Difference between revisions of "Eurasian Green Woodpecker" - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 23:55, 3 July 2018

Male
Photo © by NIGHTJAR1
Nottinghamshire, UK

Picus viridis

Includes: Iberian Green Woodpecker

Identification

31–33 cm (12¼-13 in)

Dark green upper parts
Yellowish-green under parts
Red crown and nape
Black face mask and moustachial stripe
Yellow rump
Black and white outer primaries
Grey bill and feet

Sexes similar except male has a crimson centre to the moustache
Juvenile: duller and has whitish barred underparts

Female
Photo © by Sandpiper
Colwick, Nottinghamshire, UK

Variation

The Iberian race P. v. sharpei which lacks the black mask and moustache. It is now accepted as full species by IOC.^[2]

Distribution

Generally common and widespread over much of its range; scarce, but increasing, on the northern fringes of its range. Breeds in Britain north to central Scotland, and from Iberia and France east to about 50 degrees east in Russia, also in the Caucasus, Iran and southwesternmost Turkmenistan. In the north found in coastal and southern parts of Norway and Sweden, Poland and the Baltic States. Occurs south to the north Mediterranean coast from southern Spain to Greece and Turkey.

Resident throughout range with only short-distance dispersal but may move further in the east as a result of more severe winter weather. Vagrants have been recorded in Ireland, Finland, Malta and the Balearics.

Taxonomy

Male, subspecies P. v. sharpei
Photo © by Mark Etheridge
Clot de Galvany, Spain

Subspecies

There are three or four subspecies, depending on authority:^[1]

Nominate P. v. viridis is found over much of range, from Britain south to France, the Alps, northern Yugoslavia and Romania.
P. v. karelini: which is duller and greyer than the nominate, occurs in Italy, southeast Europe east to central Asia.
P. v. innominatus is found in southwestern Iran. A further population described from southeast Iran as P. v. bampurensis is of uncertain status, and may be extinct.^[3]
The Iberian Green Woodpecker P. (v.) sharpei is more distinct; the face is much greyer with black confined to lores and little or no barring on the underparts, moustachial stripe of male has much more red. It occurs in the Iberian Peninsula and the Pyrénées, and in many respects is intermediate between typical Green Woodpecker and Levaillant's Woodpecker.^[3]

Habitat

Deciduous or mixed woodland, generally in more lowland areas than Grey-headed Woodpecker. Can be common in parks and large gardens, and also open areas with scattered trees, especially in winter.

Behaviour

Female
Photo © by the late Mahsleb
Minsmere, Suffolk, October 2012

Usually solitary or in pairs, feeds mainly on the ground, often 'star-gazes'.

Flight

Markedly undulating flight, caused by prolonged closure of wings.

Breeding

They drill out holes in dead or rotten trees for the nest. The clutch consists of 4-7 glossy white eggs, which are rounded at both ends.

Diet

Insects, primarily ants, which are captured by a rapid outward flick of the long tongue, gummed to its tip by sticky saliva. Birds from this species can often be seen searching for and eating ants on the ground (a behaviour shared by several other woodpeckers, including other green woodpeckers, wrynecks, and flickers).

Vocalisation

Call: A loud plue, plue, plue, which sounds like a laugh, or "yaffle", from which it gets the country name. The alarm call is a truncated variant of the advertising call.

<flashmp3>Picus viridis (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2013. IOC World Bird Names (version 3.5). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 2002. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 7: Jacamars to Woodpeckers. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334375
Avibase
Collins Field Guide 5th Edition ISBN 0 00 219900 9
AvianWeb
The Observer's Book of Birds' Eggs ISBN 0723200602

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Eurasian Green Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Eurasian_Green_Woodpecker

External Links

Search for photos of Eurasian Green Woodpecker in the gallery

Search for videos of Eurasian Green Woodpecker on BirdForum TV

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Image:Green_Woodpecker2.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Male<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|NIGHTJAR1|NIGHTJAR1}}<br />[[Nottinghamshire]], UK]]
 ;[[:Category:Picus|Picus]] viridis
-[[Image:Eurasian_Green_Woodpecker.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by {{user|Sandpiper|Sandpiper}}<br/>Photo taken: Colwick, [[Nottinghamshire]], UK. This is a female.]]
+'''Includes: Iberian Green Woodpecker'''
 ==Identification==
-Its large size, 30-36 cm in length with a 45-51 cm wingspan, conspicuous dress, loud call and habits render it more noticeable. Though a very green bird, colour is not always distinct in the field, much depending upon the light.
+–33 cm (12¼-13 in)
+*Dark green upper parts
+*Yellowish-green under parts
+*Red crown and nape
+*Black face mask and moustachial stripe
+*Yellow rump
+*Black and white outer primaries
+*Grey bill and feet<br />
+Sexes similar except male has a crimson centre to the moustache<br />
+'''Juvenile''': duller and has whitish barred underparts
+[[Image:Eurasian_Green_Woodpecker.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Female<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Sandpiper|Sandpiper}}<br />Colwick, [[Nottinghamshire]], UK]]
+====Variation====
+The Iberian race ''P. v. sharpei'' which lacks the black mask and moustache. It is now accepted as full species by IOC.<sup>[[#References|[2]]]</sup>
+====Similar Species====
+[[Levaillant's Woodpecker]], [[Grey-headed Woodpecker]]
-The plumage of the sexes is similar, dark green above and yellowish green below and with crown and nape crimson, but in the male the centre of the moustachial black stripe is crimson. The lores and around the eye is black in both male and female, except in the Iberian race ''P. v. sharpei'' which lacks this black area. The rump is chrome yellow, and this is very obvious in flight, allowing identification of the species from some distance. The outer webs of the primaries are barred black and white. The bill and feet are slate grey.
-The crimson at the base of the bill is present in the young of both sexes, and their upper parts are barred, their underparts barred, streaked and spotted.
 ==Distribution==
-[[Image:Green_Woodpecker2.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|NIGHTJAR1|NIGHTJAR1}}<br/>Photo taken: [[Nottinghamshire]], UK. This is a male.]]
+Generally common and widespread over much of its range; scarce, but increasing, on the northern fringes of its range. Breeds in [[Britain]] north to central [[Scotland]], and from [[Iberia]] and [[France]] east to about 50 degrees east in [[Russia]], also in the [[Caucasus]], [[Iran]] and southwesternmost [[Turkmenistan]]. In the north found in coastal and southern parts of [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]], [[Poland]] and the [[Baltic States]]. Occurs south to the north Mediterranean coast from southern [[Spain]] to [[Greece]] and [[Turkey (country)|Turkey]].
-Generally common and widespread over much of range. Breeds in [[Britain]] north to central [[Scotland]], and from [[Iberia]] and [[France]] east to about 50 degrees east in [[Russia]], also in [[Iran]], [[Turkmenistan]] and [[Pakistan]]. In the north found in coastal and southern parts of [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]], [[Poland]] and the [[Baltic States]]. Occurs south to the north Mediterranean coast from southern [[Spain]] to [[Greece]] and [[Turkey (country)|Turkey]] and also found in the Caucasus.
 Resident throughout range with only short-distance dispersal but may move further in the east as a result of more severe winter weather.
-Vagrants have been recorded in [[Ireland]] and [[Finland]], [[Malta]] and the [[Balearic Islands|Balearics]].
+Vagrants have been recorded in [[Ireland]], [[Finland]], [[Malta]] and the [[Balearic Islands|Balearics]].
 ==Taxonomy==
-Nominate race is found over much of range replaced by the duller and greyer ''karelini'' in [[Italy]], South-East [[Europe]] and South-West [[Asia]].
+[[Image:Iberian Green Woodpecker.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Male, subspecies ''P. v. sharpei''<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Mark+Etheridge|Mark Etheridge}}<br />[[Clot de Galvany]], [[Spain]]]]
+====Subspecies====
+There are three or four subspecies, depending on authority:<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>
+*Nominate ''P. v. viridis'' is found over much of range, from [[Britain]] south to [[France]], the Alps, northern [[Yugoslavia]] and [[Romania]].
+*''P. v. karelini'': which is duller and greyer than the nominate, occurs in [[Italy]], southeast [[Europe]] east to central [[Asia]].
+*''P. v. innominatus'' is found in southwestern [[Iran]]. A further population described from southeast Iran as ''P. v. bampurensis'' is of uncertain status, and may be extinct.<sup>[[#References|[3]]]</sup>
+*The Iberian Green Woodpecker ''P''. (''v''.) ''sharpei'' is more distinct; the face is much greyer with black confined to lores and little or no barring on the underparts, moustachial stripe of male has much more red. It occurs in the [[Iberian Peninsula]] and the Pyrénées, and in many respects is intermediate between typical Green Woodpecker and Levaillant's Woodpecker.<sup>[[#References|[3]]]</sup>
-The Iberian race ''sharpei'' is more distinct; the face is much greyer with black confined to lores and little or no barring on the underparts, moustachial stripe of male has much more red.
-[[Image:Iberian Green Woodpecker.jpg|thumb|350px|left|Photo by {{user|Mark+Etheridge|Mark Etheridge}}<br/>Photo taken: [[Clot de Galvany]], Spain. This is a  Sharpei male.]]
-Race ''innominatus'' is found in western [[Iran]] and ''bampurensis'' in Baluchistan.
 ==Habitat==
-Deciduous or mixed woodland, generally in more lowland areas than [[Grey-headed Woodpecker]].  Common in parks and large gardens, and also open areas with scattered trees, especially in winter.  Usually solitary or in pairs, feeds mainly on the ground.
+Deciduous or mixed woodland, generally in more lowland areas than Grey-headed Woodpecker.  Can be common in parks and large gardens, and also open areas with scattered trees, especially in winter.
 ==Behaviour==
-Insects are captured by a rapid outward flick of the long tongue, gummed to its tip by sticky saliva. Green Woodpecker likes very much to eat ants. So, birds from this species can be seen searching and eating ants on the ground (a behaviour not very common for European woodpeckers).
+[[Image:MGL7741 1-bf.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Female<br />Photo &copy; by the late '''[https://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showgallery.php/ppuser/50827/cat/500 Mahsleb]'''<br />[[Minsmere]], [[Suffolk]], October 2012]]
+Usually solitary or in pairs, feeds mainly on the ground, often 'star-gazes'.
+====Flight====
+Markedly undulating flight, caused by prolonged closure of wings.
+====Breeding====
+They drill out holes in dead or rotten trees for the nest. The clutch consists of 4-7 glossy white eggs, which are rounded at both ends.
+====Diet====
+[[Image:1-S64A6983.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|max1|max1}}<br />[[Surrey]], [[England]], August 2016]]
+Insects, primarily ants, which are captured by a rapid outward flick of the long tongue, gummed to its tip by sticky saliva. Birds from this species can often be seen searching for and eating ants on the ground (a behaviour shared by several other woodpeckers, including [[:Category:Picus|other green woodpeckers]], [[:Category:Jynx|wrynecks]], and [[:Category:Colaptes|flickers]]).
 ====Vocalisation====
-From early in the year until summer the loud ringing ''plue, plue, plue'' is a typical woodland call, often described as a laugh, and from which the bird gets one of its names, "Yaffle".
+'''Call''': A loud ''plue, plue, plue'', which sounds like a laugh, or "yaffle", from which it gets the country name. The alarm call is a truncated variant of the advertising call.
 <flashmp3>Picus viridis (song).mp3</flashmp3><br />
 ''[[Media:Picus viridis (song).mp3|Listen in an external program]]''
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug17}}#{{Ref-GillDonsker13V3.5}}#{{Ref-HBWVol7}}#Avibase
+#Collins Field Guide 5th Edition ISBN 0 00 219900 9
+#AvianWeb
+#The Observer's Book of Birds' Eggs ISBN 0723200602
+{{ref}}
 ==External Links==
 {{GSearch|Picus+viridis}}