Great Spotted Woodpecker

The Great Spotted Woodpecker is a bold, medium-sized black-and-white bird with striking crimson-red undertail coverts and a patch behind the head in males. Known for its powerful drumming display and undulating flight, it is a quintessential resident of woodland ecosystems.

Striking high-contrast pattern featuring a glossy black background with bold, rounded white spots along the edges and tip, and a dark rachis

Pennaceous vane with tightly interlocked barbs and barbicels along the upper portion, transitioning to a slightly looser plumulaceous base; no afterfeather present

Smooth, slightly glossy appearance with firm, rigid vane texture that provides good protection against abrasion during tree-climbing

Distinctive large rounded white spots on a glossy black background, slender dark rachis, and stiff, durable structure characteristic of arboreal birds

Mature deciduous and coniferous forests, woodlands, parks, and large gardens with an abundance of mature and dead trees for foraging and nesting

Widespread across temperate Eurasia, spanning from Western Europe across Siberia to Japan, as well as parts of North Africa

Acts as a keystone species by excavating tree cavities that are subsequently used by a wide variety of secondary cavity-nesters, while helping control forest insect populations

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor) and Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), which differ significantly in size and specific spot or bar patterns on the upperparts

Great Spotted Woodpeckers can drum against dead wood up to 10 to 12 times per second, a rate of around 600 strikes per minute, protected by specialized skull shock absorbers

Excellent condition with intact barbs, vibrant pigmentation, and no visible wear, fading, or parasitic damage

Found in forest,8 cm