Things you need to know about GREEN WOODPECKERS!

A short, fact filled video about Green Woodpeckers. Including information about where and when they nest, what they eat throughout the year, how long they can live for, what their call sounds like and lots of other information that you might want to know.
The green woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in the UK and easily distinguished from the other two species as they are both black white and red and green woodpeckers are, well, green. Aside from this obvious colouring they also have a red cap, a black moustache and cheeks and pied black and white feathers on their wings and tail. Males can be separated from females as there is also a stripe of red in their moustache. They have a wingspan of 48 to 51cm and weigh around 180grams.
Green woodpeckers can be seen in most inland habitats and as they rely on a mix of open areas for foraging and woodlands for nesting and roosting they are particularly common along meadow edges, in parkland and are regular visitors to some gardens. Their diet is mainly made up of ants which they dig from their burrows using their powerful beaks. Like other woodpeckers they are capable of extracting invertebrates from beneath the bark of trees but they mostly do this during the winter when ants are in short supply. During this time they will also eat pine seeds and fruits and they can become regular visitors to garden bird feeders. Its worth pointing out that they are opportunists and will also take the chicks of other birds if they find their nests.
Green woodpeckers begin nesting in mid to late march when the male will begin to extract a hole, usually in the trunk of a deciduous tree. This process can take up to 30 days until a cavity big enough for nesting is made and after this the female will begin laying eggs. These are cream or white, measure around 3 cm in length and each female will produce between 4 and 6 of them. After all the eggs have been laid both parents share the incubation for 19 to 20 days. Both parents then feed the chicks in the nest for just over three weeks until they fledge. When the chicks fledge, they are a similar size to their parents but their green markings are mottled and less vibrant, they the dark face markings and their red cap is much duller. After fledging the parent birds feed their chicks for several weeks until they are independent. Green woodpeckers only nest once per year and outside of the breeding season they are mostly solitary. Sometimes pairs do stay together for multiple years, often using the same tree or nesting hole but during the winter they’ll have little if any contact with one another.
Green woodpecker numbers are stable in the UK and their distribution seems to be spreading northwards. They were first recorded nesting in Scotland in 1951 but they still haven't made it to Ireland. Scientists think that this may be due to their reluctance to cross large areas of water. They don't migrate and despite their relative commonness in the south of England they were only first recorded on the isle of Wight in 1910. There are currently around 52000 pairs of green woodpeckers in the country and they can be a relatively long lived bird. Their average lifespan is 5 years but they can live to at least 15 years of age. In the UK they are sometimes called yaffles because of their laugh like call.
Some of the footage and images used in this video were obtained using creative commons licences. The originals and their licences can be found at:
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#birds
#Nature
#wildlife

[@mybirdscollection2490]

Very nice

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you.

[@mybirdscollection2490]

@@AShotOfWildlife ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@Abigail-bb3tr]

Beautiful bird - makes me so happy when I see this bird in my garden. Great video, thanks

[@sdrizmir]

Many thanks for the information.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you!

[@AdiHughesGuitar]

Beautiful birds, startled me the 1st time I saw one on a path, stunning colours.

[@erkut67]

OMG!.. 😯 How beautifully created!.. ❤️

[@birdladyborders9809]

Just at a quarry near me we have peregrines, kestrels and now I've just seen my very first wood pecker x stunning bird x

[@jimbojet8728]

A great vid. Thanks.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you. I have loads more lined up so stay tuned.

[@gillwilloughby9756]

Love it

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you!

[@imbra]

I live in downtown Budapest, and see these birds almost daily while I walk my dog. I also see the black/white/red woodpeckers often. Surprisingly, around here they are acrually more common that sparrows. We have lots of large trees, but not a lot of bushes that the sparrows nest in.

[@petershoesmith3953]

They also like golf courses. Good video as ever.

[@anthonyalfredyorke1621]

Great show Liam, the Woodpecker is now in Ireland, I've seen quite a few in the last ten years, my brother in law has a pair in his garden & he loves them . PEACE and LOVE to EVERYONE.

[@our_future_is_abundant4684]

I had a green woodpecker lure me to see a fox hiding in the bushes over the other side of a field.. it was beautiful ❤

[@AShotOfWildlife]

How lucky, a woodpecker and a fox at the same time!

[@BenCritchlow]

Terrific content on your channel mate, nice one.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Cheers! Lots more on its way so stay tuned :)

[@tuffgonggbUNCTION]

JAHBLESS,

[@jeffallinson8089]

Really interesting as per usual.

[@ghulehfaerie]

I had been seeing little holes in the ground in the garden, this morning i saw a Green Woodpecker in the garden, after watching your video it now explains the little holes in the ground 🥰🥰

[@mbarker1958]

Hi Liam! You do a good job keeping us informed; I love birds and your channel, please keep it up!!!!

[@rickjones4971]

Hi Liam you are doing a very good job. I was born on Wimbledon Common so I know a little bit about birds. My son about used to live in Banstead in Commonfield Road. About 15 years ago I saw a pair of bearded tits in his garden. The only time I have seen them. I now live in Buriram Thailand and have seen in the paddy fields a pair of Sarus crains. A wonderful sight. Keep up the good work Liam. Regards Richard Jones.

[@LeandroCasasBandLeader]

Great video! Thank You!

[@cletus1875]

I saw my first & only green woodpecker at Dunham Massey deer Park (NW England) a couple of years ago. It was rooting & digging through the grass & leaf litter.

[@orangeedo]

The info in these videos seem to be sticking in my mind. Appreciated, thx.

[@weaton25]

There used to be lots of them in my area a few years ago but do not see many of them about now they used to mostly fly very low just a few feet of the ground .

[@HelenaMikas]

Thanks Liam Woodpeckers are pretty amazing and blend in so well . First class video :) ..Enjoy the week . 👍👏🏻

[@56Seeker]

I like the addition of a bit of bird song. I don't think I've ever seen one of these, but I have heard them.

[@NBNatureTrailvan]

Nice one Liam. Great to see these Woodpeckers Didn’t realise that the males have the red cheek markings. Excellent mate 👍👍👍

[@NaturallyCuriousUK]

👍👍👍 Well, I didn't know about the difference between male and female adults for this species! Cheers Liam! 🙂

[@shaynefrancis5318]

I see lots of these in Peterborough.....if ya don't see them you will definitely hear them with that bip bip bip noise they make

[@spacekitt.n]

This is like our Northern flicker in America... Its interesting to see similar birds filling the same ecological niche on the other side of the world

[@clivemitchell4316]

Good video Liam, and nice filming. I find that whilst I don't always see the green woodpecker, their 'laughing' call always gives them away.

[@TAS106]

I'm new here. Thanks for the info. I look forward to seeing more of your videos.

[@chrishull5543]

An interesting well made film,I certainly enjoyed watching it,

[@antonellamenegatti9158]

Very beautiful birds 😍👍🙋

[@Tom-zq7lu]

Good morning, fantastic and beatifull thank 💯👍🤗

[@yay33rt]

Never seen this or great spotted

[@hybridwafer]

Have a pair of these with 2 chicks around my house in central/southern Sweden. One of the chicks likes to take a morning bath and it looks almost entirely black when soaked in water. Could have been mistaken for a black woodpecker that also lives around here :)

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Cool. I have seen a black qoodpecker once in Poland, hopefully I will again one day.

[@Radagast-]

Reminds me of the Blackadder II scene... Two things ye must know of the Green Woodpecker. First, it be green... Second, it be... a woodpecker! PS I keep hearing one round where I live, but haven't seen it for a couple of years, although I do get a Great Spotted in the garden.

[@Bertil_Lundin]

Thanks for sharing Liam! Woodpeckers are one of my favourites and always nice to see. Have a good day my friend! // Bertil.

[@christinebories2446]

I have just been watching a green woodpecker from my window i got wild strawberry growing it comes most days to have a sweet treat i see the black and red woodpecker more so when it's colder after different seeds i put out

[@richrcwx1685]

Thank you for that i have seen these for years in Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common 👍

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Cheers!

[@caesar7734]

I saw one recently in Kew Gardens

[@DouglasHall1947]

Amazing! I always wondered why the 2 or 3 I'd seen were on grass and not in trees! I really have learned something from every one of Liam's videos that I've watched so for. I'm running out, so I ration myself to one a day.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you. I'm glad you are learning something new every day. I don't think I could produce a video a day to keep you entertained but there is another on its way right now. It'll either be uploaded tonight or tomorrow morning. Cheers

[@pronitaganguly5452]

Thanks Liam! Really love your videos. Since you made a video recently on bittern, are you planning to make another video on tree creepers (equally elusive bird for me :P)

[@neilbain8736]

Yaffle = Proffessor Yaffle from Bagpuss? That's one childhood mystery solved.

[@WildlifeUKNatureByGlenO]

Really enjoyable video Liam. Only ever seen a green woodpecker once when on holiday in Saundersfoot, Wales, when I was 10 years old (so I'm on a 49 year drought.). Great channel, keep on posting. 👍

[@pauldurkee4764]

I find old cemeterys are good places to see them, the rough uneven grass seems to favour ants and the woodpeckers follow..

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

I'm Scottish and have heard them but never seen one in my 60 odd years, I think theyre rarer in Scotland and, despite moving to London 20 years ago, I still havent encountered one unless I mistook a Kingfisher or vice versa. I have seen Jays but never close up.

[@philiptaylor7902]

Hi Liam, another great video. Saw one in the garden this morning, absolutely stunning bird.

[@NaturalBiotopes]

👍

[@brian_jackson]

No mention of where else they are found. I saw some this spring in my back yard. I live in Ghent, Belgium.

[@SkylarkFields]

An excellent video as always. I have had a green woodpecker in my garden occasionally, looking for ants, and sometimes see or hear them on my walks with the dog in local countryside. Many of the photos I have taken of them show only their head peeping out of the grass in the fields! They blend in really well!

[@pauldurkee4764]

It was an old country belief, that the cry of the Green Woodpecker was a sure sign of rain.

[@masideanwilliams9933]

Saw one in Germany Kaiserslautern got a picture for the record

[@robertgoddard565]

These videos are good because you’re such a Norfolk bor, although very informative I’ve got a good knowledge of uk birds but I’m still learning a thing or two. I also recognise a lot of your back drops too.

[@laurencesmith2199]

The 1st one I saw was at Harefield shooting club when one landed just in front of the targets , with about 8-9 shooters at the marks . It held up proceedings for 15-20 mins digging away . It was about 12" tall , which surprised me , I thought it was a raptor .

[@paulohara1502]

👏👏👍💯👌

[@GlennLeinster]

I found a Green woodpecker covered in ants on my way to a fishing spot I liked, I got rid of the ants and put it on a tree near by, on my way back I checked if it was ok and it was dead!!! a beautiful bird, so sad, I was so piss off;I love birds

[@yay33rt]

Why are woodpecker holes so perfect

[@eust785]

Hi Liam, It' well known that Green woodpeckers eat ants from in the ground. But, do they eat southern Wood ants from off their mounds or surrounding area?

[@colinsavill3459]

Love your videos, so joyful. I’m woken up most mornings by a green woodpecker attacking the soffits of my roof, making a winter nest. I’ve tried repairing it to keep him out but I’m now resigned to him spending the winter nestled in my roof insulation.

[@janetginger8571]

HOW DID YOU LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT BIRDS? I ONLY KNOW THAT WHEN I HEAR THEIR TWITTER BEFORE DAWN I HAVE OVERSLEPT, I look forward to Itchy Boots 3 times week in the same way I will tune into your birds

[@AShotOfWildlife]

To be honest, I have learnt a lot from making these videos and always learn something new. Welcome to the channel.

[@markharrisllb]

British birds are boring brown little things, until you open your eyes. We saw our first greens in Suffolk and I said to a fellow bird watcher we don’t have them in Lancashire, to be quickly proven wrong. Your videos are always informative but never come as 'clever' and you seem humble about your knowledge.

[@Humannondancer]

LOL very true. I still remember the first time I saw a flock of goldfinches sitting on a fence through an old pair of 10x50 bino's😲Definitely not the small brown jobs I was expecting to see. Greens are quite common here in south Essex. I only need to walk a half mile to two miles in almost any direction for the right environment, including a famous park alongside the Thames- which of course is _nice_ 🙂

[@markharrisllb]

@@Humannondancer 10s are too high for me, I could never hold them steady, 8 are enough though I always have a scope on my mobility scooter. I remember getting excited about a goldcrest bobbing in the lower bushes at Leighton Moss and telling some locals as we passed them. To say they weren’t as excited as I was in an understatement. It seems they are considered common there. Leighton Moss is literally as north as you can get and still be in Lancashire, since then I’ve seen numerous specimens in Cumbria. They seem to be very tolerant of humans, but not as much as robins. We have some stunning birds and though they are little brown jobs I could watch dunnocks all day.

[@NCCorruption]

So that's why Professor yaffle was called professor yaffle, because he was a green wood pecker . Cushti🙂