Sexual differences of labour during breeding activities and territory use in the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor

Abstract

The breeding activities and spatial use of territory in the nearly monomorphic Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor were studied in a subalpine forest in central Norway. The male tended to take a greater share than the female in nest construction (65 %) and nestling feeding (64 %), whereas their contribution was nearly equal in the incubation period (male 52 % vs female 48 %). During the last ten days the young were in the nest, the male fed the nestlings 6.9 times/h, significantly more often than the female (5.6 times/h). The two sexes showed little spatial overlap in their territory during the nestling period, suggesting that male and female Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers practise horizontal separation of their territory.