The great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), a medium-sized woodpecker, has pied black and white plumage with a red patch on its lower belly. Males and juvenile birds also have red patterns on their necks or heads.

Among the Palearctic regions where this species can be found are parts of North Africa. Usually a permanent resident across its range, this species may move north in the event that pine cone harvesting proves to be ineffective. 

The innate need for travel is the root cause of both the recolonization of Ireland in the early 2000s and the expansion of vagrancy into North America. The great spotted woodpecker, like other woodpeckers, has developed anatomical adaptations to cope with the physical strain of pounding into trees to make nest holes or find food. To establish communication and advertise their region, they also drum. It exhibits behavior that is similar to that of the woodpecker from Syria.

This woodpecker can remove eggs and chicks from other birds’ nests, in addition to eating pine cone seeds and bug larvae from inside trees. It is present in many types of woodlands. Both living and dead trees have boreholes that are lined with nothing but wood chips, where it can grow. A normal clutch consists of four or six glossy white eggs. Maintaining a clean nest, incubating the eggs, and feeding the young all require two humans. The adults care for the young for around ten days following fledge; each parent feeds a portion of the brood.