The Green Woodpecker, »» 



Family— I'ici I ).]■:. SuhiamSh- pins^r 



The Grken W()()i)i'i-;rKi-:K. 



(jiciiiiis viriiiis, LiN'N. 



IS not known to breed in Norway nortli of lat. 63 , or north of lat. 60 in 

 Sweden and Russia ; appears to be found tliroiij,'liout Western Persia and 

 Asia Minor; generally distributed throughout Southern Pvurope. — Scebohm. 



In Great Britain and Ireland it is local, though in England and Wales it is 

 pretty generally distributed in the more wooded districts ; in the north it is 

 rarer and very few examples have been obtained either in Scotland or Ireland. 



Tbe upper parts of this bird are mostly dull sap-green, shading into chrome- 

 yellow on the rump, the crown, nape, and a moustachial patch on the cheeks of 

 the male satiny carmine, grey at the base of the feathers ; the wings smoky 

 brown, the primaries with the outer webs blacker and regularh- barred with 

 white ; the outer webs of the secondaries green with slightl}' paler bars, but the 

 inner webs .with large marginal white or whitish spots ; tail feathers sniok}' brown, 

 blackish towards the tips and with indistinct blackish bars ; lores, cheeks, ear- 

 coverts, and feathers round the eye black, excepting the patch on the cheeks of the 

 male already mentioned ; under parts pale grejdsh green, lighter on the abdomen. 

 which is spotted with dusky crescentic markings ; bill slaty-black, with the under 

 mandible much lighter excepting towards the tip : feet dark slate grej- ; iris 

 bluish white. The female has less carmine on the crown and none on the cheeks. 

 Young birds have the lower breast, abdomen, and under tail coverts barred, and 

 nestlings are barred both above and below, have no black on the lores, ear- 

 coverts, or round the eyes, whilst that on the cheeks is spotted with carmine 

 in the male and pale brown in the female. 



This is the largest of the British Woodpeckers : it haunts chiefl}' forests. 

 woods, and heavily timbered parks, but may be met with in plantations. 

 orchards, and large gardens. Its flight is powerful, wild, and undulating. On 

 the earth its mode of progression is somewhat awkward ; it both walks and hops : 

 on a tree it moves upwards, usually in a spiral, by a series of jerky hops, insert- 

 ing its long tongue into ever\- crevice in search of its insect prey, whilst its stiff 

 tail is pressed against the trunk and helps to support it. From time to time 



Vol. hi ^ 



