Wryneck: a Rare Bird of Britain
The Wryneck, Jynx torquilla, is a type of woodpecker that became extinct as a breeding species in Britain in 2002. A small number of Scandinavian Wrynecks visit the coasts of England during the spring and autumn.
Wrynecks are common birds in Europe. Sadly, the population of Wrynecks has more than halved in Europe since the 1980s.
Adults are about the size of a sparrow with grey plumage that has brown and buff mottling. There is a noticeable black line that runs from the back of the head on the back.
Wrynecks belong to the Woodpecker family of birds. They earned their name because they can turn its head nearly 360 degrees.
The typical habitats of Wrnecks are dry places where there is plenty of sunlight and a few trees.
Wrynecks are common birds in open woodland, forest clearings, wooded pastures, vineyards, old orchards, cemeteries, meadows and fallow land.
They avoid damp vegetation and the higher ground of mountains.
The plumage of Wrynecks allows them to blend in easily with their natural surroundings and are difficult to see.
The main diet of Wrynecks is ants although they also eat insects and invertebrates.
Wrynecks forage for ants and other food by probing into the ground with their long bills.
Foraging normally takes place on bare ground or where there is little or no vegetation. They can reach ants beneath the ground with their long, sticky tounges.
Wrynecks do not often climb trees or search for food among the branches.
They are common and widespread birds in most of Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and Estonia, Bulgaria and Romania Eastern Europe.
A small number of Scandinavian Wrynecks stop briefly along the coasts of southern and eastern Britain in the autumn on the way to their wintering grounds south of the Sahara Desert in Africa. The autumn migration takes place between August and October.
A few visit gardens where they search for food for a few days before flying off.
Fewer Wrynecks pass over Britain in the spring while travelling to their breeding areas in Scandinavia.
Wrynecks were also once common birds of open woodland, heaths, parks and large gardens until the late nineteenth century.
The population was in “steep decline” by 1912 and was no longer present in Wales. Their numbers continued to dwindle until the 1950s as they were only found in the south-east of England.
The last report of Wrynecks breeding in England was in 1985.
Wrynecks became extinct as a breeding species in England during the 1970s.
A small number were discovered breeding in the pine forests of Scotland during the 1970s. Sadly, the Scottish population of Wrynecks eventually faltered by 2002.
“Wrynecks thus earn the unfortunate distinction of being the first once-widespread breeding species to be lost from the UK for nearly 200 years” (State of the Birds in the UK 2016 – page 19 - https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/publications/state-of-uk-birds-2016.pdf ).
Pairs do not make a nest but instead choose a natural cavity in a tree, an old woodpecker’s nest or nest box. Some take-over nests which are already being used by other birds.
Wrynecks make a hissing sound and move their necks in a snake-like movement to deter predators. They also use their threatening behaviour to drive away intruders near their nests.
Seven to twelve eggs are laid between May and June. Both parents look after the young and feed them ants.
The Eurasian Wryneck is classified of Least Concern by IUCN.
The number of Wrynecks has also declined in Europe with over half the population lost since the 1980s.
Experts believe a lack of suitable food due to agricultural changes is the likely reason for the sharp drop in their numbers. The loss of old pastures also led to a scarcity of ants.
For more information on the birds of the gardens and countryside of Britain and Ireland, please visit,
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