28 



THE FOOD OF WOODPECKERS. 



YBLLO'W-BBLLIED ■WOODPECKER OR SAPSUCKER. 



(Sphyrapicus varius. ) 



This species is probably the most migratory of all our woodpeckers, 

 breeding only in the most northerly parts of the United States, and in 

 some of the mountains farther south. In the fall it ranges southward, 

 spending the winter iu most of the Eastern States. It is less generally 

 distributed than some of the other woodpeckers, being quite unknown 

 in some sections and very abundant in others. For instance, Dr. C. 

 Hart Merriam states that in the Adirondack region during migration it 



.tc' 



' in 



Fig, 4. — Yellow-bellied Woodpecker or Sapaucker. 



outnumbers all other species of the family together, and throughout the 

 summer is second in numbers only to the Hairy Woodpecker; and at 

 Mount Ghocorua, ISTew Hampshire, Mr. Frank Bolles found it the most 

 abundant species. Iu Minnesota also it is very common. On the other 

 hand, near my home in Massachusetts only two or three were observed 

 each year; and during a residence of eight years in Iowa it was noted 

 only three or four times. 



