About the European Green Woodpecker
The European green woodpecker, also known as the yaffle and sometimes called a nickle, is a large green woodpecker with a bright red crown and a black moustache. Males have a red centre to the moustache stripe which is absent in females. It is resident across much of Europe and the western Palearctic but in Spain and Portugal it is replaced by the similar Iberian green woodpecker.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The European green woodpecker measures 30–36 cm (12–14 in) in length with a 45–51 cm (18–20 in) wingspan. Both sexes are green above and pale yellowish green below, with yellow rump and red crown and nape; the moustachial stripe has a red centre in the male but is solid black in the female. The lores and around the white eye are black in both male and female, except in the Iberian race P. v. subsp. sharpei, in which it is dark grey and males have only a lower black border to the moustache.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the European Green Woodpecker sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in April · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Grey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canusThe grey-headed woodpecker is 25–26 cm (9.8–10.2 in) in length, has a wingspan of 38–40 cm (15–16 in) and weighs around 125 g (4.4 oz).
Iberian Green WoodpeckerPicus sharpeiThe Iberian green woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker endemic to the Iberian peninsula.
Lesser YellownapePicus chlorolophusThe lesser yellownape is a largish species at 27 cm in length.
Side by side: European Green Woodpecker vs Grey-headed Woodpecker
Learn the European Green Woodpecker for real
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