Jynx torquilla
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The Eurasian wryneck or northern wryneck (Jynx torquilla) is a species of wryneck in the woodpecker family. It mainly breeds in temperate regions of Europe and Asia. Most populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa and in southern Asia from Iran to the Indian subcontinent, but some are resident in northwestern Africa. It is a bird of open countryside, woodland and orchards.
Eurasian wrynecks measure about 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) in length and have bills shorter and less dagger-like than those of other woodpeckers. Their upperparts are barred and mottled in shades of pale brown with rufous and blackish bars and wider black streaks. Their underparts are cream speckled and spotted with brown. Their chief prey is ants and other insects, which they find in decaying wood or on the ground. The eggs are white as is the case with many birds that nest in holes and a clutch of seven to ten eggs is laid during May and June.
These birds get their English name from their ability to turn their heads through almost 180 degrees. When disturbed at the nest, they use this snake-like head twisting and hissing as a threat display. The Eurasian wryneck was first described... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chattogram | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 2 | Beirut | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | |
| 3 | Jerusalem | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 4 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Jodhpur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Hanoi | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 7 | Tehran | 🇮🇷 Iran | |
| 8 | Indore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Ramallah | 🇵🇸 Palestine | |
| 10 | Kolkata | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Wryneck sighting in Beijing on a given day, based on 63 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 211th most-seen of the 324 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Wryneck in Beijing on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months. That is one of Beijing's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against almost none in January.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Wryneck sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
44th of 65
Of the 65 cities where we can rate Eurasian Wryneck sightings, Beijing ranks 44th at under 5%. The best odds are in Chattogram (Bangladesh, about 10%), Beirut (Lebanon, about 10%) and Jerusalem (Israel, about 10%).
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the Eurasian Wryneck that you can see in Beijing (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Great Spotted Woodpecker (about 60%), Grey-headed Woodpecker (about 50%) and Grey-capped Woodpecker (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Wryneck is recorded against all the birds logged in Beijing (63 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
