European Green Woodpecker: In winter

The European Green Woodpecker is a resident that stays in Sweden all winter, which makes it vulnerable to snowy years.

• Diet: it is specialised in ants, which it licks up with its long, sticky tongue from anthills on the ground.
• Snow problem: in a severe winter with deep snow the anthills become inaccessible, and mortality can then be very high.
• Habitat: it keeps to the same deciduous and pasture woodlands as in summer, preferably near short-grass areas where ants are found.

Since it is a resident, the European Green Woodpecker can be seen year-round, but the population can decline sharply after hard winters.

More about the European Green Woodpecker

• Nest & eggs
• Diet