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Eurasian Wryneck
(Jynx torquilla)
Found dead, February 16, 2000
Crane Naval Weapons Support Center, Indiana
38° 50'N 86° 50'W
General Information
The Eurasian Wryneck occurs across Europe, temperate boreal Asia, Japan and extreme northern Africa. The individual pictured here was found dead in January
2000 at the Crane Naval Weapons Support Center in southwestern Indiana. Our thanks go to Professor Barny Dunning and grad student Amanda Beheler of
Purdue University (see Fig. 10 ) for making this specimen available for study.
This Palearctic woodpecker has occurred only once in North America when an individual was found dead in Wales, Alaska on Sept. 8, 1945. Its arrival here in Indiana is a mystery, but possible explanations follow.
Wrynecks get their name from the unusual, snakelike way they twist their neck when captured. When cornered at the nest, a Wryneck will mimic a snake by raising its crown feathers, open it bill, stretch out its head and neck, and hiss and suddenly recoil. Young birds also show this behavior (Winkler et al 1995)
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The Wryneck is 16 to17 cm long with a wingspan of 25 to 27 cm. Its cryptic coloration
suggests a nightjar. Its scientific name torquilla is from the latin torqueo meaning "to twist" or "little twister," a reference to the snake-like way it twists its neck when captured
or disturbed at the nest (Terres 1995). |
Figure 1 - Eurasian Wryneck
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Figure 2 - Eurasian Wryneck
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The bird is small with a complex plumage pattern. It is grayish
overall with brown and buff mottling. This species is a long distance migrant, and can cover
a distance of 600 km (360 miles) in 8 days (Winkler et al. 1995). Wintering grounds range
from sub-Sahara Africa to Indian and southeast Asia. |
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Wrynecks prefer open forests, clearings, and woodlands with low undergrowth. This close-up shows the facial patterns and small thin bill. |
Figure 3 - Eurasian Wryneck
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Figure 4 - The chin pattern is buff with barring.
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The thin bill and barring on the chin and breast can also be
seen here. The only other species that can be confused with is the Rufous-necked
Wryneck that is native to sub-Sahara Africa. The Rufous-necked Wryneck has a
rufous throat and breast. |
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A dark patch that extends from the nape to the back.
Wrynecks feed mainly on ants and their larvae. This is accomplished with a long sticky tongue. Wrynecks may have the longest tongue of any bird species! |
Figure 5 - Eurasian Wryneck
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Figure 6 - Eurasian Wryneck wing
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The wing is also cryptically colored.
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The tail of the Wryneck is barred and lacks the stiffened tips on the central tail feathers characteristic of other woodpeckers.
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Figure 7 - Eurasian Wryneck tail
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Figure 8 - Eurasian Wryneck
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The feet appear much like those of a perching bird, but careful inspection shows that the toe arrangement is zygodactyl, typical of woodpeckers, with two toes forward and two toes rearward. |
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Our thanks go to Amanda and Barny for kindly making this specimen available for this set of photos, to Earl Crowder at Crane NWSC who found this bird, and Steve Andrews, Wildlife Biologist at Crane NWSC who passed it on to the folks at Purdue. Amanda is a Ph. D. student at Purdue doing research on Phoebes, and Barny is a professor at Purdue.
GO BOILERMAKERS!
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Figure 9 - Amanda and Barny
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The Mystery
How did this bird come to Indiana? We will probably never know for sure, but several possibilities must be considered.
1) This bird actually migrated to Indiana on its own. Wrynecks are long distance migrants, and regularly cross geographic barriers such as the Mediterranean Sea, the Sahara Desert, and the Himalaya Mountains. This bird could have crossed the Atlantic from Europe or crossed to Alaska from Asia, then wandered to Indiana.
2) It was an captive bird (illegal?) that escaped or was deliberately released (hoax?).
3) It arrived as a stowaway in a packing crate or other shipment from Eurasia to Crane, then became free in the area.
4) Indianapolis is a major hub for international air cargo. Could this bird have entered the wheel well or cargo compartment of a large jet transport being loaded in Eurasia, became trapped when the plane was sealed, rode with the plane to Indianapolis, then set free when the plane was opened?
5) Other possibilities???? Feel free to speculate!
Literature Cited
Terres, J K. 1995. The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Wing Books, New York, NY
Winkler, H, D. A. Christie, and D. Nurney. 1995. Woodpeckers. An Identification Guide to the Woodpeckers of the World. 406 Pp.
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