376 Pileated Woodpecker 



to it as long as it can find a suitable spot at which to excavate a new 

 hole. It never uses the same hole a second time. I know of a pair of 

 these birds which resorted to the same tree for four consecutive years, 

 and each year they excavated a new hole. 



"Another pair of these Woodpeckers bred in a gigantic dead pine for 

 three years, and as an illustration that their large holes are in great 

 demand by other birds, and even mammals, for breeding purposes, I will 

 state that on April 16, 1903, there were three species breeding in the 

 same tree, namely Pileated Woodpecker, four eggs, at a height of 54 

 feet ; Fox Squirrel, at 70 feet ; and Sparrow Hawk, at approximately 

 90 feet from the ground all living together in perfect harmony ! 



"If this bird is deprived of its first set of eggs, it at once excavates 

 a new hole, and the length of time consumed in its construction is about 

 twenty-five days." 



The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the noisest tenants of the heavy 



forests and wooded swamps which it inhabits. Particularly is this true 



during the mating-season and after the young have 



left the nest. They have a long rolling cry which 



strongly suggests similar notes produced by the 



Flicker, except that they are louder and the intervals between the calls 



are slightly longer. At times they become extremely animated, and 



two or three will gather on the trunk of some tree or the larger limbs 



and engage in querulous, conversational, ivick-y-up notes which again 



suggest the actions and calls of the Flicker. 



In flight the bird does not proceed with undulating movements com- 

 mon to many Woodpeckers. The flight is more or less directed in a 

 straight line. The white underparts and the large white blotches on 

 the wings contrast strongly with the black back. The white wing-area 

 shows so plainly that one may,, of ten discover the bird flying at a dis- 

 tance by the heliostatic flashes of white. 



Although, as already indicated, the food consists largely of an animal 

 diet, the bird also is fond of certain forms of wild berries, and one pre- 

 sents an awkward and ungainly appearance as, in an uncertain and more 

 or less laborious manner, it seeks to retain its perch and gather berries 

 among the small twigs. 



The Pileated Woodpecker is found over a wide range of North 

 America. From southern Florida, middle Texas and California it is 

 distributed in suitable localities as far north as British Columbia, central 

 Quebec and Newfoundland. 



Of recent years, ornithologists have regarded the species as being 

 composed of two varieties, the Northern Pileated Woodpecker, embrac- 

 ing those individuals found along the Alleghany Mountains and north- 

 ward throughout its Canadian range. 



The bird has a variety of local names such as 'Cock-of-the- Woods/ 

 and 'Log-Cock.' One of the most popular in the South is 'Good-God/ 



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