Woodpeckers - Spotted woodpecker feeds juvenile

In the Benelux (Belgium/Netherlands/Luxemburg) live five species of woodpeckers. They are beautiful fascinating birds but they are also quite shy and cautious. The great spotted woodpecker is the least shy and is quite common. The green woodpecker can be seen in gardens. The last months I was able to make some good photos of three species (great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker and black woodpecker) in most cases from a hide.

The great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) is mostly black and white with some red on the head and around his back. It is the least shy woodpecker that can find larvae and beetles under the bark of pine trees. The great spotted woodpecker also eats berries, nuts and seeds. They nest in a tree and they carve out the hole together. Young spotted woodpeckers have a red spot on top of their head. Adult males have only a red spot at the back and the head of females is completely black.