Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
(Dendrocopos minor)
Smaller than its more famous cousins, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is 14.5 cm long and resident in Britain. The male is distinguished from the female by his bright red crown. It can be seen in open woods, copses, parkland, gardens and orchards, but it tends to frequent the tops of trees, searching for larvae, spiders and wood-boring insects on smaller branches. The best time to look for it is in spring when it is active and there are not too many leaves on the trees, and when it is likely to call and drum.