156 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



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

 Liut sometimes in a living tree, telegraph pole, or fence 

 post. Eggs: 4 to 6. white. 



Distribution. — Eastern United States and British 

 provinces from southeastern British Columbia, Wyo- 

 ming, Colorado, and Texas, east to the Atlantic coast ; 

 north, regularly, to northern New York (breeding in 



Adirondack region), Ontario, Manitoba, central Alberta, 

 and southwestern Saskatchewan (rare) ; south to south- 

 ern Florida and Gulf coast to Te.xas ; rare and local 

 east of the Hudson, where breeding, however, north 

 to Vermont ; casual in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, 

 Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona ; irregularly migratory 

 in northern parts of its range. 



With the exception of the Flicker the Red- 

 headed Woodpecker is more often seen in the 

 open than any other Woodpecker. His favorite 

 places seem to be the dead tops of forest trees 

 and tracts of forest that have been burned leav- 

 ing only dead stubs. Lacking these natural sites 

 he will build his home in telegraph poles, fence 

 posts, and similar places. 



The Red-headed Woodpecker adds grasshop- 

 pers and flies to the regular Woodpecker diet. 

 When he sees a grasshopper he wants he springs 

 upon it and then, unlike the Flicker who remains 

 on the ground hopping about, he returns to his 

 look-out station on the dead stub or fence post. 

 He will pursue a fly for some distance through 

 the air, and having caught it he again returns 

 to his original position to wait for another. 



The Red-headed Woodpecker is very fond of 

 beech nuts and other mast. Years in which 

 such food is plentiful he will lay away in the 

 crevices of trees a supply for the winter and it 

 seems to make no difference to him whether later 

 on he eats these same nuts or whether he eats 

 the grubs which have discovered his pantry. 

 Whether or not he spends the winter in the same 

 jilace where he has passed the sttmnier seems to 

 depend upon the supply of mast. 



This member of the Woodpecker family is 

 more noisy than his relatives. Mr. Dawson thus 

 describes this characteristic ; " The woods and 

 groves resound with their loud calls, Oiicc-o — 

 quee-o — queer. These queer cries are not un- 

 pleasant. When one of them flies into a tree 

 where others are gathered, all set up an outcry 

 of yarroiu, yarrozv, yarrozi', which does not stib- 

 side until the newcomer has had time to shake 

 hands all around at least twice. Besides these 

 more familiar sounds the Red-heads boast an 

 unfathomed repertory of chirping, cackling, and 

 raticous noises. The youngsters, especially — 

 awkward, saucy fellows that most of them are — 

 sometimes get together and raise a fearful racket 

 until some of the older ones, otit-stentored, in- 

 terpose." 



The red, white, and black of the plumage of 

 this Woodpecker are striking marks. In certain 

 lights the black shows a bluisli tint and it is not 



unusual to hear that a red, white, and blue bird 

 has been seen. This coloration has earned for 

 Red-head the names of " Patriotic Bird " and 

 " Flag Bird." Mrs. Mabel Osgood \\'right says 



Drawing by R. I. Brasher 



RED-HEADED WOODPECKER (\ nat. size) 

 " He wears the German flag." — Mrs. Wright 



that " he is an tmmistakable bird, when you are 

 luckv enough to see him, for he boldly wears 

 the German flag in his red, white, and black 

 feathers." Like other highly colored birds he 

 has paid the usual toll to gunners. 



No species of Woodpecker in this country, 

 with the possible exception of the Yellow-bellied 

 Sapsucker, has been the subject of so much ad- 

 verse criticism as the Red-head. It has been 



