They are here. The Wrynecks have arrived and are calling intensely. Wryneck Jynx torquilla is Europe's only migratory woodpecker. The other nine species are resident (8 of them in Hungary, 7 can even be seen in Budapest). Wrynecks don't look like typical woodpeckers, in a way, they are more like songbirds. They do not excavate holes in trees, but they do nest in holes, using natural holes or those made by others. They readily use nest-boxes, too. They don't drum, either. If you look at the beak in the photo on the left, you can see that it is not suitable for boring holes in timber at all. The question is, has the Wryneck evolved away from the true woodpeckers? Did it once have a strong, chisel-like beak? Or did the other woodpeckers once have beaks like the Wryneck? Did they evolve their strong beaks later whilst the Wryneck did not? 
Monday, April 2, 2007
Wryneck
They are here. The Wrynecks have arrived and are calling intensely. Wryneck Jynx torquilla is Europe's only migratory woodpecker. The other nine species are resident (8 of them in Hungary, 7 can even be seen in Budapest). Wrynecks don't look like typical woodpeckers, in a way, they are more like songbirds. They do not excavate holes in trees, but they do nest in holes, using natural holes or those made by others. They readily use nest-boxes, too. They don't drum, either. If you look at the beak in the photo on the left, you can see that it is not suitable for boring holes in timber at all. The question is, has the Wryneck evolved away from the true woodpeckers? Did it once have a strong, chisel-like beak? Or did the other woodpeckers once have beaks like the Wryneck? Did they evolve their strong beaks later whilst the Wryneck did not? 
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