How to identify British woodpeckers

A woodpecker with a black topped head and wings with a red undercoat stands on a moss covered branch

How to identify woodpeckers

What woodpecker have I seen?

There are three species of British woodpecker - here's how to tell them apart.

Green woodpecker

With its brightly coloured feathers, the green woodpecker looks a bit like a big parrot. It’s our largest species, but hardly ever drums. Instead, green woodpeckers communicate with a loud call that sounds like a crazy laugh and is known as a ‘yaffle’. The green woodpecker is olive-green, with a yellow rump, red crown and black around the face. Males have a red 'moustache' edged by black, but females have an all-black moustache.

©Andy Morffew

Green woodpecker by Andrew Mason

Great spotted woodpecker

The great spotted woodpecker is black and white, with white shoulder patches and red underneath the tail. Males have a red patch at the back of the head. Only likely to be confused with the lesser spotted woodpecker which is much smaller. Great spots are our most common woodpeckers and the best drummers by a long way. They beat their beaks against hollow branches or tree trunks at a stunning 40 hits per second.

Amy Lewis

Lesser spotted woodpecker

This is Britain’s smallest woodpecker by far – it’s barely bigger than a sparrow! Males are black and white, with a red crown cap, and females are plain black and white. They both have a distinctive white ladder marking down their black back. It’s our rarest as well and only lives in England and Wales. Listen out for their drum solos in spring – they may be quieter than the great spot’s, but they last longer.