Comprised of three species of birds, the green woodpecker family includes members of the European, Japanese, and Cuban variety (seen above). All of them share the same green wings and underparts that give them their name and they also have the familiar red plumes on their crowns.

Unlike most other woodpeckers, the European green woodpecker doesn’t spend its time pecking on trees, but instead dwells on the ground under the canopy looking for ants to feed on. When they do peck, it’s primarily to bore out a nesting hole where they will lay four to six eggs that will only need to incubate for about twenty days before hatching.

Green woodpeckers can be found as small as 20 centimeters to as large as 36 centimeters long (about 8 to 14 inches) and are they known to be a shy family of birds. However, they are also known to make quite a bit of noise when they call to one another in a process known as “yaffling”, which includes vocal calls and wing beats.

Green woodpeckers can be found all over Europe and in Japan, but aside from that, the third species is found only on the island of Cuba. The Cuban species is not so closely related to the other two and is the smallest and most distinct of the three breeds.

Wherever they live, they prefer dry forests where they can nest in trees and hunt on the ground. On occasion they have also been found foraging in grasslands and even lawns.