230 BIRDS 



trunk of a dead tree or telephone pole. Usually the nests 

 are cavities chiseled into dead tree-trunks, though the birds 

 may use living trees. The young, in the first plumage, are 

 marked by the absence of red on the head. 



Woodpeckers generally are of great value in their pro- 

 tection to trees, but the red-headed woodpecker is of great- 

 est value, as he enjoys nothing more than a meal of young 

 English sparrows just out of the shell. These birds often 

 wedge acorns into cracks in trees and later extract the ker- 

 nel; or an acorn is sometimes pounded to a meal and eaten, 

 or the bird awaits development of larvse in the acorn and 

 eats that. They often catch insects on the wing, as do fly- 

 catchers. 



The birds often alight on a metal cornice or projection 

 and call to their mates, alternately drumming and calling 

 vocally. 



The flight of all woodpeckers is characteristic; they 

 pursue an undulating course, flying perhaps fifty feet 

 until the wings close, and they drop a few feet, again 

 regaining themselves. While generally regarded as migra- 

 tory, if he finds plenty of food, such as beech nuts, he 

 may winter in northern United States. 



Four to six white eggs are deposited in cavity chiseled 

 from a dead tree. 



CALIFORNIA WOODPECKER 



The California Woodpecker and a closely allied sub- 

 species known as the ant-eating woodpecker are inhabitants 

 of California. The plumage is chiefly black, while on the 



