Eurasian wryneck
Jynx torquilla
CommonPhoto: Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark · CC BY 2.0
Birdinsectivore
The wryneck is a small woodpecker cousin known for twisting its neck like a snake when startled. It spends summers in Europe and Asia, then flies south to Africa or southern Asia for winter. Unlike most woodpeckers, it prefers open woods and orchards rather than dense forests.
- Mimics a snake by twisting its neck when threatened.
- One of the few migratory birds in the woodpecker family.
- Nests in tree cavities but rarely pecks wood like other woodpeckers.
ForestGrasslandFarmEuropeAsiaAfrica
Read more on WikipediaAt a glance
- Classification
- Bird
- Scientific name
- Jynx torquilla
- Habitat
- Forest, Grassland, Farm
- Regions in this directory
- Europe, Asia, Africa
- Diet
- insectivore
- Relative size
- small
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (LC)