23-8-2016 EL RETIRO PARK, MADRID - IBERIAN GREEN WOODPECKER (Picus sharpei)

Fairly large woodpecker with a green back, red crown, and broad whisker stripe (red in males, black in females). Yellowish rump shows mainly in slightly undulating flight. Unmistakable in most of range; note Eurasian Green Woodpecker’s black face patch in thin band of overlap. Inhabits open woodland, heathland, gardens, parks, and farmland with hedges and scattered larger trees. Unlike most woodpeckers, feeds mainly on the ground, including garden lawns, probing into anthills and moving with an odd, shuffling gait. Calls are loud, high-pitched, and somewhat raptor-like. Drums infrequently.

The Iberian Green Woodpecker is split from European Green Woodpecker P. viridis (Pons et al. 2011; Perktas et al. 2011).

Status is near threatened

This recently-split species is undergoing moderately rapid declines in Spain, which holds the vast majority of the population. It has therefore been uplisted to Near Threatened as it almost meets the requirements for listing as threatened under criteria A2abc+3bc+4abc.

This species is found in relatively dry open woodland, both deciduous and mixed, as well as plantations, orchards, farmland and pastures, parks and gardens and locally in grassy dunes. It requires some mature trees and clearings with adjacent grassland and is found in the lowlands and hills to mountains up to ca. 3,000 m. It lays from the end of March to June. Both parents incubate the clutch which is usually five to eight eggs. The nest is excavated at up to 10 m in a tree (del Hoyo et al. 2015). It feeds on ground-dwelling ants. Other insects are taken on the ground or in trees and occasionally fruit is taken too (Gorman 2014). The species is resident, with some local movements outside the breeding season (del Hoyo et al. 2015).

Until relatively recently the Iberian Green Woodpecker, Picus sharpie, was considered conspecific with Picus viridis and Picus vaillantii, but differs in many aspects of plumage detail and is significantly different in vocal patterns. The distribution is limited to Iberia, the Pyrenees and the extremities of southern France, occurring irregularly from Pyrénées-Atlantiques to Hérault.

In Spain, the birds inhabit dry open woodland and occur in both deciduous and mixed woodlands, plantations, orchards and farmland, parks and gardens.

They require some mature trees with nearby grassland and can be found in both lowlands, hills and mountains up to an altitude of circa 3,000 metres. Mostly these birds are resident, but there are local movements outside of the breeding season with both juvenile and altitudinal dispersal largely accounting for these observations.

The local birds will be nesting from the end of March until June and both the male and female share incubation, feeding the young and, when the young leave the nest, the brood is divided between parents until they are all independent.

Mostly they are ground feeders, and their diet will be mostly terrestrial ants along with some small invertebrates. 

Although common locally, its conservation status is listed as Near Threatened. Although no threats have been identified for this species, the population has been estimated to have decreased by 30%. At a regional level it is considered vulnerable and certainly further monitoring and research are needed.