29 September β 7 February
the coastal calendar, shifted 14 days later for this region
Oak, pine and orchard; the drumming carries further than the bird can be seen.
Drumming is territory, not feeding, and it peaks in February β the earliest sound of the breeding year in most Croatian woodland. A fresh hole is excavated most years, and last year's is inherited by tits, dormice or bats.
photos, sightings and recordings, off this site
where this species is on the list
| Phase | When | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| courting | 8 February β 2 April | 54 days | Song, display, fighting, scent-marking β pairs forming or reaffirming. |
| building | 3 April β 3 May | 31 days | Nest, burrow or den under construction, or being lined out. |
| on eggs | 4 May β 23 May | 20 days | Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun. |
| raising young | 24 May β 18 June | 26 days | Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed. |
| young have left | 19 June β 28 July | 40 days | Young out of the nest or den, but still fed and followed by the adults. |
| young dispersing | 29 July β 28 September | 62 days | Young leaving for good, looking for a territory of their own. |
| going about the year | 29 September β 7 February | 132 days | Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out. |