Iberian Green Woodpecker

The Iberian Green Woodpecker is found only on the Iberian Peninsula, taking the place of the closely related European Green Woodpecker to the west of the Pyrenees. It has a greyer head and fewer black markings on its face, with a more even green back that does not have the yellowish shades seen in its northern relative. Male birds have a red moustache stripe, while females have a completely black stripe. It lives in open woodlands, dehesas (a type of Spanish pasture), orchards, and parks throughout Spain and Portugal. It prefers areas with short grass, where it spends a lot of time searching the ground for ants to eat. The Iberian Green Woodpecker tends to stay in the same place all year, holding onto territories in suitable habitats from sea level up to mountainous areas. Its laughing call sounds like that of the European Green Woodpecker but is a little higher in pitch and more musical.