Text Margus Ots, Coordinator of the Year of Great Tits
Video recorded by Olle Koert, www.tt.ee
Translation Liis
Wryneckl / Photo: Uku Paal
Wryneck Väänkael Jynx torquilla
Wrynecks are the only long-distance migrants among our woodpecker family birds; they spend the winter beyond Sahara in tropical Africa. They arrive in Estonia in the second half of April and leave in September. Wrycecks nest in tree hollows, frequently in nestboxes as well. On searching for a suitable nesting place wrynecks plunder the nests of other birds nesting in tree hollows: they throw out nest materials, eggs and chicks in order to move in there themselves. Such a looting of a nest could be seen in the nestbox webcam on May 10th, when a wryneck threw out 10 eggs nd part of the nest material from the great tit’s nest.
Wryneck eggs, Vana-Kuuste 19.05.2016 / Photo: Margus Ots
Newly hatched wryneck chicks, Vana-Kuuste 02.06.2016 / Photo: Margus Ots
