46 



Cuckoos 



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Yellow-billed cuckoo. 



The Cuckoos are quiet shy birds living in groves or woods, frequently in 

 orchards. Two species occur in this Province, the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, Coccy- 

 zus americanus, and the Black-Billed Cuckoo, C. erythrothalmus. They live 

 largely on insect food, which consists of beetles, grasshoppers, bugs, ants, flies and 

 caterpillars. Caterpillars and grasshoppers constitute more than three-fourths of 

 their food. All kinds of caterpillars are eaten, even the hairy and bristly species 

 which are rejected by most other birds. They are especially valuable birds in an 

 orchard. It has been estimated that a single cuckoo, during the time that it re- 

 mains in its southern range, destroys about three thousand caterpillars. The writer 

 has observed them, after eating caterpillars until satisfied, crushing them in itp 

 bill and then throwing them to the ground ; but this may not be a common practice. 



The Woodpeckers 



The Woodpeckers are well-known birds. They live largely in trees, from 

 which they obtain the greater part of their food and in which they dig holes for 

 their nests. They are well adapted for their arboreal life, as their toes are fur- 

 nished with strong, sharp claws which assist them in clinging to an upright surface. 

 The feathers of the tail are stiff and pointed and serve as a prop when the bird is 

 digging out the insect larvae which forms its chief food. They live chiefly on the 

 larvae of wood-boring beetles, and are efficient destroyers of these destructive forest 

 pests. They also feed on ants and beetles and a small amount of vegetable matter, 

 such as wild fruits. Unfortunately they are conspicuous and noisy and mostly 

 unwary, so they are an easy mark for every passing gunner. 



