- Lifespan
- 6–7 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 14–15 cm, wingspan 24–26 cm; 17–20 g
- Habitat
- Deciduous and mixed woodlands with dead or dying trees, particularly birch and alder, across lowland Britain.
- UK Distribution
- Resident across much of England and Wales, with populations more sparse in Scotland; year-round present but numbers fluctuate seasonally.
- Diet
- Primarily small insects and larvae extracted from bark and wood, including bark beetles, wood-boring beetle larvae, and small spiders; occasionally takes seeds.
- Prey
- Bark beetles, wood-boring insect larvae, small spiders, seeds
- Predators
- Eurasian sparrowhawks, Eurasian jays, and occasionally stoats; eggs and chicks vulnerable to corvids and woodpeckers.
- Mating Season
- April to June
- Breeding
- Clutch of 3–6 white eggs; incubation period 12–13 days; fledging at 18–21 days; typically one brood per year.
- Behaviour
- Highly acrobatic and restless, often seen clinging to thin branches and twigs whilst foraging. Males drum rapidly on dead wood to establish territories and attract mates. Generally solitary or in pairs, though may join mixed feeding flocks in winter.