THE AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER 



{Pico ides ainericaiiiis.) 



The range of the American Three- 

 toed Woodpecker, which is also called 

 the Banded Three-toed Woodpecker, 

 covers northern North America from the 

 northern portion of the United States, 

 northward to the Arctic regions. Within 

 the United States, with a very few ex- 

 ceptions, it has been observed only east 

 of the Rocky Mountains, and it is much 

 rarer in the western than in the eastern 

 portion of this part of its range. While 

 it has been known to breed, but only in 

 small numbers in Maine, the White 

 ^Mountains in New Hampshire, and in 

 the Adirondack Mountains in New 

 York, it is principally only a winter visi- 

 tant within our borders. It has been 

 the experience of nearly all observers 

 who hav^e been able to study the habits 

 of this Woodpecker that they are usually 

 solitary, excepting during the breeding 

 season and when followed by their 

 young, and it is seldom that two indi- 

 viduals are found near each other. The 

 bird is said to frequent all spruce and fir 

 forests from Lake Superior northward 

 to the northern limit of trees. 



The nests of these Woodpeckers are 

 usually excavated in dead trees, usually 

 in rather deep forests. Dr. Merriam 

 found numerous nests in the Adiron- 

 dacks in June, 1883. Most of these were 

 in flooded timber and varied in height 

 above the water from five to twelve feet. 

 He found them in spruce, tamarack, 

 pine, balsam and cedar trees. Major 

 Bendire says : "Nidification, even in 

 the most northern parts of its range, 

 seems to commence about the same time 

 as it does in the Adirondacks, long be- 

 fore the ice and snow disappear. The 

 usual number of eggs laid appears to 

 be four, and both sexes assist in incuba- 

 tion." The eggs are usually found lying 

 on the decayed remains of the tree at the 



bottom of the excavation. The pure 

 white eggs are ovate in form and the 

 shell is not very glossy. In the Bulletin 

 of the Nuttall Ornithological , Club pub- 

 lished in 1878, Dr. ]\Ierriam gives a very 

 interesting account of finding an occu- 

 pied nest of this Woodpecker in the Adi- 

 rondack region of New York state. He 

 says : ''We had just crossed the bound- 

 ary line between Lewis and Herkimer 

 Counties (New York), when Mr. Bagg 

 called my attention to a 'fresh hole' about 

 eight feet from the ground, in a spruce 

 tree near by. On approaching the tree, 

 a yellow crown appeared in the hole, 

 showing that the male bird was 'at home.' 

 To prevent his escape I jumped toward 

 the tree and introduced three fingers, 

 which were immediately punctured in a 

 manner so distasteful to their proprietor 

 as to necessitate an immediate withdraw- 

 al and exchange for the muzzle of my 

 friend's gun. A handkerchief was next 

 crowded into the hole, and was instantly 

 riddled and driven out by a few blows 

 from his terrible bill." Dr. Merriam 

 finally secured the male bird and exam- 

 ined the nest. With instruments he sawed 

 a block from the face of the nest and ob- 

 tained uninjured the four nearly fresh 

 eggs which it contained. The opening of 

 the nest w^as about eight feet above the 

 ground and was about one and one-half 

 inches in diameter, and the cavity was 

 about ten inches deep. 



In its habits, this Three-toed Wood- 

 pecker quite resembles our common hairy 

 Woodpecker, except that its food is 

 chiefly gathered from the decaying trees 

 of the cone bearing family. It is said 

 to spend much time upon the pines and 

 spruces in search of food, which con- 

 sists chiefly of wood-boring insects and 

 their larvae. 



167 



