The Syrian woodpecker's food mainly consists of those insects which bore into the timber of forest trees, such as the larvae of wood boring moths and beetles.
Additional prey includes bees such as Xylocopa pubescens.
 The woodpecker usually alights on the trunk, working upwards.
During the ascent it taps the bark, breaking off fragments, but often extracts its prey from crevices with the tip of its sticky tongue.
Seeds, nuts and berries are eaten when insect food is scarce.
Its actions are jerky, and it hops rather than climbs, leaping forward with one foot just in advance of the other.
Usually feeding in a vertically 'heads-up" position , it is not uncommon for the woodpecker to assume a vertically or horizontally upside-down attitude while probing a tree for food.
When a space is crossed the flight is easy and undulating.
The Syrian woodpecker's food mainly consists of those insects which bore into the timber of forest trees, such as the larvae of wood boring moths and beetles. Additional prey includes bees such as Xylocopa pubescens.  The woodpecker usually alights on the trunk, working upwards. During the ascent it taps the bark, breaking off fragments, but often extracts its prey from crevices with the tip of its sticky tongue. Seeds, nuts and berries are eaten when insect food is scarce. Its actions are jerky, and it hops rather than climbs, leaping forward with one foot just in advance of the other. Usually feeding in a vertically 'heads-up" position , it is not uncommon for the woodpecker to assume a vertically or horizontally upside-down attitude while probing a tree for food. When a space is crossed the flight is easy and undulating.
Syrian woodpecker