Scientific name: Picoides tridactylus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Woodpeckers
Field characters. 22 cm. Slightly smaller than Great Spotted Woodpecker. No red in plumage. Crown yellow in male, grey and black in female. Two black lines on head from bill to shoulders. Shoulders and wings black with white spots on flight feathers and coverts. Broad white stripe from neck to rump. Tail black with white barred outer tail feathers. Underparts white, but flanks heavily barred.
Voice. Usually silent. Drumming longer and call 'ptik' lower than Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Distribution. Uncommon, but less so in north of range.
Habitat. Old pine forests, in Scandinavia also in willow and birch, especially near forest clearings. Favours areas with much dead wood.
Food. Chiefly insects. Seldom seen on the ground.