Green Woodpecker
- The green woodpecker is the largest of the three species of woodpeckers that occur in the British Isles.
- Though widespread throughout much of lowland England, it is scarce in West Wales and absent from much of Scotland, where it only bred for the first time in 1951.
- It doesn’t occur in Ireland, though three individuals were reputedly shot there in the 19th century.
- The range of this species extends north into Scandinavia and as far west as Turkey and Northern Iran.
- A very similar woodpecker is found in Spain and Portugal. This is now regarded as a separate species, Sharpe’s woodpecker.
- In the last 30 years this essentially parkland bird has been seen increasingly in gardens.
- Green woodpeckers are often found in pairs or family groups.
- They communicate with each other by calling frequently. The best-known call is the is the far-carrying, descending territorial song which gives the old name of yaffle.
- Rain bird is another name, as the birds are reputed to call more when rain is imminent.
- Unlike the great spotted woodpecker, the green rarely drums.
- Of our three woodpeckers, the green spends the least amount of time in trees, and can often be seen feeding on the ground.
- Here it is likely to be digging for ants, its favourite food. It eats both the adults and their eggs, catching them with its exceptionally long and sticky tongue.
- Other food taken includes a variety of insects, and on rare occasions, reptiles such as small lizards.
- It’s rare for a green woodpecker to visit a feeder or bird table, but a mown lawn will attract them.
- Green woodpeckers like to excavate their own nest holes, a process that takes them from two to four weeks.
- The usual clutch size is between five and eight unmarked white eggs.
- The pair takes it in turn to incubate the eggs, with the male sitting at night.
- The young hatch after 14 to 17 days, but stay with their parents for some weeks after fledging.
- The nestlings are vulnerable to predators such as stoats, which may be attracted by the young birds calling for food.
- Because they spend so much time feeding on the ground, prolonged spells of snow cover can be fatal.
- These woodpeckers are highly sedentary, seldom moving far from where they were hatched.
