Wednesday 19 September 2007

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker: juvenile ID

Juvenile Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers are overall duller than adults. Black areas are less glossy, rather matt, and often with a tinge of brown. The breast and flanks are a dirty white, sometimes quite dusky, with more streaks than adults, though such streaks are finer and weaker than on adults. The base of the lower mandible is often paler than on adults, too. The iris is a dull brown. Juvenile males have a pinkish/reddish fore-crown flecked with grey or black feather tips. By late summer more red on crown is evident .Juvenile femaleshave a pale fore-crown mottled with black or grey feather tips. This patch is smaller than on adult females. The fore-crown is pale or buff, with some dark grey feather tips. Some birds may have a touch of reddish feathering on the fore-crown, though this is usually negligible and if present disappears after the first moult. The photo here is of a juvenile male in a ringing camp in Estonia (Uku Paal).

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