Name Origin

The choice of the name Picus for our firm is closely aligned with how we wish to be perceived by the market and our competitors and how we operate our business. These characteristics include integrity, foresight, reliability, and out-of-the-box thinking - all while performing serious work but with a sense of fun.

The word Picus has two references - one classical and one modern. The classical reference is from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book XIV, which tells the story of Picus, the king of Latium (now the area around Rome). Picus was a skilled hunter. On one hunting trip, the sorceress Circe attempted to seduce him but he refused her, remaining true to his wife. Angry at his refusal, Circe turned Picus into a woodpecker which took the colours of the garments he had been wearing at the time - red and green. Picus the woodpecker also acquired the gift of prophecy and became the confidant and guide to the God of War, Mars, taking him safely through the battlefield.

The modern reference is from the European woodpecker with the Latin name Picus viridis (green woodpecker). It is a larger than the average woodpecker and native to the UK and Western Europe. It knows exactly where on the tree to look for food and, unlike other woodpeckers, it searches the entire forest including bushes and grass on the ground for nourishment. Lastly, in Northern England, Picus viridis is known as the Yaffle Bird because of its unique laughing call.