Hi-pitched callings are coming out of nowhere. Even the direction is not clear. In the poor light of the dawn I see a bird in flight. First I think of a Barred Warbler (Sylvia nisoria) or maybe a small female shrike like a Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio). Suddenly a Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla) hops around the woodland floor in search of a new anthill. It moves clumsily on flat ground, with its tail raised. With a few hammer blows from its bill, the wryneck breaks into the ants nest. Ants swarm out, but they do not have a chance. The Wryneck can hold 150 ants in its throat at any one time.
Afterwards the Wryneck flies to an oak tree, gripping the rough bark with its strong feet. It looks in holes in the bark for grubs and food items. The Eurasian Wryneck detects the tiny sound of a beetle moving behind the bark, and swiftly inserts its long tongue to catch the insect. The bird´s sharp, chisel-tipped bill enables it to smash into anthills. Specially adapted salivary glands keep its tongue sticky, so it can pick up ants with a flicking action. The tongue is also long Continue reading A gourmet among woodpeckers: a Wryneck in Estonia