CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO 



THE WOODPECKER FAMILY 



THE woodpeckers can easily be distinguished from 

 other birds by their wavering flight and their habit 

 of drilling holes in trees. They spend much time on 

 dead limbs where there is no foliage to conceal them. 

 Most kinds show some bright red color on the head of 

 the male, and many species on the head of the female 

 also. Many have conspicuous white patches sharply 

 contrasted with black or brown. They do not sing, but 

 have loud call notes more or less pleasing to the ear. In 

 most parts of the country several species of woodpeckers 

 may be seen, three or more of them at any time of the 

 year. They drill into wood for grubs, which they extract 

 with their stiff, barbed tongues. 



Nests of the woodpeckers. For nests woodpeckers 

 make holes in tree trunks or limbs. These lead inward 

 a short distance and then down several inches, or, in 

 the case of the larger species, more than a foot. On the 

 chips at the bottom are laid the white, unspotted eggs. 

 When they are not nesting, they resort to shallower 

 hollows for protection at night and during storms. 



Adaptations to mode of life. Examined closely, a 

 woodpecker will be seen to be well adapted to its mode of 

 life. Unlike any of the birds previously studied, they 

 have only two toes in front", the fourth or outer toe being 

 turned back to aid in grasping the bark (Fig. 222). 

 The hind toes are longer than those of most birds, and 

 all the claws are sharp and strongly curved. The legs 

 are short. The tail also is used to support the bird as it 

 clings to the side of a tree and is adapted to this purpose, 



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