128 KINGFISHER 



flies before you the large white spot on his lower 

 back will name him. He is a vigorous, dashing bird, 

 and he and his comrades make a jolly racket in the 

 woods with their drumming, hammering and loud 

 cries. His song, wicka-wicka-zvicka, Audubon calls 

 " a prolonged, jovial laugh." 



Unlike other Woodpeckers, the Flicker spends 

 much time on the ground, where he hunts ants — his 

 favorite food. Thrusting his long,, barbed, sticky 

 tongue into an ant-hill, he draws out numbers at a 

 time; three thousand were found in one Flicker 

 stomach. 



The Flicker's hole is in a dead or half-dead tree, 

 or in an old stump, and is at varying heights above 

 the ground — " two and a half to sixty feet, mostly 

 between ten and twenty feet." The eggs are pure 

 white, and have a lustre as if enameled. The usual 

 number is six or seven, but if the nest is robbed, the 

 bird keeps on laying, and there is a record of thirty- 

 seven eggs having been taken from one nest. 



Belted Kingfisher: Ceryle alcyon. 



Length 13 inches. 



Upper parts and high crest bhiish-gray; a white spot be- 

 fore the eye. 



Under parts white, a bluish band across the breast. 

 Female, band and sides brown instead of bkie. 

 Resident (common) all the year. 



The Kingfisher is a big bird, considerably larger 

 than the Robin, with a conspicuous crest and a very 

 long, heavy bill. He is found along streams wher- 

 ever there are good fishing places, and is frequently 

 seen from Rock Creek bridge in the Zoological Park. 

 He stations himself on a branch overhanging the 



