Woodland Birds 



wings hide a patch of peculiarly vivid yellow on 

 the rump, which, however, makes the bird a con- 

 spicuous object as it flies from tree to tree with 

 its curious undulating flight. The crown is 

 crimson, and the male has a broad moustachial 

 stripe of the same colour, that serves to dis- 

 tinguish it from the female, in whose case the 

 stripe is black. 



The Green Woodpecker is quite a common 

 bird in well-wooded districts of the south of 

 England, where old decaying trees form never- 

 failing storehouses of their food. From York- 

 shire northwards they become increasingly rare, 

 and from Ireland only three records are forth- 

 coming. 



Two other species are indigenous to this 

 country, both belonging to the Pied Wood- 

 peckers. As the name implies, their general 

 colouring is black and white, but a marked 

 difference in their size prevents confusion. Ac- 

 cordingly, they are known as the Great and 

 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, but many people 

 object to the terminology on the ground that it 

 is cumbrous, and would substitute the names 

 " Spotted" and " Barred" Woodpeckers respec- 

 tively. The male birds of both species are adorned 

 with a handsome crimson crown, which is denied 

 to the opposite sex, though the female Lesser 

 Spotted Woodpecker is to some extent compen- 

 sated by a crown of brownish yellow. That 



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