Birdwatching - 3209🐦

🦉 The white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos)

• Dendrocopos (Greek): dendron - tree, coptō - to hit, beat
• leucotos (Greek): leukos - white, nōton - back

This woodpecker species is similar in appearance to the Great Spotted Woodpecker, but there are some very obvious differences. For example, there's significantly more white in the plumage, visible on the wings and back. Fine stripes are visible on the underparts, as well as a light red underpart. And of course, there's the red cap; females lack it, while males have one that extends the entire length of their heads.

This species prefers to live in impassable forests, where there are plenty of rotten, dying trees, because they are the easiest to peck at. And by the way, I just thought, I've never seen this species of woodpecker make what are called "woodpecker forges." This is a hole in a tree where woodpeckers insert a pine cone to peck out seeds.