346 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



Woodpecker, which are separable only by size, the Hairy being at least 

 twice as heavy as the Downy. In each the male has a scarlet nape patch 

 which the female lacks. 



Distribution. — Northern and middle portions of the eastern United 

 States from Atlantic coast to the Great Plains. 



In Michigan this is a common woodpecker wherever there is any con- 

 siderable amount of woodland, but the bird is also seen during the colder 

 half of the year in orchards and groves at considerable distances from 

 large tracts of timber. It is commonly considered a resident wherever 

 found, but certainly there is a well marked movement southward in the 

 fall, since we have numerous reports from southern and southeastern 

 Michigan to the effect that it is much more common in winter than in 

 summer. Although widely distributed and nowhere rare, it is never really 

 abundant; it is also rather a solitary bird, seldom seen except singly or in 

 pairs, although for a few weeks after the young leave the nest family 

 parties of four to seven may be encountered once in a while. 



It nests early in the season, and eggs may be found from the last week in 

 April to the middle of May according to latitude. Fully fledged young are 

 abroad the first week in July, or somewhat earlier in the southern part 

 of the state. The nest is a neat hole dug by the birds themselves in the 

 dead wood of a trunk or limb, usually at some little height above the ground. 

 In some regions maple seems to be preferred, but nests are often found 

 in willow, poplar, and other soft wood trees. According to Bendire the 

 eggs are usually four, sometimes three or five, rarely if ever more. They 

 are pure white, unspotted, polished, like the eggs of all woodpeckers, and 

 average .93 by .69 inches. 



The food of this species is very similar to that of the Downy Woodpecker, 

 but is of less account to the orchardist, since the present species is less 

 often found outside continuous woods. According to Beal, who reported 

 on 82 stomachs examined at the Department of Agriculture, in Washington, 

 68 percent of the food consisted of animal matter and 31 percent of vege- 

 table matter. Insects formed 63 percent of the food, divided as follows: 

 17 percent ants; 24 percent beetles; 21 percent caterpillars; and 1 percent 

 miscellaneous, including a few plant lice or aphids. Spiders and myriapods 

 formed 4 percent of the food. 



The vegetable matter, 31 percent in all, consisted mostly of wild fruits 

 and a few seeds, with about 8 percent of vegetable rubbish. The fruits 

 most freely eaten were dogwood, Virginia creeper, June berries, strawberries, 

 poke berries and sumac berries, both poisonous and non-poisonous. Eight 

 stomachs contained the seeds of sumac and the distribution of these 

 poisonous seeds seems to be the only harm done by this bird. 



It cannot be claimed that the consumption of insects confers any great 

 benefit upon the agriculturist, since although the percentage of beetles is 

 very large, and many of them are boring beetles, they are all species which 

 work only in dead wood, thus doing practically no harm. A good many 

 caterpillars (21 per cent) are eaten, and about 17 percent of ants, the latter 

 item having very little economic significance. 



This bird and the Downy Woodpecker are wrongly called sapsuckers 

 in many parts of the state, being confused with the Yellow-bellied Wood- 

 pecker or true Sapsucker, which drills the bark of living trees in order to 

 eat the sweet inner bark (cambium) and drink the sap. Neither the Hairy 

 Woodpecker nor the Downy has this habit, and when seen about fruit or 

 shade trees they are never injuring thoni, and usually it is safe to assume 



