All Birds

A distant member of the woodpecker family. About the size of a thrush, it gets its name from the ability to twist its head around. The call is reminiscent of a Green Woodpecker with sinus problems.

Closely related to the Green Woodpecker, and easily confused with that. The call has a more mournful, and squeaky timbre to it, try it here.

With its red cap, green back and black mask, this bird is a spectacular resident in wooded areas. Its laughing call rings out loud and carries far.

Probably the most common of the woodpeckers in Europe with black and white plumage and a very distinctive “KWICK” call being frequently heard.

A less common woodpecker, mostly confined to mature oak woods, easily confused with Great Spotted but with a distinctive nasal advertising call which is useful to learn.

The smallest of the woodpeckers in Europe and easily overlooked, listen out for its high-pitched squeaky call.

The largest woodpecker in Europe with beautiful contrasting black and red colouration and a series of far-carrying yelping calls.

A rather discrete woodpecker of sub-alpine forests, not easy to find. It has an interesting way of life, specialising on bark beetles in spruce forests. It has a call very similar to a Great Spotted Woodpeckers and this article explains why, and how to identify the call.