on some of the North American Woodpeckers. 53


be seen in pairs, but during the rest of the year they live apart, the

cock making a comfortable and sheltered home for himself, while his

wife has to find her own lodgings where she can. They are very

particular about their nest-making, both working at it ; the entrance

is often placed under the shelter of a branch, just where it grows

out of the trunk ; in this way the nest hole is cleverly sheltered from

wind and rain.


Among the beautiful birds of the forest the Golden-winged

Woodpecker or Flicker (Colaptes ajiratus i holds a high place. He

is rather a large bird, measuring from 12 to 13 in. His neck and

head are greyish-blue, occasionally rather darker on the crown; his

back is golden-brown, shaded with a greenish tint; at the back of

his neck is a crimson crescent-shaped band ; his breast is mauvy-

chocolate, the colour of unopened birch-buds in spring, shading off

to creamy-brown, with clear black spots all over it. There is a curved

band of black across the top of his breast, below the throat, and the

male bird has black cheek-patches. The lining of the wings and

tail are the brightest golden-yellow, which shows very conspicuously

in flight.


The Flickers may often be seen picking up grubs and insects

on the ground, several birds foraging together in small parties.

Their note is more full of changes than that of most of their kind,

and in the spring-time has a sort of Dove-like cooing tone. A

Flicker’s love-making is rather Dove-like too, as he may often he

seen bowing and scraping before his lady-love in a most amusing

way. Like all Woodpeckers, Flickers nest in holes in trees. They

make several borings before they finally settle on that which is to he

the season’s dwelling-place. They sometimes choose to excavate

in a rafter or post, or even in the thick rail of a “ snake-fence.” In

common with others of their species, these Woodpeckers lay pure

white eggs, with a smooth and shiny surface ; the clutch generally

consists of six. Flickers feed on fruits and berries as well as on

insect food ; they are not very shy, and I am sure if taken young

enough would become tame, though I doubt their living long in

captivity. They are really lovely birds, and to watch a Flicker

sitting on a leafy branch, preening his smart feathers in the sunshine

of a summer’s day, is a sight to be remembered.



