European Green Woodpecker

The European Green Woodpecker is a striking bird with predominantly green plumage on its back and wings, contrasting with a pale yellow rump. Its underparts are pale green to yellowish, with a distinctive red crown and nape.

Both sexes have red caps, but the malar area (moustache) is black, with a red centre in the male and a solid black in the female.

Juveniles are similar to adults but have barred underparts and less vibrant colouration overall.

Unlike most species of woodpecker the European green rarely drums (the tap tap tapping noise often heard with other species) and is confined to loud vocalisations similar to a ‘kleu – kleu – kleu – kleu’ or a single ‘kyik’ when alarmed.

Picus viridis viridis is a widespread resident across southern Scandinavia eastwards into western Russia and the Balkans. It is common in parts of Scotland and throughout England, Wales and France.

Picus viridis karelini is similar in plumage but with less yellow and more grey colouration and is generally smaller in size than the nominate. It has a range from Italy through the southern Balkans into Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan then southeast into northwestern Iran and southwestern Turkmenistan.

Picus viridis innominatus is monotypic and is similar to the nominate with occasional subtle colour differences. It occupies a range along the Zagros Mountains which lie between northeastern Iraq and southwestern Iran.

Preferred habitats are broadleaved and mixed woodlands, farmland and other open areas such as heath with natural bushes and small coppices.

Whilst easily recognisable with its green plumage and bright red crown in Britain, elsewhere in Europe it can be mistaken for the similar sized and coloured, Grey-headed woodpecker although the latter has a far thinner black moustache and lacks the vivid red crown, having instead a small red patch on the forehead. As its name implies it also has a mid grey head and its underparts are also tinged grey. The green woodpecker can often be seen feeding on grassy areas and cultivated lawns as it forages for ants. It is a solitary and shy bird albeit that its call can be extremely loud and shrill.

A diet of ants, ant eggs and larvae are the staple for this shy, resident breeder. Unlike most members of the Picidae family European green woodpeckers frequently forage and feed off the ground where they probe ants’ nests with their long sticky tongues.

A nesting hole, usually in a deciduous tree, is burrowed, predominantly by the male and can take up to a month to complete. One clutch of 4 – 6 white eggs, is laid annually between May to July and incubated for up to twenty days by both parents. Upon hatching the young emerge naked and helpless and are dependent on their parents for food and welfare (altricial). Fledging occurs an average of twenty two days after hatching. It is unusual for the green woodpecker to revisit the nest and use it subsequently although many species of bird will take up residence during the following breeding seasons to their own advantage.

European Green Woodpeckers are often seen foraging on the ground, using their long, sticky tongues to probe for ants, their primary food source. They have a distinctive undulating flight pattern and are known for their loud, laughing call. These birds are generally solitary but may form loose pairs during breeding season.

Life expectancy for the European green woodpecker is between five to ten years although ringed birds have been recorded as reaching fifteen years of age.

While the European Green Woodpecker is currently listed as Least Concern, it faces localised threats from habitat loss and fragmentation. 

Conservation efforts focus on preserving mature woodlands and promoting wildlife-friendly gardening practices to maintain suitable habitats and food sources.

This is the largest woodpecker found within the United Kingdom and the second largest in Europe after the Black Woodpecker. Adult birds have predominantly green upperparts with white underparts, tinged with pale yellow. The rump is a yellow green and cheeks are a whitish hue similar to the bird’s underparts. Both sexes have a vivid red cap extending down towards the nape with a black patch surrounding the white eye. The malar area (moustache) is black with a red centre in the male and solid black in the female. The upperwing secondary flight feathers are green with the primary feathers and tail feathers being a dark grey with white barring. The tail itself is relatively short and is also used as an aid when the bird is upright clinging to a tree trunk. Underwing flight feathers are a pale grey with extensive white barring. The grey blue bill is long and chunky and the tongue up to 10 centimetres in length! The legs are a grey brown with two forward pointing toes and two angled backwards. Juvenile birds have white spotted, dull green upperparts, with a pale greyish white face and underparts streaked and spotted black. The forehead, crown and nape are red with grey streaks.