WOODPECKERS. 235 



This is a common bird in our Southern States. It inhabits alike 

 coniferous and deciduous growths, but prefers the latter. It ascends 

 a tree in a curious, jerky fashion, accompanying each upward move 

 by a hoarse chuh-chuh. 



412. Colaptes auratus (Linn.). FLICKER; HIGH-HOLE; CLAPE: 



YELLOW-HAMMER ; GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. Ad. $ . Top of the head 

 ashy gray, a bright scarlet band across the back of the neck ; back, wing- 

 coverts, and exposed part of secondaries brownish gray, barred with black ; 

 rump white ; primaries black externally, the inner surface of the wing and 

 the shafts of the feathers yellow ; upper tail-coverts barred or streaked with 

 black and white ; tail black above, yellow tipped with black below, the outer 

 edges of the feathers slightly margined or barred with white ; sides of the 

 head, throat, and upper breast vinaceous ; a broad black stripe on either side 

 of the throat from the base of the bill, and a broad black crescent across the 

 breast ; rest of the under parts white, more or less tinged with vinaceous, and 

 thickly spotted with black. Ad. 9 . Similar, but without the black streaks 

 on the side of the throat. L., 12-00 ; W., 6-00 ; T., 4-00 ; B., 1-40. 



Remarks. Exceptional specimens have a few red feathers in the throat 

 stripes. A male from Louisiana has this mark entirely red and the head gray- 

 ish brown, while another specimen from Toronto has half the tail orange-red. 

 These unusual markings are supposed to be due to hybridization of our Flicker 

 with the western or Red-shafted Flicker, which resembles the eastern species 

 in pattern of coloration, but has the crown brownish gray or grayish brown, 

 the throat stripes scarlet, the throat and breast gray, the under surface of 

 wings and tail dull red, and lacks the red nuchal band. (See an important 

 paper on the relationships of these birds by Dr. J. A. Allen, in the Bull. Am. 

 Mus. Nat. Hist., iv, 1892, pp. 21-44). 



Range. North America, west to the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains 

 and Alaska ; breeds throughout its range, and winters from Illinois and Massa- 

 chusetts southward. 



Washington, common S. R., rare W. V. Sing Sing, common S. R., Mch. 

 25 to Oct. 30 ; a few winter. Cambridge, very common S. R., common W. V. 



Nest, in trees, about ten feet from the ground, frequently in orchards. 

 J?ggs, five to nine, 1-10 x -86. 



The habits, notes, and colors of this well-known bird are reflected 

 in the popular names which have been applied to it throughout its 

 wide range. No less than thirty-six of these aliases have been re- 

 corded, and many have doubtless escaped the compiler. 



The Flicker is a bird of character. Although a Woodpecker, he 

 is too original to follow in the footsteps of others of his tribe. They 

 do not frequent the ground, but that is no reason why he should not 

 humor his own terrestrial propensities, and we may therefore fre- 

 quently flush him from the earth, when, with a low chuckle, he goes 

 bounding off through the air, his white rump showing conspicuously 

 as he flies. 



