thumb|European green woodpecker (Switzerland) eating

The European green woodpecker (Picus viridis), also known as the yaffle and sometimes called a nickle, is a large green woodpecker with a bright red crown and a black moustache. Males have a red centre to the moustache stripe which is absent in females. It is resident across much of Europe and the western Palearctic but in Spain and Portugal it is replaced by the similar Iberian green woodpecker (Picus sharpei).

The European green woodpecker spends much of its time feeding on ants on the ground and does not often 'drum' on trees like other woodpecker species. Though its vivid green and red plumage is particularly striking, it is a shy bird, and is more often heard than seen, drawing attention with its loud calls. A nest hole is excavated in a tree; four to six eggs are laid which hatch after 19–20 days.

Taxonomy

The European green woodpecker was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under its current binomial name Picus viridis. The type locality is Sweden. The scientific name is derived from the Latin picus, meaning "woodpecker", and viridis meaning "green". It is member of the order Piciformes and the woodpecker family Picidae. with subtle and mostly clinal differences between them.

Description

The European green woodpecker measures in length with a wingspan. Both sexes are green above and pale yellowish green below, with yellow rump and red crown and nape; the moustachial stripe has a red centre in the male but is solid black in the female. The lores and around the white eye are black in both male and female, except in the Iberian race P. v. subsp. sharpei, in which it is dark grey and males have only a lower black border to the moustache. Juveniles are spotty and streaked all over; the moustache is dark initially, though juvenile males can show some red feathers by early June or usually by July or August.

Moult takes place between June and November with the first flight feathers being lost around the time the young fledge. Juveniles moult quickly after fledging and gain their adult plumage between August and November.

Although the European green woodpecker is shy and wary, it is usually its loud calls, known as yaffling, which first draw attention. It 'drums' rarely (a soft, fast roll), but often gives a noisy kyü-kyü-kyück while flying. The song is a loud series of 10–18 'klü' sounds which gets slightly faster towards the end and falls slightly in pitch. The flight is undulating, with 3–4 wingbeats followed by a short glide when the wings are held by the body.

It can be distinguished from the similar, but smaller, grey-headed woodpecker by its yellowish, not grey, underparts, and the black lores and facial 'mask'. It also occurs in western Asia. The species is highly sedentary and the work is performed mostly by the male over 15–30 days. Some tree holes are used for breeding for more than 10 years, but not necessarily by the same pair.

thumb|left|Dropping opened to show ant remainsA study of a nest in Romania found that 10 species of ant were fed to the chicks. During the first 10 days, the young received an average of each, from days 10–20, , and from day 20, . The seven chicks consumed an estimated 1.5 million ants and pupae before leaving the nest. the green woodpecker's tongue is long (10 cm) and has to be curled around its skull. It lacks the barbs of the Dendrocopos woodpeckers and black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), was based loosely upon the green woodpecker. 'Yaffle' was among many English folk names for the European green woodpecker relating to its laughing call; others include laughing Betsey, yaffingale, yappingale and Jack Eikle. Other names, including rain-bird, weather cock and wet bird, suggest its supposed ability to bring on rain. The species has been the subject of postage stamps from several countries. The European green woodpecker is associated with Woodpecker Cider, an image of the bird is used on the merchandise. The woodpecker was the totem of the Italic tribe of the Picentes, and features of the coat of arms and flag of the Italian region of the Marches.

References

Further reading

  • Lees, Antony Clare (2002) The Cult of the Green Bird: the mythology of the green woodpecker. Lancaster: Scotforth Books
  • Gorman, Gerard (2004) Woodpeckers of Europe: A study of the European Picidae. Bruce Coleman .
  • Gorman, Gerard (2020) The Green Woodpecker: A monograph on Picus viridis. Amazon/Picus Press .
  • Ageing and sexing (PDF; 3.8 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze
  • Feathers of European green woodpecker (Picus viridis)
  • European Green Woodpeckers feeding on the ground