Bird Guide

Great Spotted Woodpecker vs Syrian Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocopos major

Medium75 gWoodland

An adult great spotted woodpecker is 20–24 cm (7.9–9.4 in) long, weighs 70–98 g (2.5–3.5 oz) and has a 34–39 cm (13–15 in) wingspan. The upperparts are glossy blue-black, with white on the sides of the face and neck. Black lines run from the shoulder to the nape, the base of the bill and about halfway across the breast. There is a large white shoulder patch and the flight feathers are barred with black and white, as is the tail. The underparts are white other than a scarlet lower belly and undertail. The bill is slate-black, the legs greenish-grey and the eye is deep red. Voice: The call of the great spotted woodpecker is a sharp kik, which may be repeated as a wooden rattling krrarraarr if the bird is disturbed. The courtship call, gwig, is mostly given in the display flight. Drumming on dead trees and branches, and sometimes suitable man-made structures, serves to maintain contact between paired adults and to advertise ownership of territory.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Lionel Triboulin · CC0
Photo: kallerna · Public domain
Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus)

Syrian Woodpecker

Dendrocopos syriacus

Medium77 gWoodland

The woodpecker is 23 cm (9.1 in) long, and is very similar to the great spotted woodpecker, Dendrocopos major. The upper parts of the male are glossy black, with a crimson spot on the nape and white on the forehead, sides of the face and neck. On the shoulder is a large white patch and the flight feathers are black with white spots forming three wingbars. The three outer tail feathers show only a few white spots; these show when the short stiff tail is outspread, acting as a support in climbing. The under parts are buffish white, the abdomen and under tail coverts reddish.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: SteveM4560 · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Great Spotted Woodpecker and Syrian Woodpecker.