168 BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



GENUS SPHYRAPICUS BAIRD. 

 Sphyrapicus varius (LiNN.). 



Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; Yellow-bellied \Vood pecker. 



DESCRIPTION {Plate 77). 



Length about 8| inches ; extent about 15 ; male, crown, chin and throat bright red ; 

 female has chin and throat white, and crown mostly red, but sometimes black ; 

 breast, both sexes black, and belly yellow ; this latter color brightest in young birds. 

 Upper parts varied with black, yellowish and white ; broad white stripe on edge of 

 wing-coverts. Tail feathers mostly black, except inner webs of middle pair, which 

 are mainly white. 



Habitat. North America, north and east of the great plains, south to the West 

 Indies, Mexico and Guatemala. 



The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker breeds from the northern United 

 States northward, and although found breeding in this state (in mount- 

 ainous and elevated regions) it is classed with our rare breeders. Occa- 

 sionally a few of these birds are found here in winter. Generally speak- 

 ing, however, the Yellow-bellied Woodpeckers are to be observed as 

 somewhat common spring and fall migrants, which arrive in this region 

 early in April, and soon disappear to return again, but not earlier than 

 the last week in September. During their visits in the spring these 

 birds are much less abundant than in the autumn, and are seen prin- 

 cipally in the woods, although I have, in many instances, observed them 

 in apple orchards. While they sojourn with us in the fall, they evince 

 a strong disposition to frequent apple trees ; often as many as six or 

 eight of these birds can be secured in a small orchard. All woodpeck- 

 ers have a common habit of hiding behind limbs, or sometimes in holes, 

 etc., as you approach a tree on which they are feeding, and usually they 

 continually shift their positions to escape notice. When hunting- in 

 apple orchards, particularly in the fall, I have repeatedly seen the Yel- 

 low-bellied Woodpecker slip behind a limb, and remain perfectly mo- 

 tionless, as if he understood that the color of his back, not unlike the 

 general appearance of the bark or lichens, against which he rested, 

 might aid him in eluding observation. Oftentimes I have made two or 

 three circuits about trees where these birds were thus hiding, and gen- 

 erally noticed that they would not move until convinced by my actions 

 that they had been discovered. Of all our woodpeckers, the subject of 

 this present sketch, is probably the most expert in capturing insects on 

 the wing ; this bird, oftentimes, like the Common Pewee or other fly- 

 catchers, may be seen to start from a limb and seize its passing prey. 

 This bird, like the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, is frequently seen 

 clinging to the small twigs of various trees and bushes collecting in- 

 sects or picking at berries. The Yellow-bellied Woodpecker is the only 

 representative of the genus Sphyrapicus found east of the Mississippi 

 river; two species and one sub-species of this genus occur in the Rocky 

 mountain and Pacific coast regions of the United States. 



