One of our "target species" on the trip was the White-headed woodpecker - a relatively rare, non-migratory bird that lives in pine forests in mountainous areas in the western United States. It is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long and the male differs from the female by the red spot at the back of its head (which can be discernible on the male in the picture). In the San Gabriel Mountains, where we were, the White-headed woodpeckers often belong to the subspecies gravirostris, which is characterized by a slightly longer bill. Although our group (besides me) consisted of experienced bird watchers from North America, there were several who had never seen a white-headed woodpecker. So the joy was great when we discovered this individual in a characteristic biotope: pine forest.