Gallery: Grey-headed Woodpecker male

Adult male Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus.Taken by Thomas Hochebner in Austria.

Gallery: Black Woodpecker female

Female Black Woodpecker Dryocopos martius. Photo taken in Switzerland by Robin Allenbach.

Gallery: First winter female Great Spotted Woodpecker

This female Great Spotted Woodpecker D. major was photographed on the 2nd January, 2011, in Zihlschlacht, Switzerland by Robin Allenbach. Note that the post-auricular stripe does not quite touch the black nape. This is a feature of Syrian Woodpecker D. syriacus, however first winter Great Spotted also often has this unbroken line. The white outer-tail feathers and deep red ventral area clearly indicate that this bird is indeed a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Gallery: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker female

Female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor. At just 14-16cm in length this is Europe's smallest picid. Photo taken at Tata, Hungary by Ferénc Márkus.