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Eurasian Wryneck
(Jynx torquilla)
: "Wryneck"
German name(s): "Wendehals"
Size: 16-17 cm; wing span: 25-27 cm
Weight: 20-45 g
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Eurasian Wrynecks are relatively small birds.
Their plumage is
highly cryptic.
Their upperparts are grey, with copious streaks and scalloping
in a cryptic
pattern.
Down the middle of the upperparts they have a dark stripe, the
same colour as their dark-grey eye-stripes.
The front is barred, dark-grey on buff on throat and neck, and
dark-grey on white on the rest of the underparts.
The wing coverts are more brownish-grey than the upperparts.
They have very fine white supercilia above the eye-stripes.
The irises are dark-brown. The short, straight pointy bill
is grey. The legs and feet are also grey.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Eurasian
Wryneck at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Eurasian Wryneck is available
HERE
.
There are 6 extant races of Eurasian Wrynecks, which are a
mostly migratory species, with only a few areas where they
are sedentary.
Their overall range spans large parts of Africa and Eurasia.
Across the various races, the wintering range extends from
sub-Saharan Africa (except the far-eastern part, near the
Horn of Africa), almost all of the Indian subcontinent and
all of tropical south-eastern Asia, to near the border of
Thailand and Malaysia in the South, and to south-eastern
China and southern Japan in the East.
Their breeding range ecompasses much of Europe, the northern
coastal fringe of Asia Minor, all of Asia between ca. 50-70
degrees latitude, plus parts of north-eastern China, Sakhalin
and northern Japan, and an area to the West of the Himalayas.
In Europe there are possibly up to 3 races of Eurasian Wrynecks.
Nominate race
"torquilla" populates most of Europe, from Iberia, Britain and
Scandinavia eastward to the Urals.
Only in Corsica, Italy, Dalmatia and parts of the Balkans, basically
to the northern border of Greece, race "tschusii" is found. The
north-western African race "mauretanica" may also be present on
the Balearic Islands, Sardinia and parts of Sicily.
Eurasian Wrynecks have a preference for open country with scattered
(often prickly) shrubs, or open woodland with shrubs, similar to
habitats preferred by various species of
shrikes.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "torquilla"
J. Pires reports spotting Eurasian
Wrynecks, nominate race
"torquilla",
occasionally in the area from Mora, Evora, Portugal, to Montargil,
Alentejo, Portugal, and Coruche, Santarem, Portugal.
M. Eaton found an Eurasian Wryneck, nominate race
"torquilla",
at Mequinenza, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, in September 2019.
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Photos |
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Race "torquilla"
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ADULT |
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Lateral view of an Eurasian Wryneck
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, January 2018]
Lateral view of an Eurasian Wryneck calling from a high perch
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil, Alentejo, Portugal, May 2014]
Partly obscured near-dorsal view of an Eurasian Wryneck
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mequinenza, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, September 2019]
Near-dorsal view of an Eurasian Wryneck
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, September 2019]
Dorsal view of an Eurasian Wryneck looking sideways
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]
Dorsal view of an Eurasian Wryneck looking back at the observer
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]
Dorsal view of a preening Eurasian Wryneck
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]
Dorsal view of an Eurasian Wryneck
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, September 2019]
Dorsal view of an Eurasian Wryneck
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2018]
Eurasian Wryneck on a high perch, here in comparison with an
European Goldfinch
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil, Alentejo, Portugal, May 2014]
Lateral/ventral view of an Eurasian Wryneck at take-off
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, September 2019]
Lateral view of an Eurasian Wryneck banking to land on the
corner of a house wall
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2018]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.