Eurasian Green Woodpecker ( Picus viridis )
Eurasian Green Woodpecker - Eurasian Green Woodpecker information - Eurasian Green Woodpecker facts
The Eurasian green woodpecker is spread almost all around Europe except for Ireland, Scotland and northern parts of Scandinavia. Then it is also found in eastern Asia and in north-west of Africa. There it lives in open woodland and nests in tree holes.
It is a 33 cm (13 inches) long garden predator. It has got red crown and a reddish stripe below the eye with a black area in between. Its bill is rather long, which enables it to prey on earthworms. Its body coloration depends on region it lives in, but generally speaking it has got greenish and grayish plumage with a pale abdomen.
Pairing starts in winter time. Firstly the nesting chamber has to be made, which takes approximately a month. Incubation is shared with the hen sitting during the day and the cock sitting during the night. Hatching takes about two weeks. Picus viridis feeds mainly on invertebrates. As already mentioned it is a garden predator, which means its diet ranges from earthworms (including: ants, worms, lizards) to different kinds of fruit. Fruit is eaten especially during the summertime.
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