FLICKER (Colaptes auratus) 



Length, 13 inches. Tlie yellow under surface 

 of the wing, jellow tail shafts, and white rump 

 are characteristic. 



Range : Breeds in the eastern United States 

 west to the plains and in the forested parts of 

 Canada and Alaska; winters in most of the 

 eastern United States. 



Habits and economic status: The flicker in- 

 habits the open country rather than the forest 

 and delights in park-like regions where trees 

 are numerous and scattered. It nests in any 

 large cavity in a tree and readily appropriates 

 an artificial box. It is possible, therefore, to 

 insure the presence of this useful bird about 

 the farm and to increase its numbers. It is the 

 most terrestrial of our woodpeckers and pro- 

 cures much of its food from the ground. The 

 largest item of animal food is ants, of which 

 the flicker eats more than any other common 

 bird. Ants were foimd in 524 of the 684 stom- 

 achs examined and 98 stomachs contained no 

 other food. One stomach contained over 5,000 

 and two others held over 3,000 each. While 

 bugs are not largely eaten by the flicker, one 

 stomach contained 17 chinch bugs. Wild fruits 

 are next to ants in importance in the flicker's 

 dietary. Of these sour gum and wild lilack 

 cherry stand at the head. The food hal)its of 

 this bird are such as to recommend it to com- 

 plete protection. 



YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER 



(Sphyrapicus varius) 



Length, about HjA inches. Only woodpecker 

 having top of head from base of bill red, com- 

 bined with a black patch on breast. 



Range: Breeds in northern half of the 

 United States and southern half of Canada; 

 winters in most of the States and south to 

 Costa Rica. 



Haljits and economic status: The yellow- 

 bellied sapsucker is rather silent and suspicious 

 and generally manages to have a tree between 

 himself and the observer. Hence the bird is 

 much better known by its works than its ap- 

 pearance. The regular girdles of holes made 

 by this bird are common on a great variety of 

 trees ; in all about 250 kinds are known to be 

 attacked. Occasionally young trees are killed 

 outright, but more loss is caused by stains and 

 other blemishes in the wood which result from 

 sapsucker punctures. These blemishes, which 

 are known as bird pecks, are especially nu- 

 merous in hickory, oak, cypress, and yellow 

 poplar. The two principal components of the 

 vegetable food are wild fruits of no impor- 

 tance and cambium (the layer just beneath the 

 liark of trees). In securing the cambium the 

 bird does the damage above described. The 

 yellow-bellied sapsucker, unlike other wood- 

 peckers, thus does comparatively little good 

 and much harm. 



*^yt 









I'liiitnk'r.Tpli l)y Gcorgi- Sliira>, Jid 



SAP BASINS MADI; IN li.y<K BY A SAPSUCKliK 



The rcRuiarity of the holes shows that this bird is methodical. The basins were made 

 in six weeks, probably by one bird, and served not only to collect sap, but also to catch flics 

 attracted bv the sweet fluid. 



65 



