Middle Spotted Woodpecker

A medium-sized woodpecker of mature broadleaved forests. It particularly favors old oak trees. It is similar to the Great Spotted Woodpecker but slightly smaller with a gentler expression. It is a resident bird dependent on high-quality woodland with rough bark and dead timber.

Unlike its larger relative, this woodpecker rarely drums. Instead, it uses a nasal, whining 'kway-kway-kway' call. It prefers to glean insects from the bark surface rather than excavate deep into the wood. It is often outcompeted where forests are fragmented.