Monday 18 May 2015

Middle Spotted Woodpecker: sexes ?

Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius, Estonia, Gerard Gorman. The sexes are almost identical and often impossible to visually tell apart. The main difference in plumage is in the crown: both sexes have red crowns, but on females the rear crown is usually dull red, orange or yellow, on males it is red.

Friday 1 May 2015

Europe's smallest woodpecker

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor) is Europe's smallest picid. This is a male: females lack red on the crown. Budapest, Hungary, April 2015 (Gerard Gorman).