CHAPTER XI 



WOODPECKERS, CUCKOOS, ETC. 



Paroquets belong to the parrot family. Of the five hun- 

 dred species of this family, only one, the Carolina Paroquet, 

 inhabits eastern North America, as most species are con- 

 fined to the tropics. Two toes extend forward and two 

 backward. The bill is strong and decidedly hooked, the 

 upper mandible being movable, and used in climbing. These 

 are arboreal, fruit-eating, seed-eating birds of bright plu- 

 mage. They are good climbers and strong fliers. Almost 

 all varieties of parrots can be taught to speak. 



Mr. Frank M. Chapman says: "All cuckoos have two 

 toes directed forward and two backward, but the cause or 

 use of this characteristic is difficult to understand, so widely 

 do the members of this family differ in habits. Some are 

 arboreal, never visiting the earth ; some are terrestrial, run- 

 ning with great swiftness, and never perching far above the 

 ground. Most cuckoos — all our thirty-five American spe- 

 cies — have noticeably long tails which they raise and droop 

 slowly just after alighting, or when their curiosity is 

 aroused. Of the 175 known species, only two are found 

 in the Northeastern States. Cuckoos are mysterious birds, 

 well worth watching. I would not imply that their deeds 

 are evil; on the contrary, they are exceedingly beneficial 

 birds. One of their favorite foods is the tent caterpillar 

 which spins the destructive 'worms' nests' in our fruit and 



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