FLICKER (Colaptes auratus) 
Length, 13 inches. The yellow under surface 
of the wing, yellow tail shafts, and white rump 
are characteristic. 
Range: Breeds in the eastern United States 
west to the plains and in the forested parts of 
Canada and Alaska; winters in most of the 
eastern United States. 
Habits and economic status: The flicker in- 
habits the open country rather than the forest 
and delights in park-like regions where trees 
are numerous and scattered. It nests in any 
large cavity in a tree and readily appropriates 
an artificial box. It is possible, therefore, to 
insure the presence of this useful bird about 
the farm and to increase its numbers. It is the 
most terrestrial of our woodpeckers and pro- 
cures much of its food from the ground. The 
largest item of animal food is ants, of which 
the flicker eats more than any other common 
bird. Ants were found in 524 of the 684 stom- 
achs examined and 98 stomachs contained no 
other food. One stomach contained over 5,000 
and two others held over 3,000 each. While 
bugs are not largely eaten by the flicker, one 
stomach contained 17 chinch bugs. Wild fruits 
are next to ants in importance in the flicker’s 
dietary. Of these sour gum and wild black 
cherry stand at the head. The food habits of 
this bird are such as to recommend it to com- 
plete protection. 
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER 
(Sphyrapicus varius) 
Length, about 8% inches. Only woodpecker 
having top of head from base of bill red, com- 
bined with a black patch on breast. 
Range: Breeds in northern half of the 
United States and southern half of Canada; 
winters in most of the States and south to 
Costa Rica. 
Habits and economic status: The yellow- 
bellied sapsucker is rather silent and suspicious 
and generally manages to have a tree between 
himself and the observer. Hence the bird is 
much better known by its works than its ap- 
pearance. The regular girdles of holes made 
by this bird are common on a great variety of 
trees; in all about 250 kinds are known to be 
attacked. Occasionally young trees are killed 
outright, but more loss is caused by stains and 
other blemishes in the wood which result from 
sapsucker punctures. These blemishes, which 
are known as bird pecks, are especially nu- 
merous in hickory, oak, cypress, and yellow 
poplar. The two principal components of the 
vegetable food are wild fruits of no impor- 
tance and cambium (the layer just beneath the 
bark of trees). In securing the cambium the 
bird does the damage above described. The 
yellow-bellied sapsucker, unlike other wood- 
peckers, thus does comparatively little good 
and much harm. 
aa il Da 
Photograph by George Shiras, 3rd - 
SAP BASINS MADE IN BARK BY A SAPSUCKER 
The regularity of the holes shows that this bird is methodical. The basins were made 
in six weeks, probably by one bird, and served not only to collect sap, but also to catch flies 
attracted by the sweet fluid. 
