Spot these shy birds on London lawns

You’re most likely to notice a green woodpecker, picus viridis, as it flies startled away from you, letting out its loud “yaffling” call as it does. Or perhaps you’ve never seen one, despite them turning up in most green spaces in London, including garden lawns. If you’ve missed these stocky little souls until now, it’s really worth making the effort to look out for them as they are among the most beautiful wild birds in this country. Spotting one always feels like being let in on a special secret society of people who keep their eyes open.  

Their plumage is quite exotic: a brilliant red head, black moustache, olive-green upper wings and a striking yellow rump that you only see in flight. As with many birds, the males wear more make-up, with bright red cheek spots. This mix of colours makes the green woodpecker look like a Spitfire in flight. It has a bouncing way of moving through the air, often swooshing up into a nearby tree for safety when disturbed.  

They do nest in trees like other woodpeckers, but don’t drum on the wood to send messages as their relatives do. Instead, they sing to one another, though it sounds more like laughter than a song. It’s this song which earns them their far lovelier old common name, the Yaffle.  

They are shy birds, and not just of humans. Though they often mate for life, they like to sleep in separate beds outside of the breeding season, keeping themselves to themselves as they move through long grass to find food. The easiest way to track them down is to look for ant hills, as this is where a green woodpecker likes to feast. It’s rare to see a bird without a thick coating of mud on its beak leftover from its latest meal. It will peck about on the ground for a while before leaping to another ant hill and carrying on hunting, popping its head up every so often to make sure no one is too close. Here lies the real thrill of trying to see a Yaffle: you need to be watchful so that you can spot the bird before the bird spots you.