Scientific name: Dendrocopos minor (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Woodpeckers
Field characters. 15 cm. Smallest woodpecker. Appears striped. Head with white front, red-capped in male, black-capped in female. Back with black and white bars, underparts white with black streaks. No red on vent or undertail. Lives in smaller branches high in treetops, but in winter often found in roving tit-flocks.
Voice. 'Tsjeek', softer than Great Spotted Woodpecker. Also 'kee kee kee', like Kestrel or Wryneck. Drumming softer but longer (> 1 s) than Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Distribution. Resident. Never abundant.
Habitat. Deciduous and mixed woodland, parks, and orchards.
Food. Mainly insects. Forages more in outer branches and twigs than other woodpeckers.