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...