150 BULLETIN 17 4, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



percent consisted of ants and 12 percent of fruits, mostly wild; 

 insects accounted for 11 percent and seeds for 5 percent. 

 Behavior. — Grinnell and Storer (1924) write: 



The Sierra red-breasted sapsucker is iu our experience well-nigli voiceless 

 and its work is done in such a quiet manner that it does not ordinarily attract 

 attention, as do the woodpeckers that are wont to pound noisily. The most 

 vigorous drilling of the sapsucker will scarcely be heard more than a hundred 

 feet away. The bird moves its head through a short arc, an inch or two at 

 the most, giving but slight momentum to the blows. The chips cut away are 

 correspondingly small, mere sawdust as compared with the splinters or slabs 

 chiseled off by other woodpeckers. The strokes are delivered in intermittent 

 series, four or five within a second, then a pause of equal duration, then 

 another short series, and so on. From time to time a longer pause ensues, 

 when the sapsucker withdraws its bill and gazes monocularly at the work. 



Mr. Skinner says, in liis notes: "Although methodical, these birds 

 seem quite nervous, moving from stem to stem. Generally they perch 

 lengthwise of a limb when working or feeding but are apt to perch 

 crosswise when hopping from limb to limb. After a sapsucker has its 

 wells established, it finds it necessary to stay near to guard them 

 from other birds attracted by the sap, or by the insects drawn there. 

 Preening is often done while guarding the wells. The hairy wood- 

 peckers chase these sapsuckers from tree to tree. The Audubon and 

 lutescent warblers literally swarm to the sap-wells in the willows 

 whenever the sapsuckers cease to guard them, but I do not know that 

 there is active antagonism between the species. On one occasion, I 

 saw a young sapsucker chase off a chipmunk that came too near." 



Voice. — Ralph Hoffmann (1927) says that "the ordinary cry is a 

 nasal squeal, chee-ar)% somewhat suggesting the note of a red-bellied 

 hawk." But it is apparently not a noisy bird, as Grinnell and Storer 

 (1924) say that it is "well-nigh voiceless". 



Field marks. — The red head and breast of the adult are unmis- 

 takable and very conspicuous. The young bird might be mistaken 

 for the young of the red-naped sapsucker, as they are much alike, 

 but the head of the red-breasted sapsucker is darker and often shows 

 dull red. The broad, white band in the wing is conspicuous while 

 the bird is perched or when flying; this is common to both adults 

 and young, but the red-naped sapsucker has a very similar white 

 band. 



Winter. — Mr. Dawson (1923) writes: "Sapsuckers are more ex- 

 tensively migratory than any other woodpeckers, save Golaptes, but 

 ruber''s migTations are chiefly altitudinal. Retirement from the un- 

 tenable heights is quite irregular, and dependent upon weather con- 

 ditions. The winter distribution, also, appears somewhat irregular 

 and haphazard. The bird is very quiet and rather stolid in winter, 

 as becomes a bird of high feather. It is, however, quite as likely 

 to be seen in a city park or on a shaded avenue as in a foothill forest." 



