In the Peszér-forest, a number of cavity-nesting bird species breed, including the largest European woodpecker species, the black woodpecker with elegant feathers.
Territories can be identified by the characteristic behavioral traits of woodpeckers (drumming and other terrifying sounds).
“The exact population size of the black woodpecker, which is especially common in the Peszér-forest, i.e. the number of territories located here, has not been measured yet. One of the important monitoring tasks in the spring of 2020 is to determine the exact number of these, ” reported Phd Csaba Vadász, head of the nature conservation district.
Territorial bird species are characterized by the fact that part of their habitat is used only by 1-1 pairs, that try to expel others from their species (e.g. in order to protect the breeding site or even to protect their food). Territorial bird species are identified primarily by their voice, thus determining the location of territories. A similar survey was conducted here when mapping nuthatch breeding sites in the fall of 2019.
The black woodpecker is called they are the primary cavity-nesting species, that is, they make their own poetic witnesses. Many other bird species can spend time later: the most common is the starling, but even the blue pigeon, which is rare between the Danube and the Tisza (but quite common in the Peszér-forest).
Cavity-nests formed by cavity-nest maker bird species greatly increase the micro-habitat diversity of a forest stand, which is the basis of species-level diversity in temperate forests. That is why it is very important to protect the so-called biotope trees, which carry micro-habitats.
The black woodpecker is a protected species in Hungary, its conservation value is HUF 50,000; also listed in Annex 1 of the European Union Birds Directive.
(We would like to thank Phd Csaba Vadász (nature conservation district leader, OAKEYLIFE project coordinator) and Gábor Kocsán (SZIE MKK nature conservation engineer) for the information.)