CHAPTER XVI. 

 THE WOODPECKERS, KINGFISHERS, AND CUCKOOS. 



THE WOODPECKERS. 



IN a general way each family of birds is set apart to perform 

 certain special functions in the economy of nature. To the 

 woodpeckers has been assigned the task of keeping in check 

 the borers concealed beneath the bark of trees, and, inciden- 

 tally, of devouring any other insects which may be scattered 

 about the trunk and branches. With the single exception 

 of the yellow-bellied species, all our woodpeckers appear to 

 be eminently beneficial. The peculiarities of their structure 

 eminently fit them for their special work : the feet generally 

 have two toes in front and two behind, all armed Avith sharp 

 claws, enabling the birds to hop up trees with ease ; the tail 

 feathers are short, stiff, and rigid, serving as a support when 

 the bird gives hammer-like strokes with its chisel-shaped beak ; 

 and the tongue, in all except the yellow-bellied species, is 

 extensile and generally barbed on the edges near the tip, so 

 that it can be thrust into burrows to impale the occupants. 

 There are about thirty forms of the Picidae the woodpecker 

 family recognized in North America. Most of them remain 

 throughout the year in the localities in which they occur. 



The IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER is the monarch of the family. 

 It is a large, handsome, powerfully built bird, twenty inches 

 long, with a wing expanse of thirty inches. Occurring only 

 in the Southern States, it there is found in the deepest woods 

 and swamps, far away from human habitations. The PILEATED 

 WOODPECKER is a species nearly as large as the one just men- 

 tioned and has similar habits, though it is more generally 

 distributed over the United States. Both are rare birds, 

 inhabiting solitary forests ; on account of their shyness, they 



181 



