Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Dendrocoptes medius

The one in between. Old-growth oak specialist with a softer drum and a pinker crown.

Population: 600,000–1,399,999 mature individuals (2012 estimate; European breeding population ~301,000–678,000 pairs), increasing trend
Habitat: Mature deciduous forest, especially old oak and oak-hornbeam woodland with a mix of clearings, pasture, and old open orchards bordering woodland; favors large, structurally complex forest stands with plenty of old and decaying trees, typically below 600 m in western Europe (locally to over 2000 m in southwestern Iran).
Fun fact: Unlike most woodpeckers, the Middle Spotted Woodpecker rarely drums and essentially never does so for territorial purposes, relying instead on vocal calls/song to defend its range.
Range: Europe and western Asia, from France and northern Spain eastward across central and eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine, the Balkans, Baltic states) to the Caucasus, Turkey, and Iran; virtually absent from Finland and the British Isles. Estimated range size approximately 8,580,000 km² (confirmed directly via BirdLife DataZone factsheet).
Diet: Primarily insects and their larvae (beetles, ants, flies, aphids, caterpillars, spiders, mites), gleaned from bark, twigs, and branches rather than excavated from deep in wood; also takes tree sap and, seasonally, fruits, seeds, beechnuts, hazelnuts, and chestnuts.
Size: 0.21 m
Wingspan: 0.34 m
Lifespan: 9.1 years

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