EASTERN HAIRY WOODPECKER 13 



DRYOBATES VILLOSUS VILLOSUS (Linnaeus) 

 EASTERN HAIRY WOODPECKER 



Plate 3 



HABITS 



The hairy woodpecker, with its various subspecies, ranges through- 

 out practically all the timbered regions in North America, but the 

 type race, the subject of this sketch, is confined, during the breeding 

 season at least, to the Transition and Upper Austral Zones of North- 

 eastern United States and extreme southern Canada. 



In the region where I am most familiar with it, southern New 

 England, it is not an abundant bird at any season, quite rare in 

 summer and oftener seen in winter. It is essentially a retiring, for- 

 est-loving bird, being found with us in summer in the dry deciduous 

 woods, or occasionally in rural districts in old orchards near the 

 borders of wooded areas. In winter, it is given more to wandering 

 into villages and towns, or may be seen even in the shade trees in 

 larger cities. 



I remember having found it only twice in swampy woods, but Dr. 

 George M. Sutton (1928b), in his paper on the birds of Pymatuning 

 Swamp, Crawford County, Pa., says : "The hairy woodpecker occurs 

 only rarely in the higher deciduous woods outside the borders of 

 Pymatuning during the nesting season, but it is abundant everywhere 

 in the wooded Swamp, and in the restricted area, closely examined 

 in 1922, was considered one of the most numerous species." 



Courtship. — Francis H. Allen has sent me the following notes on 

 this subject: "The courtship dance consists of a weaving motion of 

 the head, as with the flicker, accompanied by a liigh-pitched cK'weech^ 

 cK'weech, cli'weech^ repeated over and over vociferously. The note 

 is much like that of the flicker, but higher-pitched and more rapidly 

 delivered. Three and sometimes four birds may be seen so engaged 

 together, but I have no observation as to the sexes. In quiet inter- 

 vals in courtship, the head is held with bill parallel with the axis of 

 the body, not at right angles as in feeding." 



Edward H. Forbush (1927) writes: 



On bright March days this bird begins to practise what is either a love 

 song, a challenge, a call to its mate, or all combined. This is no vocal music 

 but instead a loud drumming on some resonant dead tree, branch, or pole. This 

 long roll or tattoo is louder than that of the downy woodpecker, not quite so 

 long, and with a slightly greater interval between each succeeding stroke. It 

 takes a practiced ear, however, to distinguish between the drumming of these 

 two species. In courtship the male chases the female from tree to tree with 

 coaxing calls, and there is much dodging about among the branches and bowing 

 to each other before the union is consummated. 



