Hi Brenda,
You could well be right, the Iberian subspecies
sharpei of Green Woodie definitely gets into France along the Pyrenees, there was an interesting study done between 2004 and 2009 in the Pyrenees Orientales, Aude, Herault and Gard départements (so unfortunately on the east and not your side ), they caught 29 birds and found 100% of those caught in Pyr-Or were 'Iberian', in Aude it was 70%, with 30% 'intermediate' ie showing mixed plumage features between the 'ordinary' Green and the 'Iberian', in Herault it was very interesting where 80% of the birds were of 'mixed' plumage, with just 10% Green and 10% iberian, finally in Gard it was 30% mixed characteristics and 70% standard Green Woodpecker. They didn't study over on your side but stated that there's a narrow geographical band right to the Atlantic coast on the French side of the Pyrenees where the birds are
sharpei, so that's possibly where you are.
The article says that key signs of the
sharpei subspecies (if my French is up to scratch!) are : in males the red moustache has only a very thin black border that doesn't go round the rear of the moustache at all and the eye isn't surrounded by black as in Green W, females have a dark grey moustache instead of black in fem green W. The red on their crowns is more orangey-red, with a lot of grey flecks (the George Clooney look!). The last, more difficult to see, difference is the undertail coverts which are plain, they are barred in standard Green Woodpecker. Phew, hope that helps, I'm going to have a lie down now
