How do you recognize a green woodpecker? How does his singing sound? And how do you distinguish male and female specimens? We answer these and other questions in our large green woodpecker profile.
The green woodpecker (Picus viridis) is the second most common native woodpecker after the great spotted woodpecker. It is regularly seen in parks and gardens, where it likes to sit in the open ground or in the grass in search of its favorite food, the ants. Because of this peculiarity, the green woodpecker is also called ground woodpecker or grass woodpecker. If it hides in the dense undergrowth, its loud, laughing song can still be clearly heard in spring. The green woodpecker has a diverse habitat, which also includes meadow orchards. The green woodpecker was voted "Bird of the Year 2014" as a representative for all the species that find a home on these valuable areas and to draw attention to the threat and the increasing decline of this habitat. You can find more interesting information on breeding events, appearance and support options in our large profile on the subject of green woodpeckers.
Profile on Green Woodpecker
| Size | Approx. 31 - 33 cm |
| Weight | About 180g |
| Incubation | April - June |
| Lifetime | Up to 10 years |
| Habitat | Forests, meadow orchards, parks or gardens |
| Food Preference | Ants and their larvae |
| Threats | Declining food and natural habitat |
Detect Green Woodpeckers
The green woodpecker lives up to its name. It is easily recognized by the moss green coloring of its back, wing and tail feathers. At over 30 centimetres, the ground woodpecker is also a fairly large bird, which is distinguished by its long, pointed beak, black facial mask and bright red crown. In flight, the green woodpecker is also at the typical wave-like flight of woodpeckers, the radiantyellow underback, also called rump, and the black, white-spotted wings.
The green woodpecker can only be confused with the gray woodpecker, which has the same basic green color but is slightly smaller than the green woodpecker and has a gray head without a black face mask and a red crown.
What does the green woodpecker sound like?
In contrast to the great spotted woodpecker, the green woodpecker drums only very rarely because its beak is less powerful and not so well suited for such efforts. Instead, the woodpecker makes itself heard with a loud, laughing chant consisting of a long, gently falling stanza: "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha". This characteristic bird call has earned the green woodpecker the nickname "laughing bird". In addition to its laughing song, the green woodpecker has a call that it sometimes makes in flight or when excited. The Green Woodpecker's call consists of a quick, excited stanza: “By-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B!”
You can listen to the song of the green woodpecker in this recording:
How do you recognize young green woodpeckers?
Young green woodpeckers are very easy to spot as they already look like small specimens of their parents. They only differ from the adult animals by the grey-spotted plumage on the face and abdomen, the missing black face mask and the somewhat blotchy red crown.
What do the eggs look like?
Green woodpecker eggs measure about 31 x 23 millimeters and are bright white. The females lay between five and eight eggs per clutch in an existing tree cavity or one they have made themselves.
How can you tell the difference between male and female green woodpeckers?
Female and male green woodpeckers look the same at first glance. Only on closer inspection does one recognize the small but subtle difference: the beard stripe, which runs from the rear edge of the beak towards the nape of the neck, is solid black on the females - on the males, on the other hand, it is filled with bright red.
Where does he liveGround Woodpecker?
The habitat of the green woodpecker is very variable, but it prefers a somewhat open landscape. The green woodpecker is found in meadow orchards, in parks and large gardens. It also feels at home in deciduous or mixed forests, but there it tends to inhabit forest edges, clearings or other more open areas.
How and where do green woodpeckers build their nests?
Green woodpeckers like to use existing burrows of other woodpeckers because they have a less powerful beak than other species, which is better suited for foraging in soft wood and soil than for vigorous hammering. If there is no such cave, the green woodpecker will still lay its hand - or beak - on itself. Then he prefers to use soft wood or trees that are already diseased to build his breeding cave. This work is mainly done by the males and can take up to three weeks. The brood cavity itself is about 50 centimeters deep at the end and has a slightly oval entrance hole measuring about six by seven centimeters.
When do green woodpeckers breed?
The female green woodpecker lays her eggs in April and then incubates them for about two weeks. After hatching, the young are dependent on their parents for 23 to 27 days before leaving the nest. And even then, they continue to be cared for by their parents and supported in their search for food for up to seven weeks. Green woodpeckers only brood a second time if the first offspring does not survive.
Where does the ground woodpecker hibernate?
Green woodpeckers are very sedentary birds. Even in winter they only leave their breeding area for a few kilometers and do not migrate south. Instead, they roam the cold landscape as loners, looking for food. Their favorite food source is ant nests. The green woodpeckers find these even under a thick layer of snow.
How can you support the green woodpecker in the garden?
It is not unusual to see the green woodpecker in large gardens and parks. Due to the progressive loss of semi-open habitats such as meadow orchards or sparse mixed forests, the laughing bird is increasingly dependent on these secondary habitats. If you want to make it a little more comfortable for your native bird in your own garden, you will find a few tips below on how you can support the green woodpecker.
What food do green woodpeckers prefer?
Green woodpeckers love ants. The small insects andtheir larvae are the main food of the pretty birds. Once they have located an ant nest, they often return there many times to satisfy their appetite and can be easily observed doing so. They dig holes in the ant hill with their beaks and use their long, sticky tongues to pick up the small animals. Even in winter and under a thick blanket of snow, they can find these food sources again. When there is a shortage of ants, green woodpeckers resort to other insects, which they peck from tree bark.
Are nest boxes suitable for green woodpeckers?
In theory, green woodpeckers are cavity breeders that like to take up existing cavities and could therefore actually be well supported with spacious full cavity nest boxes. Unfortunately, however, in practice it has proved very difficult to develop nest boxes that will actually be accepted by green woodpeckers. Hanging up a nesting box for green woodpeckers is therefore a rather wasted effort. Here it makes more sense to focus on the species that can actually be supported with nest boxes, such as blue tits, starlings or wrens.
How can you support him?
You cannot support the green woodpecker in its breeding activities with nesting boxes. However, if you have the opportunity, you can provide natural nesting sites. For example, think carefully about whether a slightly diseased or rotten tree really needs to be removed or whether it might serve as a breeding ground for a woodpecker.
The natural food supply can also be promoted by turning your garden into an insect and ant paradise. Even if ants are often not liked by people in the garden, the small animals are very important as food for many birds. In addition, the beneficial insects loosen up our soil and thus ensure a smooth material cycle. It is therefore worth thinking twice about using chemicals to drive ants out of the garden, which can also harm many other animals. If, on the other hand, you want to go one step further and bring more life into your garden, you can do this with the help of our Plantura beneficial insect magnet, for example. In this way you can create a true paradise for small garden visitors, for which the green woodpeckers will also thank you.
The great spotted woodpecker visits our gardens even more frequently than the green woodpecker. Take a look at his profilestop by and learn more about native woodpeckers.