220 BIRDS 



THE IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER* 



In size, though hardly in beauty, this is indeed the prince 

 of woodpeckers, the largest of our North American species. 

 Its length ranges from nineteen to twenty-one inches. There 

 is one other woodpecker, called the Imperial, which is larger, 

 measuring twenty-three or twenty-four inches in length. 



The Ivory-billed is now rare, and is apparently restricted 

 to the extreme Southern States, especially those bordering 

 the Gulf of Mexico. It is also found in western Mexico. 

 It is of a wild and wary disposition, making its home in 

 the dark, swampy woodlands. The dense cypress swamps 

 of Florida are one of its favorite haunts. 



The nest of the ivory-bill is excavated in a tree, about 

 forty feet from the ground, the cavity often being nearly 

 two feet in depth. Three to six glossy, pure white eggs are 

 laid. 



This bird does not remain long in one place, and during 

 the day ranges over an extended territory. Its call is a 

 high, rather nasal yap-yap-yap, sounding in the distance 

 like the note of a penny trumpet. 



All woodpeckers are of value to the farmer. It has 

 been shown that two-thirds to three-fourths of their food 

 consists of insects, chiefly noxious. Wood-boring beetles, 

 both adults and larvae, are conspicuous, and with them are 

 associated many caterpillars, mostly species that burrow into 

 trees. Next in importance are the ants that live in decay- 

 ing wood, all of which are sought by woodpeckers and eaten 

 in great quantities. 



