Wryneck  (Jynx torquilla)

The wryneck is an unusual-looking bird, at times resembling both a large warbler and a small bird of prey. Both male and female birds are alike, having a mottled brown and grey upper body, and a rather dirty white underside. The plumage is barred irregularly with dark brown markings and the bird has a noticeable dark line running from the base of the bill, through the eye and down the side of the neck, virtually to the shoulder of the wing. The song is a series of whining ‘tie-tie’ notes, and there is usually a pause between sets of calls. The alarm note is a hard ‘teck-teck’ sound, but the bird also hisses like a snake and can twist its head in a rather snake-like manner, hence its common English name. Like other woodpeckers, its ability to climb the vertical surface of a tree is aided by the stiff tail and the fact that two of its toes point forward and the other two face backwards.