Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Eurasian Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) - HBW 7, p. 541
French: Pic vert
German: Grünspecht
Spanish: Pito Real
Other common names: (European) Green Woodpecker; Levaillant’s/Algerian (Green) Woodpecker, North African Green Woodpecker (vaillantii); Iberian Woodpecker (sharpei)
Taxonomy: Picus viridis Linnaeus, 1758, Europe = Sweden.
Has hybridized with P. canus in C Europe. Distinctive N African race vaillantii is often treated as a full species on basis of plumage differences and possibly ecological differences, but Iberian form sharpei, also sometimes suggested as a separate species, effectively represents an intermediate bridge between it and nominate; further study needed. Race karelini intergrades with nominate. Other proposed races are pluvius (Britain), frondium (C Europe), pronus (Italy), dofleini (Macedonia), romaniae (Romania) and saundersi (.. View all taxonomy...
Taxonomy: Picus viridis Linnaeus,1758. Europe = Sweden.
Has hybridized with P. canus in C Europe. Distinctive N African race vaillantii is often treated as a full species on basis of plumage differences and possibly ecological differences, but Iberian form sharpei, also sometimes suggested as a separate species, effectively represents an intermediate bridge between it and nominate; further study needed. Race karelini intergrades with nominate. Other proposed races are pluvius (Britain), frondium (C Europe), pronus (Italy), dofleini (Macedonia), romaniae (Romania) and saundersi (Caucasus), all of which exhibit insignificant differences which come within range of variation of other races. Additional named form bampurensis, known only from type locality in R Bampur Basin in SE Iran (where species no longer survives), said to have particularly well-marked tailbars and heavy barring over entire lower underparts; validity and possible survival of this isolated form requires further investigation. Five subspecies recognized.
Has hybridized with P. canus in C Europe. Distinctive N African race vaillantii is often treated as a full species on basis of plumage differences and possibly ecological differences, but Iberian form sharpei, also sometimes suggested as a separate species, effectively represents an intermediate bridge between it and nominate; further study needed. Race karelini intergrades with nominate. Other proposed races are pluvius (Britain), frondium (C Europe), pronus (Italy), dofleini (Macedonia), romaniae (Romania) and saundersi (Caucasus), all of which exhibit insignificant differences which come within range of variation of other races. Additional named form bampurensis, known only from type locality in R Bampur Basin in SE Iran (where species no longer survives), said to have particularly well-marked tailbars and heavy barring over entire lower underparts; validity and possible survival of this isolated form requires further investigation. Five subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- viridis Linnaeus, 1758 - Europe from Britain and S Scandinavia E to W Russia, S to France, N Balkans and Black Sea.
- sharpei (Saunders, 1872) - Pyrenees and Iberia.
- karelini J. F. Brandt, 1841 - Italy E to Bulgaria, Asia Minor, Caucasus, N Iran and SW Turkmenia.
- viridis Linnaeus, 1758 - Europe from Britain and S Scandinavia E to W Russia, S to France, N Balkans and Black Sea.
- sharpei (Saunders, 1872) - Pyrenees and Iberia.
- karelini J. F. Brandt, 1841 - Italy E to Bulgaria, Asia Minor, Caucasus, N Iran and SW Turkmenia.
- vaillantii (Malherbe, 1847) - NW Morocco to NW Tunisia.
- innominatus (Zarudny & Loudon, 1905) - SW Iran (Zagros Mts).
- Least Concern
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A juvenile on a tree.A close-view of this bird Madrid, Spain
Javier Ortas 24 June 2007 1 year ago 30 sec 4.4 -
A female feeding on the grass Sceaux, Île-de-France, France
Robert Mouchard 14 June 2008 28 weeks ago 1 min 28 sec 4.4 -
A male on a branch, screaming then flying away Sceaux, Île-de-France, France
Robert Mouchard 3 May 2008 32 weeks ago 29 sec 4 -
A male on a dead branch, singing and then flying away Dayet Aoua, Morocco (ssp vaillanti)
Josep del Hoyo 31 March 2007 2 years ago 38 sec 3.9 -
A male defecating, creeping, and then flying away Essonne, France (ssp viridis)
Julien Rochefort 14 May 2007 3 years ago 1 min 8 sec 3.9 -
A male perched on a dead branch creeping a little and flying away Essonne, France (ssp viridis)
Julien Rochefort 14 May 2007 3 years ago 28 sec 3.8
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portrait of a male caught for ringing Ifrane, Morocco (ssp vaillantii)
Georges Olioso 19 May 2008 1 year ago 4.4 -
Male next to coastal path. St Monans, Scotland, UK
clydebirder 5 March 2008 1 year ago 4.3 -
portrait of a female caught for ringing Villesèquelande, Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon, France (ssp sharpei)
Georges Olioso 15 May 2007 1 year ago 4.3 -
Iuvenile Woodpecker in my garden in Hamm (North Rhine Westphalia) Germany
Guido Bohn 20 July 2009 37 weeks ago 4 -
A female foraging on the ground Ifrane, Morocco (ssp vaillantii)
Laurent Demongin 1 June 2006 1 year ago 4 -
Looking for food La Chapelle-Blanche-Saint-Martin, Indre-et-Loire, Centre, France
Bob Thompson 24 May 2010 5 weeks ago 3.5
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Advertising calls of the iberian subspecies Villargordo del Cabriel, Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain
(ssp sharpei)
Carlos Fabregat 9 February 2010 24 weeks ago 4 -
Alarm calls Surrey, England, UK
(ssp viridis)
Stuart Fisher 27 weeks ago 4 -
Song (another responding in the background) Wanstead Park, London, England, UK
(ssp viridis)
Stuart Fisher 4 April 2009 1 year ago 4 -
Song/territorial calls Wanstead Park, London, England, UK
(ssp viridis)
Stuart Fisher 1 January 2010 24 weeks ago 3.5 -
Calls of a distant bird Pobla de Benifassà, Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain
(ssp sharpei)
Carlos Fabregat 2 May 2009 26 weeks ago 3 -
Typical alarm calls Guildford, Surrey, England, UK
(ssp viridis)
Stuart Fisher 21 December 2005 40 weeks ago 3
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