BIRD 1

Broadly speaking, most European woodpeckers are either members of the genus Dendrocopos (spotted woodpeckers) or Picus (green woodpeckers). The former are generally black-and-white birds, usually with some crimson or pink on the underparts and perhaps on the crown or nape. This bird is a classic woodpecker, but which one? The breast and belly are finely streaked with black, which narrows it down to Syrian, Lesser Spotted, Middle Spotted and White-backed Woodpeckers. Pink on the lower belly removes Lesser Spotted from the equation. The ‘open’ face, with no proper black moustachial stripe, points to Middle Spotted Woodpecker, which is confirmed by the red crown lacking any black.

KEY FEATURES †Red crown with no black †Finely streaked underparts †Underparts washed with pink †Open face lacking moustachial stripe