The Pied Woodpeckers: The Natural History of Europe's Black & White Woodpeckers

A resonant hammering from the canopy, a flicker of black and white with a flash of red: surely the archetypal image of a woodpecker? This book describes the natural history of five European species, the so-called pied woodpeckers: Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker and White-backed Woodpecker.

These fascinating birds are important ecosystem engineers, shaping the environment by creating cavities in trees where they can raise thei...