Green Woodpecker

The Green Woodpecker is a large, distinctively colored woodpecker with olive-green upperparts, a bright yellow rump visible in flight, pale greenish-yellow underparts, and a vivid red crown. Both sexes show a black "moustache" stripe, red-centered in males and all-black in females.

Unlike most woodpeckers, it spends much of its time feeding on the ground rather than on tree trunks, probing lawns, pastures, and heathland for ants with its long, sticky tongue.

Key field marks

• Large size with olive-green upperparts and bright yellow rump
• Red crown and black face mask with a moustache stripe
• Pale greenish-yellow underparts
• Undulating flight low over the ground
• Loud, laughing "yaffle" call

Similar species

• Grey-headed Woodpecker (where ranges overlap) has a grey head and lacks the strong black face mask.
• No other European woodpecker shares this combination of green body and yellow rump.

Its ground-feeding habit, loud laughing call, and unmistakable green-and-yellow coloring make this species easy to identify once seen well.

Habitat

Favors open habitats with short grass for ant-hunting alongside mature trees for nesting and roosting, including parkland, orchards, golf courses, large gardens, and grazed pasture.

Range

Widespread across most of Europe, from Britain and Iberia east to the Caucasus, though absent from Ireland, Scandinavia's far north, and much of the Mediterranean islands.

Migration

Resident and sedentary, rarely moving far from established territories.

Behavior

Spends much of the day on the ground probing anthills, hopping awkwardly compared to its confident tree-climbing relatives, and retreating to trees when disturbed with a bounding, undulating flight.

Voice

The famous "yaffle" call is a loud, ringing laugh of 10-20 notes, ringing across open country and giving the bird its old country name.

Feeding

Highly specialized on ants, extracting them from nests and mounds with a very long, sticky, barbed tongue; also takes other ground invertebrates, especially in winter when ants are less active.

Nesting and breeding

Excavates a nest hole in a tree trunk, often reusing or renewing the same site over years. Females lay 5-7 white eggs, incubated by both parents for about 19-20 days.