WOODPECKERS 



511 



Forest-dwellers, like their allies, they feed 

 upon fruit, seeds, insects, bark, and buds ; but 

 so noiseless are they said to be when feeding 

 that their presence is betrayed only by the 

 falling of berries they have accidentally released. 



It is interesting to note that the geographical 

 range of the barbet is much wider than that of 

 its immediate allies, extending through tropical 

 Asia, Africa, and America, 



The Woodpecker Tribe constitutes a large 

 group, generally divided into two sections — the 

 Woodpeckers and the Wrynecks. 



The former are characterised by their large 

 heads and very powerful bills and long and ex- 

 ceedingly stiff tails. The feet are also peculiar, 

 two toes pointing directly forwards and two 

 backwards. Beak, feet, and tail are all specially 

 adapted to the peculiar habits of these birds, 

 which pass their lives upon trees, climbing the 

 trunks, and searching the interstices of the bark 



Pnol„ by A. S. Rudhnd tEl Son, 



A FAMILY OF GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS 



T/iis •woodpccktr is a British species 



ehoto by A. S. Rudland <V Sms 



HONEY-GUIDE 



T/!e name is bestowed on account of its remarkable habit of draivmg 

 attention to bees' nests 



for ants, or drilling holes into the un- 

 sound portions of the trunk itself for 

 the purpose of extracting the grubs 

 which feed upon decaying wood. 



That ants and other small insects 

 form the staple diet of the woodpecker 

 is evident from the extraordinary length 

 of the tongue. This is a long, worm- 

 like structure, capable of being pro- 

 truded many inches from the beak, and 

 covered with a sticky secretion, so that, 

 thrust into colonics of ants, it quiclcly 

 becomes coveredwith them, to be with- 

 drawn immediateU' into the mouth 

 and cleared again for further action. 



Woodpeckers are all birds of 

 bright plumage, some particularly 

 so, and have a wide geographical 

 distribution, inhabiting all parts of 

 the world save Madagascar, the 

 Australasian region, and Egypt. 



Three species occur in the British 

 Islands, though they are exceedingly 

 rare in Scotland and Ireland. The 

 Green Woodpecker is a particularly 

 handsome bird. Grass-green is the 

 predominating colour of its livery, 

 relieved by a light scarlet cap, a 

 golden patch over the lower part of 

 the back, and chequered bars on the 

 wings and quills. 



