Herberstein Wildlife Park / Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocoptes medius

This woodpecker loves oak forests

This species, which belongs to the family of spotted woodpeckers, requires heavily decayed or dry tree trunks to build its nest cavity. Its beak is less robust than that of other woodpecker species. It forages for food on branches and trunks with rough bark. It is therefore associated with mixed oak forests.

Did you know?

The middle spotted woodpecker is about 15% smaller than the great spotted woodpecker. It lacks the distinctive black band that runs from the beak to the nape of the neck in the great spotted woodpecker. In the middle spotted woodpecker, both sexes have a bright red crown.

Order	Woodpeckers
Family	Woodpeckers
Distribution	Central and Eastern Europe to Anatolia and Western Iran
Habitat	warm-temperate deciduous forest zone
Food	insects that live on tree trunks and bark
Activity	diurnal, resident bird (remains in its breeding grounds year-round)
Weight	50–85 g
Size	21 cm
Service life	8 years
Reproduction	Starting in April, in tree hollows they have built themselves, both partners incubate the 4 to 7 eggs, from which the chicks hatch after 12–14 days
Risk	protected under Annex 1 of the EU Birds Directive
Enemies	Sparrowhawk, Marten

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