Eurasian Wryneck

The Eurasian Wryneck is an unusual, atypical member of the woodpecker family, lacking the stiff tail and chisel-like bill of its relatives. Its plumage is intricately patterned in greys and browns, mimicking tree bark so effectively that it can be almost invisible when motionless against a trunk.

Its name comes from a striking defensive display: when threatened at the nest, it can twist and writhe its head and neck in snake-like fashion, hissing, which likely deters potential predators.

Key field marks

• Intricately patterned grey-brown, bark-like plumage
• Long, slender tail (not stiff like true woodpeckers)
• Fine dark eye-stripe and streaking down the back
• Perches across branches like a songbird rather than clinging vertically
• Repetitive, nasal "quee-quee-quee" call

Similar species

• No other European bird shares this combination of cryptic bark-like pattern and woodpecker relationship; superficially it may resemble a large, patterned warbler or nightjar in poor views, but its shape and behavior are distinctive.

Its cryptic camouflage means it is more often detected by its distinctive nasal call than by sight.

Habitat

Favors open, sunny habitats such as orchards, hedgerows, open woodland edges, and gardens, generally where ant colonies are abundant on the ground.

Range

Breeds across much of Europe and temperate Asia; a long-distance migrant, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Migration

A true migrant, arriving on breeding grounds in spring and departing in autumn for African or Asian wintering areas; now a scarce or rare breeder in parts of western Europe including Britain, where it is mainly seen as a passage migrant.

Behavior

Unlike true woodpeckers, the Wryneck does not excavate wood or climb trunks in the typical woodpecker fashion; it perches more like a songbird and feeds mostly on the ground. When alarmed at the nest it performs its famous neck-twisting, hissing display.

Voice

Gives a loud, repeated, nasal "quee-quee-quee-quee" series, often delivered from a prominent perch in spring.

Feeding

Highly specialized on ants and their larvae and pupae, gathered from the ground using a long, sticky tongue.

Nesting and breeding

Nests in existing tree cavities or nest boxes rather than excavating its own hole. Females lay 7-10 white eggs, incubated by both parents for about 12-14 days.