THE CALIFORNIAN WOODPECKER. 



{^Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi.') 



In suitable localities of the Western 

 United States and Mexico, the beautiful 

 Californian Woodpecker enlivens the for- 

 est areas with "its brilliant plumage, 

 lively and familiar habits, and loud 

 notes." It is a notable ornament of the 

 v^oods, and, if encouraged, it will some- 

 times frequent the vicinity of dwellings. 

 This species is partial to the regions of 

 oak trees and is only common in those 

 areas of its range where these trees are 

 abundant, and the altitude which it will 

 reach on the mountain-sides is the limit 

 of the growth of oaks. It is a social 

 bird, much more so, in fact, than any 

 other member of the family and not in- 

 frequently two or more may be seen in 

 the same tree. Dr. J. G. Cooper says : 

 ''They are fond of playing together 

 around the branches, uttering their rat- 

 tling rolls, and often darting off to take 

 a short sail in the air, returning to the 

 same spot." The Californian Wood- 

 pecker has a kindly disposition and 

 usually lives in harmony with its own 

 kind and most of the other species of 

 birds. While it seldom quarrels, it resents 

 with an exhibition of much spirit any 

 thieving from its winter store of food. 

 In many of its habits, it very closely 

 resembles the red-headed woodpecker so 

 familiar in the eastern United States. All 

 observers are agreed that none of the 

 woodpeckers are more restless or active; 

 it is never idle. "No other bird belong- 

 ing to this family could possibly be more 

 industrious." 



Major Charles Bendire, who carefully 

 studied the habits of this Woodpecker, 

 says: "During the spring and summer 

 its food consists, to a great extent, of 

 insects, including grasshoppers, ants,, 

 beetles, and different species of flies, var- 

 ied occasionally wth fruit, such as cher- 

 ries, which are carried off whole, apples, 

 figs, and also berries and green corn ; but 

 acorns always form its principal food 

 supply during the greater part of the 

 year, and large numliers are stored away 



by it in the thick bark of pines, as well 

 as in the dry and partly rotten limbs of 

 oaks and other trees, also in telegraph 

 poles and fence posts." While it hunts 

 for its insect food among decayed 

 branches, it also gleans among the crev- 

 ices of the bark. In fact, it seems to 

 spend less time than do some of the other 

 species of woodpeckers in chiselling 

 through the bark and wood of trees for 

 hidden boring insects. At certain sea- 

 sons, it is never too busy to cling to 

 some dead branch and drum by the hour, 

 a pleasure which it shares with its east- 

 ern relative, the red-head. 



•A most interesting habit of these 

 Woodpeckers, and one that is peculiar 

 to them, is that of storing acorns in cavi- 

 ties chiselled for their reception. This 

 habit, however, seems to be confined to 

 those birds that frequent the coastal 

 regions of their range. Major Bendire 

 says : "I have seen the thick bark of 

 large sugar and other pines, as well as 

 partly decayed oak limbs and telegraph 

 poles, completely riddled with small holes. 

 Some trees certainly contained thou- 

 sands of holes. A section of a partly 

 decayed oak limb now before me, which 

 is three feet two inches long and five 

 and one-half inches in diameter, of 

 which only about three-fifths of the sur- 

 face has been utilized (the remainder 

 having probably been found too solid) 

 contained two hundred and fifty-five 

 holes by actual count. These holes are 

 circular, and average about three-quar- 

 ters of an inch in depth by half an inch 

 in diameter ; each one is intended to hold 

 a single acorn, and they are generally 

 placed from half an inch to an inch 

 apart. The acorns fit these holes pretty 

 accurately, and are apparently always 

 driven in point foremost, the base of the 

 acorn being flush with the surrounding 

 wood and not readily extracted." Tele- 

 graph poles have been observed which 

 were simply filled with these holes and 

 Major Bendire tells of a black pine tree 



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