe are narrow enough for pioneering birds to cross."
The birds are striking in appearance, jet black except for an ivory-coloured bill and a scarlet crown. Their population expansion is linked to deciduous woodlands maturing across Europe - they particularly like tall stands of beech trees - and also the growth of Norway spruce plantations.
Mr Gorman says Britain has a lot of habitat that would suit them and their eventual occurrence here "is not only possible but seems inevitable.
"It may even be imminent and, given the dynamic nature of the species' expansion on the near continent and the relatively short distance involved, it may not be unreasonable to believe that several birds could make the short trip across the sea in the coming years."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments