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Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocoptes medius

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesWoodland59 g
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), photo 1
Photo: Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY 2.0
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), photo 2
Photo: Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY 2.0
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), photo 3
Photo: Bouke ten Cate · CC BY 4.0
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), photo 4
Photo: Bouke ten Cate · CC BY 4.0
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), photo 5
Photo: RaunoK · CC BY 4.0
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), photo 6
Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), photo 7
Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), photo 8
Photo: Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY 2.0
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), photo 9
Photo: Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY 2.0
Middle Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), photo 10
Photo: Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY 2.0

What the Middle Spotted Woodpecker sounds like

Sonogram of the Middle Spotted Woodpecker: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call, begging call · Vallée du Lude (Carolles), Manche, Normandie, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Middle Spotted Woodpecker: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call · Ducey, Manche, Normandie, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Middle Spotted Woodpecker: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Begging call · Arrondissement of Avranches (near Ducey-les-Chéris), Manche, Normandy, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The middle spotted woodpecker is 20–22 cm long and has plumage similar to the great spotted woodpecker. As with that species the upperparts are predominantly black with white oval wing patches and white barring on the wings, and the underparts are white. The main differences are a red crown, lack of a black moustachial stripe, a pink vent, and dark streaks on the flanks. Although only slightly smaller than the great spotted woodpecker, it appears smaller due to its short, slender bill and more rounded, pale head.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Middle Spotted Woodpecker

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 39 countries with regular records, and 2 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

France Germany Belgium Poland Czechia Spain Türkiye Ukraine Greece Hungary Russia Bulgaria Austria Switzerland Slovakia Serbia Lithuania Netherlands Croatia Luxembourg Georgia Romania Belarus Latvia Sweden Estonia Slovenia Moldova Italy North Macedonia Iran Armenia Bosnia & Herzegovina Denmark Montenegro Albania Kosovo Azerbaijan Iraq

Recorded as a rare visitor in Finland, Norway.

About the Middle Spotted Woodpecker

The middle spotted woodpecker is a mainly European woodpecker belonging to the genus Dendrocoptes.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Brown-fronted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes auriceps) Brown-fronted WoodpeckerDendrocoptes auricepsA medium-sized, pied woodpecker with yellow in crown. Arabian Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes dorae) Arabian WoodpeckerDendrocoptes doraeThe Arabian woodpecker grows to a length of about 18 cm (7 in).

Side by side: Brown-fronted Woodpecker vs Middle Spotted Woodpecker

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