I usually see the Great Spotted Woodpecker flying around the trees in my university in Obihiro. However, I rarely had the chance of taking good pictures of this bird. So I was so happy when I finally got an upclose photo of the woodpecker days before I leave Japan for good.

The great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) is a medium-sized woodpecker with pied black and white plumage with a red patch on its lower belly. Males and young birds also have red markings on the neck or head. Luckily, I got a picture of both male and female type.