MODOC WOODPECKER 43 



Young. — Grinnell, Dixon, and Linsdale (1930) write: "Near Eagle 

 Lake Resort on June 12, 1929, an adult %Yas feeding a nestful of 

 young woodpeckers in a cavity three meters up in a yellow-pine stub 

 close to the lake. The nest hole had been freshly cut. Only the 

 female was seen to carry food. The young were large enough to be 

 fed without the parent entirely entering the cavity. Wlien the ob- 

 server walked near the nest stub the parent became much excited 

 and flew about calling loudly for several minutes. The young birds 

 called when the parent came with food." 



Food. — Grinnell and Storer (1924) say: 



The Modoc Woodpecker forages on both evergreen and deciduous trees, favor- 

 ing the latter, perhaps, during the winter months. In summer it is usually 

 rather quiet, particularly so as compared with the noisy California Woodpecker. 

 It gains much of its food in the outer portions of the bark, where a few strokes 

 of moderate intensity enable it to secure any insect or grub living near the 

 surface of the tree. 



At the margin of the forest above Coiilterville, May 31, 1915, a Modoc Wood- 

 Ijecker was seen foraging in a yellow pine. The tree in question had recently 

 been killed by the boring beetles which were common in the western forests 

 that year. The woodpecker was going over the tree in systematic manner, 

 working out and in along one branch, then ascending the trunk to the next 

 branch where it would repeat the performance. The bird was flaking off the 

 outer layers of the bark without much evident expenditure of effort, for little 

 noise of tapping was heard ; it was feeding presumably on the boring beetles or 

 their larvae. 



Bendire (1895) writes: "It is one of our most active Woodpeckers, 

 always busy searching for food, which consists principally of inju- 

 rious larvae and eggs of insects, varied occasionally with a diet of small 

 berries and seeds, and in winter sometimes of pifion nuts, pine seeds, 

 and acorns. At this season I have often seen this species around 

 slaughter houses, picking up stray bits of meat or fat, and have also 

 seen it pecking at haunches of venison hung up in the open air." 



Behavior. — Mr. Skinner says, in his notes, that "the Modoc hairy 

 seems very unsociable. One that was feeding on a cottonwood chased 

 a visiting red-breasted sapsucker away from that tree to another, and 

 then from tree to tree. But, when a California woodpecker came to 

 its tree, the Modoc hairy promptly flew away." 



Voice. — ^IMajor Bendire (1895) says that this woodpecker "is very 

 noisy, especially in the early spring. It likewise is a great drummer, 

 and utters a variety of notes, some of which sound like 'kick-kick, 

 whitoo, whitoo, whit-whit, wi-wi-wi-wi,' and a hoarse guttural one, 

 somewhat like 'klieak-kheak' or 'khack-khack'." 



