Woodpeckers and pest control

Woodpeckers are important natural controllers of insect pests that invade trees. Here is a link to one such case concerning the exotic invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle in the USA: Emerald Ash Border

Picid in Focus: Hispaniolan Woodpecker

This really is a great looking woodpecker. An adult male Hispaniolan Woodpecker Melanerpes striatus. Taken in the Dominican Republic (where it is endemic) in January 2014, by Neil Bowman.

Forthcoming Woodpecker Book

Here is the cover of my forthcoming book WOODPECKERS OF THE WORLD - THE COMPLETE GUIDE. Many thanks to everyone who helped with information and photos. Click here for more details.

Picid in Focus: Reichenow's Woodpecker

Reichenow's Woodpecker Campethera scriptoricauda. Aka Speckle-throated Woodpecker. This is an adult male: note the red malar stripe. A poorly-known and range-restricted woodpecker, it is found in open wooded habitats, often in miombo, in Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. This photo taken near Mweya, Tanzania, in January 2014 by Gerard Gorman.