Woodpeckers as providers of nest-holes

Many secondary cavity users depend upon woodpecker holes, which are primary cavity creators, for nesting sites. This Tengmalm's (Aka Boreal) Owl Aegolius funereus chick has been raised in an old cavity of Black Woodpecker. In some regions the distribution of this owl closely mirrors that of the woodpecker. Photo by Thomas Hochebner in Lower Austria, spring 2012. 

Atypical Black Woodpecker

Male Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius with pale brown tones in wing plumage. Photo by Yann Cambon taken in the Connezac district, Dordogne, France.

Gallery: Syrian Woodpecker male

Adult male Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopus syriacus. Kunszentmiklos, Hungary, May 2012, Gerard Gorman. Note brown tones in the wing. Which may be due to wear or lack of pigment. 

Tremendous Work by Black Woodpecker

This photo illustrates very well what a powerful carpenter Black Woodpecker is ! Photo taken in the Alam-Pedja Reserve, Estonia, May 2012, by Gerard Gorman.

A Really Unique Photo

My friend Thomas Hochebner grabbed this shot of a female White-backed Woodpecker (bottom left) and a female Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (top) in the same tree, in Austria. Now these two species are arguably Europe's two most difficult woodpeckers to find and observe and finding them together like this is really special. I was able to get sound recordings of both of these birds. 

Gallery: Syrian Woodpecker

Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopus syriacus. On this shot the bird's sex is unclear as the nape cannot be seen (red in male, black in female). Apaj, Hungary, April 2012, Gerard Gorman.

Gallery: Male Black Woodpecker

Male Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius arriving at the nest-hole. Photo by Yann Cambon taken in the Connezac district, Dordogne, France.