THE RED-HEADED WOODPECKER 



By FLORENCE MERRIAM BAILEY 



Tl^t i^ational ^33oriation ot jaudubon ^ocirtiee 



EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 43 



The Woodpeckers are a band of foresters most of whom spend their Hves 

 saving trees. Many of them do their work hidden in the dark forests, but the Red- 

 heads hunt largely out in plain sight of passers-by. Why ? Because, while they 

 devour enough enemies of the trees to deserve the name of foresters, they are 

 particularly fond of vegetable foods and large beetles found in the open. 



Watch one of the handsome Red-headed birds on a fence. Down he drops 

 to pick up an ant or a grasshopper from the ground; then up he shoots to catch 

 a wasp or beetle in the air. Nor does he stop with fly-catching. Nutting — beech- 

 nutting — is one of his favorite pastimes; while berries, fruits, and seeds are all 

 to his taste. If, in his appreciation of the good things that man offers, the Red- 

 head on rare occasions takes a bit more cultivated fruit or berries than his rightful 

 share, his attention should be diverted by planting some of his favorite w'ild 

 fruits, such as dogwood, mulberry, elderberry, chokecherry, or wild black cherry. 



But, in judging of what is a bird's fair share of man's crops, many things 



should be considered. Food is bought for the Canary and other house pets; 



and many people who do not care for caged pets buy food for the wild birds 



summer and winter, to bring them to their houses. Flowers cost something, too. 



But without birds and flowers, what would the country be? Before raising his 



hand against a bird, a man should think of many things. A man who is unfair to 



a bird is unfair to himself. 



It would be a stingy man, indeed, who would begrudge the 



Feeding Woodpeckers their acorns and beechnuts. While the leaves are 



Habits ^ 



still green on the trees, the Redheads discover the beechnuts and 



go to work. "It is a truly beautiful sight," Dr. Merriam says, "to watch these 



magnificent birds creeping about after the manner, of Warblers, among the 



small branches and twigs, which bend low with their weight, while picking and 



husking the tender nuts." 



The nuts are not always eaten on the spot, for, like their famous California 

 cousins, the Redheads store up food for winter use. All sorts of odd nooks and 

 crannies serve the Redheads for storehouses — knot-holes, pockets under patches 

 of raised bark, cracks between shingles and in fences, and even railroad ties. 

 Sometimes, instead of nuts, grasshoppers and other eatables are put away in 

 storage. The wise birds at times make real caches, concealing their stores by 

 hammering dow-n pieces of wood or bark over them. 



Beechnuts are such a large part of the fall and winter food of the Redheads 



(86) 



