Green Woodpecker
(Picus viridis)
The Green woodpecker is one of only three types of woodpecker in the UK, the other two being the Great and Lesser spotted woodpeckers. It is the largest woodpecker in the UK with a dense and chunky demeanour; in terms of colour, it is primarily green, as reflected in the name, and features a characteristic red crown and, on the male, a red-coloured moustachial stripe (see comparison of male and female Green woodpeckers below). The tail, unlike other woodpeckers, is somewhat short, and features a subtle yellow-black strip around the edge.
In the UK, they are resident all-year-round and can be observed in most parts of Britain, apart from those northernmost extremities in the Scottish Highlands & Islands, and all of Northern Ireland.
Green woodpeckers are mostly solitary creatures, and may only roost close to each other, rather than together. Pairs of Green woodpeckers bond in March, and can be alone for most of the remainder of the year. They breed in late-April, and it is the duty of both sexes to incubate the eggs.
They are different from the other UK-resident woodpecker counterparts in that their bills are somewhat soft, perfect for chipping away at old, rotting wood. By extension, they are incapable of drumming to communicate, a common behaviour among Great spotted woodpeckers.
The current UK population of Green woodpeckers, according to the RSPB, is relatively static at 52,000 breeding pairs, although there is a well-known current downwards population trajectory, partly attributed to loss of woodland and heath land.
Green woodpecker diet
Green woodpeckers avidly consume ants; lots of ants. In fact, they spend such an incredible amount of time on the ground searching for their favourite food that, according to the RSPB, you will often find them rummaging around in parks and on garden lawns – short grass provides the ideal feeding grounds for Green woodpeckers. They will also eat caterpillars and beetles, and have a specially-adapted long “sticky tongue” which serves the purpose of extracting bugs from the cracks and crevices of old, rotting trees.
An ideal niche, which conjures up the image of Darwin’s gradually lengthening Finch bills from the Galapagos Islands.
“Describe the tongue of a Woodpecker,” from Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebooks on his list of things to do.
Nesting behaviour
Green woodpeckers prefer to nest in the holes of old deciduous trees (oak, beech and willow), whose location is nearby feeding grounds with delights such as ants and caterpillars. It is commonplace for Green woodpeckers to hollow out and extract the insides within a circumference of 60mm x 75mm of a rotting trunk, the inside of which is dug to a depth of 400mm (*Wikipedia). Interestingly, the arduous task of excavation is performed by the male alone and is conducted over a lengthy period of 15-30 days. This work-intense method is often worth the effort, as a hole crafted by the hands of a Green woodpecker can last as long as 10 years.
In terms of breeding, Green woodpeckers begin their breeding process late on in April and produce, on average, 2 clutches per season. These clutches each yield between 4 to 9 eggs, and continue into an incubation period which lasts around 19 days before fledging for approximately 25 days.
Green woodpecker and human culture
Green woodpeckers do not feature too prominently among the annals of human culture and history; yet, they do have their moments. Take Professor Yaffle, for instance, whose character from Bagpuss is loosely based on the Green woodpecker; and, of course, those of you who drink Woodpecker cider, or remember drinking it, should be able to recall the brand’s logo, which uses the Green woodpecker as its main image.
Taxonomy
Green woodpeckers are part of the Picidae family, which consists of wrynecks and other woodpeckers, which, in the UK, only number three in total (Great spotted woodpeckers, Lesser spotted woodpeckers, Green woodpeckers).
The naming convention, from Greek and Latin, is quite straightforward with pikos meaning “woodpecker” and viridis meaning “green”: quite an uninteresting direct translation, but nonetheless to the point.
What’s the difference between a male and female Green woodpecker?
The difference between male and females Green woodpecker is quite easy to identify. Simply refer to the red moustachial stripe on the lower cheek, and you’ve found the male. Despite this, almost all other features of the two birds are identical.
Male Green woodpecker
Female Green woodpecker
Try the interactive Green woodpecker
Attract Woodpeckers with the following food
Dried mealworms are the perfect nutritional food for your garden birds. Try soaking them in water over night for an extra juicy treat for your Firecrests.
Containing a mix of real insects, these treats will give your garden birds a hearty meal in the winter months when natural food is scarce.
Insect suet blocks are made from high-quality suet blended with a mixture of dried insect, providing an instant energy boost for your garden birds.
These high quality energy-rich suet cakes are the perfect treat for your garden birds, specially blended with dried mealworm for added nutritional value.
My green woodpeckers eat apples and have done so in the garden for many years.
Hole crafted by the hands of the greenpecker???!
We have only recently had a green woodpecker regularly visiting our garden and feeding from the suet balls. We live in Marple, South of Manchester and it’s great to see it along with other regular visitors, blue tits, coal tits, jays, thrush, blackbirds, pigeons.
A green woodpecker has just landed in my garden and is feasting on a red ant hill. It’s been 7 or 8 years since one has visited so hopefully this is a sign that they are back here to stay. South Gloucestershire, BS36 postcode.
I saw few a group of them today on a farming land close to the Uffmoor forest near Birmingham. Strange sounds they make, that is how i spotted them :) i recorded one of them.
One of them :)
We’ve had a breeding pair of green woodpeckers in our Ash trees the first time this year ,its so close we could stand in our downstairs cloakroom and watch them back and forth feeding their young , they reared two as much as we could see .
We’ve seen and heard them regularly all summer but nothing for the last couple of weeks. Nina 16.00 ft above sea level on the mountain above Ebbwvale, South Wales
I have just been watching one eating from the green outside my house in Upwey, Dorset. This is the first time I have seen one here. It was a female green woodpecker. Such a lovely sight.
twice visited our garden in margate kent. 26/11/19
So excited to have had a male visit us today, I’ve never seen one before, he enjoyed a feast on the lawn for a good 10 minutes before flying off
I noticed this beauty sitting on my lawn in Highgate, North West London. If I am correct I believe this is a female as she had only a red crown. She was on the ground for some time possibly looking for some bugs to feast on and then flying up into the tree. I then went out to take a picture of her and managed to capture a few shots before she flew away gracefully.
lovely bird, so avidly feeding tha he did not notice a grey squirrel playing grandmother’s footsteps nearby. i had to disturb them to get him to fly off! S.Glos/B&NES border.
Just seen a great spotted woodpecker along with a green woodpecker on the same tree!
A young female green woodpecker feeding on my lawn this morning……….Lovely!
Just seen a green woodpecker on the lawn pecking at the stump of an old apple tree.Uplifting sight in this difficult time.
Saw a green woodpecker in my garden for the first time ever today, and I’ve lived here for over 40 yrs. Dudley west Midlands.
male in our garden yesterday clear view of his tongue as he seemed to be ‘licking’ at the bird poo on the roof of the bird table !
Thank you for this illustrative page! I learned everything about this marvelous birds. I will be paying attention to green woodpeckers from now on! Excellent information
Saw a juvenile green woodpecker in the garden of our new house today. Hoping he’s going to be a regular visitor. Poole.
I have been watching Green woodpeckers nesting in my local woods, been sitting on eggs for about 10 days, today noticed a Great spotted woodpecker going into a hole above the green woodpeckers nest and staying there for half an hour before coming out and then go back in, is it possible both species would nest in the same tree, if not what would happen and who would win out
We have a green woodpecker nesting in one of the mature oaks close to the house in our garden. We only became aware of it through the mysterious sound like a football rattle coming from the tree. We then heard the woodpecker calling and watched (and are still watching) as it feeds its young.
We are delighted that it has chosen our garden to do this! Just north of Bristol.
This is great! Hopefully they stick around in your garden.
We have a breeding pair and their juveniles in our garden, beautiful birds, the juveniles are very vocal when hungry!!
Great seeing mum and dad teaching them to eat from the lawn.
We moved to our present house in 2011 and used to have a Green Woodpecker visit our garden several times over a few years, then it disappeared.
Just looked out our bedroom window and there is a Green Woodpecker on our lawn. It must be 6+ years since we last saw one here.
Hope it stays around so I can get some photos.
Mawnan Smith, Cornwall.