How to draw a great spotted woodpecker
Medium
The spotted woodpecker is made of black, white and red. Put the colors in the right places and the bird introduces itself. In this lesson we draw it in flight.
The dashed line is the wing line in the DrawBird canvas: everything above it flaps, everything below it stays as the body.
Step by step
1. Body and black back
Draw a cream-colored egg below the dashed line. Draw a black stripe along the back, on top.
2. Patterned head
Put a cream head on the right of the body. Draw a black cap on top, a small red patch at the back of the head, and a black mustache line on the cheek.
3. Chisel beak
In front of the head, draw a long, straight, pointed beak. The woodpecker hits the tree with this beak like a chisel.
4. Spotted wing
ABOVE the dashed line, draw a black wing. Put a big white patch at the base of the wing and small white spots on the rest.
5. Tail and red
Add a stiff black tail on the left of the body. Put a bright red patch under the tail. This is the most eye-catching color of the spotted woodpecker.
Done!
Great spotted woodpecker is ready. Now draw it in DrawBird, give it a name and let it loose in the sky.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the red. Without the red patch under the tail, the woodpecker looks unfinished.
- Drawing the beak short and curved. A woodpecker's beak is straight and sharp.
- Leaving the wing plain black. It needs the white patch and the spots.
What you should know about Great spotted woodpecker
- Spotted woodpeckers are 22–23 cm long, with a wingspan of 34–39 cm.
- It hits the tree like a drummer, more than ten times a second. The sound announces its territory and calls for a mate.
- Its tongue is very long. It pulls the larvae out of the wood with the tiny barbs at the tip of its tongue.
- It flies in waves. It flaps a few times, then folds its wings and glides.