Winter food sources for the Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) in South Korea using faecal analysis in nest boxes

By

Lee, Sangyeon
Hong, Eui-Jeong
Lee, Eun-Jeong
Lee, Junseok
Sung, Ha-Cheol

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2026-1-14

Original Publication

Biodiversity data journal

Volume

14

Pages

1--10

Subjects

Anacardiaceae , faecal analysis , Formicidae , nest box , Picus canus , relative frequency , specialist , Winter

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft Publishers [2013]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e173032

 

Abstract

<br> The Grey-headed woodpecker (<br> Picus canus<br> ) inhabiting South Korea is an insectivorous bird species that favours ants. However, during winter, most insects enter a dormant stage, reducing their availability as food sources. This may prompt<br> P. canus<br> to change its primary food sources. To verify this hypothesis, we fabricated and installed 91 nest boxes in forests in Seocheon-gun, Chungnam Province, considering the body size of<br> P. canus<br> . From these, we collected faeces samples totalling 94 conical tubes of 1.5 ml each, obtained from 17 nest boxes used by<br> P. canus<br> as roosting sites. The collected faeces samples were examined under a microscope and their relative frequencies were calculated at the family or order level. Formicidae exceeded 70%, confirming it as the primary food source for<br> P. canus<br> during the breeding season and also in winter. Anacardiaceae fruits accounted for approximately 16%, significantly lower than Formicidae, but still considered a major winter food source for<br> P. canus<br> .<br>