Gray-headed Woodpecker

The Gray-headed Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird with a grey head and neck that stand out against its green upper body and pale yellowish-green underside. Male birds have a small red patch on their forehead, while females have no red on their heads at all. It has a thin black stripe next to its beak. Compared to the similar Green Woodpecker, it is less boldly coloured and looks more delicate with a slimmer beak. This bird lives in mature forests with mainly broad-leaved trees, as well as mixed forests, covering a large area from central Europe across temperate parts of Asia to the Pacific coast. In Europe, it is found as far west as France, and its presence is scattered in parts of Scandinavia. It prefers woodland areas that have clearings and edges, often in hilly or mountainous regions. The Gray-headed Woodpecker mainly eats ants and often searches for food on the ground, similar to its green woodpecker relatives. Its call is a series of notes that go down in pitch, sounding slower and more sad than the Green Woodpecker’s laughing call.