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Middle Spotted Woodpecker
(Dendrocopos medius)
 German name(s): "Mittelspecht"
Size: 20-22 cm; wing span: 33-34 cm
Weight: 50-80 g
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Similar
species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Middle Spotted Woodpeckers have an almost all black and white
back. From the nape of the neck down everything is black,
except for big white wing panels and bands of whie spots
on the wings.
Apart from black moustachial stripes (which do not reach the
base of the bill), the sides of the head, chin and chest are
off-white to light-grey. The base colour of the belly is also
light-grey, whereas the flanks have a yellowish to buff tinge.
Both belly and flanks have dark streaks.
The vent and undertail coverts are pale-pink.
Male
Middle Spotted Woodpeckers have a buff frons and a bright-red
cap.
Females
are almost identical with
males;
however, their cap is a duller shade of red and does not extend
as far back onto the nape of the neck.
The irises of both sexes are brown. The straight, short and weak
bill is grey, with a darker tip. Legs and feet are grey. Like all
treecreepers and woodpeckers
they have long toes, with two pointing forward and two backward.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Middle
Spotted Woodpecker at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Middle Spotted Woodpecker is available
HERE
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Middle Spotted Woodpeckers are sedentary throughout their range.
Their total range extends from central France in the West to
south-western Asia (the Caucasus mountain range, north-western
Iran) in the East.
In Europe Middle Spotted Woodpeckers of nominate race
"medius"
populate parts of central France, while further eastward they
are found in an area ranging from northward of the Danube River
to southward of the Baltic coastline, as far East as the Baltic
states.
They also populate much of south-eastern Europe, from the
Balkans to much of Greece, towards the Black Sea and into
mid-latitude European Russia.
They are found in the Pyrenees, but only in small areas along
the northern Iberian
coastal fringe and in small spots in southern Italy. Otherwise
they are absent from the western Mediterranean. They are not
found on the British Isles or in Scandinavia either.
Middle Spotted Woodpeckers have a preference for deciduous forest
and woodland, often along fringes or clearings.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "medius"
G. Normand reports spotting a Middle Spotted
Woodpecker, nominate race
"medius",
in Bois de Vincennes, 12th district, Paris, France, in December 2020.
A Middle Spotted Woodpecker, race
"medius",
was caught, ringed and photographed by S. Cuturilov in
Ovcarsko-Kablarski Canyon, near Cacak, Serbia, in October 2017.
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Photos |
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Race "medius"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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Close-up lateral view of a male Middle Spotted Woodpecker;
note the scarlet cap that reaches far onto the nape of the
neck (photo courtesy of G. Normand)
[Bois de Vincennes, 12th district, Paris, France, December 2020]
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FEMALE |
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Lateral view of a female Middle Spotted Woodpecker - note
that the moustachial stripe does not reach the bill; the bill
is rather weak and the front shows signs of streaking, all of
which are characteristic for the species
(photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Ovcarsko-Kablarski Canyon, near Cacak, Serbia, October 2017]
In this photo one can see clearly the underwing pattern and also
the typical colouring of the flanks and the undertail coverts of
a female Middle Spotted Woodpecker
(photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Ovcarsko-Kablarski Canyon, near Cacak, Serbia, October 2017]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
