Levaillant's Woodpecker

The Levaillant’s Woodpecker or Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker (Picus vaillantii) is a large member of the woodpecker family Piciformes. It occurs as a resident breeder in northwest Africa.

Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker breeds in mountain forests up to the treeline at around 2000m. The nest is a hole in a tree, and 4-8 glossy white eggs are laid on wood chips.

Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker is 30-33 cm in length with a 45-51 cm wingspan. It is very similar to the European Green Woodpecker, especially females of the Iberian race P. v. sharpei.

Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker is dark green above and yellowish green below, with a crimson nape. The black moustache has a pale border above. The rump is chrome yellow and the outer webs of the primaries are barred black and white. The bill and feet are slate grey.

Sexes are similar except that the male has a crimson crown, whereas the female’s crown is grey. Like .P. v. sharpei, both sexes lack the black on the lores and around the eye shown by most forms of the Green Woodpecker.

This woodpecker’s insect food is captured by a rapid outward flick of the long tongue, and gummed to its tip by sticky saliva. Though a large and heavy bird it has an easy, bounding flight. The call is a loud ringing laugh, plue, plue, plue, very like the Green Woodpecker’s yaffle, but perhaps slightly faster.

This species was named in honour of the French explorer, collector and ornithologist, François Le Vaillant.