Eurasian Wryneck

Fascinating facts about the Eurasian Wryneck

• The Eurasian wryneck is the only European woodpecker to undertake long-distance migration. The wintering area of European species is located south of the Sahara, in a wide strip across Africa extending from Senegal, Gambia and Sierra Leone in the west to Ethiopia in the east. The breeding range of the nominate subspecies includes all of Europe to the Urals, except Great Britain, Ireland, and Iceland.
• Ants make up the bulk of the wryneck's menu. Their chief prey is ants and other insects, which they find in decaying wood or on the ground. A clutch of seven to ten eggs is laid during May and June. The eggs average 20.8 by 15.4 millimetres (0.82 in × 0.61 in) and weigh about 0.2 g (0.007 oz). By laying many small, white eggs and hunting ants with a rapid tongue flick.
• Old pear orchards become secret wryneck strongholds because they hide ant armies. On farmland in Switzerland it has been found that old pear orchards with large numbers of ant nests are preferentially selected over other habitats. Orchards in general, and older ones in particular, provide favoured territories, probably because the dense foliage is more likely to support high numbers of aphids and the ground beneath has scant vegetation cover, both of which factors increase the availability of ants, the birds' main prey. This shows how traditional agro-ecosystems can sustain a species that needs both trees for nesting and open ground for foraging.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Eurasian wryneck as being of "least concern" in its Red List of Threatened Species. This is because it has a world population estimated at up to fifteen million individual birds and a very wide geographical range. In Russia, where there are believed to be 300,000 to 800,000 individuals, the population trend is unknown. Knowing these numbers helps conservationists target monitoring and habitat measures before declines become critical.
• These birds get their English name from their ability to turn their heads through almost 180 degrees. When disturbed at the nest, they use this snake-like head twisting and hissing as a threat display.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Eurasian Wryneck

In the sun-dappled forests of Europe and Asia, the Eurasian Wryneck weaves a subtle spell, its mottled plumage blending seamlessly with the rustling underbrush as it searches for insects and seeds to sustain its gentle existence. With a twitch of its long, blue-grey tail, the wryneck darts between tree trunks, its unusual, snake-like neck twisting and turning in a mesmerizing display of flexibility. As it moves through its woodland realm, the wryneck's soft, piping calls punctuate the air, a soothing serenade that belies the remarkable adaptability of this enigmatic bird.

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