Sapsucker WESTERN BIRDS 



inches wide, and the hole from 8 to 10 inches deep, with- 

 out lining. 



GENUS SPHYEAPICUS : RED- 

 BREASTED SAPSUCKER. 



Red-Breasted Sapsucker: Sphyrapicus ruber ruber, 

 FAMILY— WOODPECKERS. 



By far the most beautiful of the Sapsuckers is a 

 western bird which is found along the Pacific Coast and 

 as far east as the western slope of the Sierra Nevadas. 

 In many respects he resembles the Red-Naped, being 

 about 9 inches long and having black back, wings, and 

 tail heavily marked with white, the belly being yellow- 

 ish, but the person so fortunate as to catch a glimpse 

 of this gorgeous fellow thinks not of such minor details 

 as back and wings, but only of the brilliant red which 

 suffuses head, neck, and chest, and seems to envelop his 

 whole body. No other western bird has so much carmine 

 in his make-up so there is no danger of confusing him 

 with anything else. 



The females are similar but in the young the brilliancy 

 is toned down to a claret hue. 



Only a few times have I seen this beautiful Sapsucker 

 in my neighborhood and when I have come upon him I 

 have forgotten any bad traits that he may have and, 

 more than that, I have felt that gladly would I sacrifice 

 a few trees if .only he would come to my garden. But 

 though these birds sometimes venture down into the 

 valleys of Southern California in winter-time, they are 

 not nearly so abundant as the lover of the beautiful 

 would wish, preferring the high mountain altitudes where 

 they nest at an elevation of from 5,000 to 8,500 feet. 



Prof. Beal tells us that this bird, like its eastern 



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