Wildlifeof Vietnam
Eurasian Wryneck
Barbets & Woodpeckers
Photo: Jynx_torquilla_vlaskop.jpg: Martien Brand from Mariënberg, The Netherlands derivative work: Bogbumper (talk) · CC BY 2.0
Jynx torquilla
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Ants and other insects, found in decaying wood or on the ground
Habitat
Open countryside, woodland and orchards; nests in holes
Range
Breeds in temperate Europe and Asia; winters in tropical Africa and southern Asia from Iran to the Indian subcontinent
Clutch size
7–10 white eggs, in May and June
Size
16–18cm
Weight
23–52g
The Eurasian wryneck is 16 to 18cm long and weighs 23 to 52g, a woodpecker relative with a shorter, less dagger-like bill. Its upperparts are barred and mottled in pale brown with rufous and blackish bars and wider black streaks, and its cream underparts are speckled and spotted with brown. The rounded tail is grey speckled with brown (Wikipedia, general species account).
It mainly breeds in temperate regions of Europe and Asia, in open countryside, woodland and orchards, and most populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa and in southern Asia from Iran to the Indian subcontinent. Its chief prey is ants and other insects. When disturbed at the nest it twists its head and hisses as a snake-like threat. The call is a series of harsh, shrill 'quee-quee-quee' notes.
Quick answers
- What does the Eurasian Wryneck eat?
- Ants and other insects, found in decaying wood or on the ground
- What habitat does the Eurasian Wryneck live in?
- Open countryside, woodland and orchards; nests in holes
- Where is the Eurasian Wryneck found?
- Breeds in temperate Europe and Asia; winters in tropical Africa and southern Asia from Iran to the Indian subcontinent
- How many eggs does the Eurasian Wryneck lay?
- 7–10 white eggs, in May and June
- How big is the Eurasian Wryneck?
- 16–18cm
- How much does the Eurasian Wryneck weigh?
- 23–52g