Green Woodpecker
Picus viridis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPiciformes (Woodpeckers and Allies)
- FamilyPicidae (Woodpeckers)
- GenusPicus (Green Woodpeckers and Allies)
- SpeciesPicus viridis (Green Woodpecker)
About the Green Woodpecker
The European green woodpecker (Picus viridis), 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 (Picus sharpei).
The European green woodpecker spends much of its time feeding on ants on the ground and does not often 'drum' on trees like other woodpecker species. Though its vivid green and red plumage is particularly striking, it is a shy bird, and is more often heard than seen, drawing attention with its loud calls. A nest hole is excavated in a tree; four to six eggs are laid which hatch after 19–20 days.
The European green woodpecker was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under its current binomial name Picus viridis. The type locality is Sweden. The scientific name is derived from the Latin picus, meaning "woodpecker", and viridis meaning "green". It is member of the order Piciformes and the... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Plitvice Lakes National Park
Grey-headed Woodpecker
Picus canus
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos major
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocoptes medius
White-backed Woodpecker
Dendrocopos leucotos
Black Woodpecker
Dryocopus martius
Eurasian Wryneck
Jynx torquilla
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Dryobates minor
Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker
Picoides tridactylus
Syrian Woodpecker
Dendrocopos syriacus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 8 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 10 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 11 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 12 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 13 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 14 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 15 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 16 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 17 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 18 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 19 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 20 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Green Woodpecker in Plitvice Lakes National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Green Woodpecker sighting in Plitvice Lakes National Park, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Green Woodpecker in Plitvice Lakes National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Green Woodpecker in Plitvice Lakes National Park in our monthly data.