NEW BOOK! The Pied Woodpeckers

Coming very soon, a new book on woodpeckers. THE PIED WOODPECKERS!

WOODPECKER, A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF NORTH AMERICAN WOODPECKERS

Happy Holidays! I just got a great gift, from fellow woodpecker enthusiast Paul Bannick in the USA. His new book entitled WOODPECKER, A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF NORTH AMERICAN WOODPECKERS is impressive. It is full of magnificent photos and a text with a clear conservation angle. I really recommend it. Follow this link: www.paulbannick.com

The Pied Woodpeckers - sample page from the book

Here is a sample page from THE PIED WOODPECKERS - due out in February 2026.

Due out in November this year (2025) THE PIED WOODPECKERS.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) female. Kuusamo, Finland, June 2023.

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

This Middle Spotted Woodpecker (D. medius) decided to nest in a wooden support post rather than in one of the many trees nearby.

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!

It is HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY! Today THE GREEN WOODPECKER is officially out! https://pelagicpublishing.com/products/the-green-woodpecker

THE GREEN WOODPECKER - out on 18th April.

THE GREEN WOODPECKER (Pelagic Publishing, UK) will be published on April 18th (2023).

The instrumental and vocal sounds of Eurasian Green Woodpeckers (Picus viridis).

Here is a link to an open access (free) paper on the instrumental and vocal sounds of Eurasian Green Woodpeckers (Picus viridis). https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/orhu-2022-0017

The Green Woodpecker... the book cover

We are on schedule for the publication in March of THE GREEN WOODPECKER (Pelagic Publishing, UK). Here is a preview of the cover.

NEW BOOK - Green Woodpecker

A new book on Picus viridis EURASIAN GREEN WOODPECKER is due in March. https://pelagicpublishing.com/collections/coming-soon/products/the-green-woodpecker

THE WRYNECK - a book review

Well, this is a very nice review of THE WRYNECK. It is good when one's many years of hard work, in the fields, woods, museum and at a desk, is appreciated. https://www.10000birds.com/the-wryneck-biology-behaviour-conservation-and-symbolism-of-jynx-torquilla-a-book-review.htm

Eurasian Green Woodpecker pair

A pair of Eurasian Green Woodpeckers (Picus viridis) change over at the nest. April, 2002, Nógrád, Hungary (Gerard Gorman).

Monograph on the White-backed Woodpecker complex (in French)

A very good booklet has just been published in French by a fellow picid researcher J.L. GRANGÉ. English translation is: Monograph on the White-backed Woodpecker complex (Dendrocopos leucotos), published by the French Society of Ornithological Studies (SEOF) as a special issue of their international review Alauda (Vol. 90 (1), 2022). Summary: The White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos is one of the woodpecker species specialized in a very specific trophic niche: mature forests with predominance of deciduous trees, rich in dead wood and sapro-xylophilic insects.Its wide geographical distribution has allowed a diversification of populations in many sub-specific taxa. The “form” of the mountains in the south of our continent, called Pic de Lilford, is present in the western Pyrenees mountains (France-Spain). This special issue traces the story of its discovery and analyzes the taxonomic treatment reserved for it at present, with the description and illustration of the subspecies and their physical characteristics. The various aspects of the life of the species (ecology, reproduction) are then developed. An introductory chapter presents the adaptations of the Picidae family, including many that are original to the avian world. Finally, we discuss the rôle of Woodpeckers in the forest and recommended some conservation measures. The book (152 pages) is abundantly illustrated (28 color plates) with many unpublished documents, biographical appendices and more than 600 bibliographical references. Price is 24 Euros including shipping. Orders can be sent to www.gopa-pyrenees.fr

THE WRYNECK - the book is out!

When the likes of Prof. Dr. Zahner (a top-notch German picid expert) praises your work, its a great feeling...

THE WRYNECK - a new book

 

THE WRYNECK, a monograph on the wonderful Jynx torquilla will be out in February! 

See here: https://pelagicpublishing.com/products/the-wryneck?variant=40808925135019

Eurasian Green Woodpecker - close-up

Eurasian Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) close-up. Hungary, September 2021. Image by Gerard Gorman. This is a female, note the all-black malar stripe (sometimes called moustache). Males have red.   

British Birds magazine - woodpecker content

The August 2021 volume of British Birds magazine has two articles focusing on woodpeckers - Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Eurasian Wryneck. 

Eurasian Wryneck

Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla). Hungary, April 2021. This migratory picid is back from its wintering quarters. Photo by Gerard Gorman.

Black Woodpecker with some brown plumage.

Sometimes Black Woodpeckers (Dryocopus martius) have some brown feathers. The reason for this has still not been satisfactorily explained.