14-' 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



behind the white area and connects with the black of 

 back ; under parts, plain dull grayish-white, more whit- 

 ish on chin and throat, the under tail-coverts usually 

 barred or flecked with black ; under wing-coverts, 

 mostly immaculate dull white, but with a black patch ; 

 inner webs of wings, dull slaty with large spots of 

 white, except on rear portion of longer primaries ; bill, 

 dark horn-grayish ; iris, brown or reddish-brown. 

 Adult Female : Similar to the adult male, but without 



any red on head, the band replaced by a white one and 

 this usually divided by a center black area. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : Generally in a dead tree. 

 Ec(is: 4 to 6, white. 



Distribution. — Northern and central parts of eastern 

 North America froin southeastern Alberta, Manitoba, 

 and southern Ungava south to eastern Nebraska. Kan- 

 sas, and the Potomac valley, and in mountains to North 

 Carolina. 



The little black and white Woodpecker of 

 eastern North America has been named the 

 Downy. It is a convenient, homely, and short 

 narne for a genial, friendly little bird.. Maybe 



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Photo by H. I\. i Courtesy of Outing Pub. Co. 



DOWNY WOODPECKER AT WORK 



Tommy Woodpecker would be better, for his 

 boyish, buoyant disposition makes friends for 

 him wherever he goes. He is best known in 

 the open woodland rather than in the dense 

 forest. He seems to be pretty well scattered 

 over the entire area of northeastern America, 

 but never to be very common anywhere. Yet 

 hardly a maple-shaded village, or city park, or 

 farmer's wood lot or thinly timbered swamp but 

 hears the bright, clear, c|uick, rattling call of little 

 Downy. Watch carefully where the call came 

 from, and he may be seen — or sometimes heard 

 and not seen — tapping into a limb of a tree. 

 Or he may swing down, looping across an open 

 space to another tree that promises another grub 



or tree parasite. If he is not too busy he will 

 rattle out his joyous call again to whatever ear 

 may hear. 



The casual observer who does not handle the 

 birds should not expect to find anything downy 

 about the Downy Woodpecker, or hairy about 

 the Hairy Woodpecker. They are both plain 

 black and white Woodpeckers with ordinary 

 looking feathers when viewed from a short 

 distance. Both the Downy and the Hairy Wood- 

 peckers excavate holes during the fall, in which 

 they pass the winter nights. 



There are five other varieties of the Downy 

 scattered over temperate North Ainerica : South- 

 ern Downy Woodpecker (Dryohatcs pubcsccus 

 pubcsccns) in the South Atlantic and Gulf 

 States from North Carolina to eastern Texas; 

 Gairdner's Woodpecker (Dryobafcs pubcsccns 

 gainincri) along the Pacific coast from southern 

 British Columbia to northern California; 



Photo by S. .\. Li>ttvidi;r 



EGGS OF DOWNY WOODPECKER 

 A section of the stub was removed 



