Conspicuously Black and White 
side of neck. Wings, with six white bands crossing them 
transversely; white underneath. 
Female—Similar, but without scarlet on the nape, which is white. 
Range—Eastern North America, from Labrador to Florida. 
Migrations—Resident all the year throughout its range. 
The downy woodpecker is similar to his big relative, the 
hairy woodpecker, in color and shape, though much smaller. 
His outer tail feathers are white, barred with black, but the 
hairy’s white outer tail feathers lack these distinguishing marks. 
He is often called a sapsucker—though quite another bird 
alone merits that name—from the supposition that he bores into 
the trees for the purpose of sucking the sap ; but his tongue is ill 
adapted for such use, being barbed at the end, and most orni- 
thologists consider the charge libellous. It has been surmised ” 
that he bores the numerous little round holes close together, so 
often seen, with the idea of attracting insects to the luscious sap. 
The woodpeckers never drill for insects in live wood. The 
downy actually drills these little holes in apple and other trees to 
feed upon the inner milky bark of the tree—the cambium layer. 
The only harm to be laid to his account is that, in his zeal, he 
sometimes makes a ring of small holes so continuous as to inad- 
_ vertently damage the tree by girdling it. The bird, like most 
others, does not debar himself entirely from fruit diet, but enjoys 
berries, especially poke-berries. 
He is very social with birds and men alike. In winter he 
attaches himself to strolling bands of nuthatches and chickadees, 
and in summer is fond of making friendly visits among village’ 
folk, frequenting the shade trees of the streets and grapevines 
of back gardens. He has even been known to fearlessly peck at 
flies on window panes. 
In contrast to his large brother woodpecker, who is seldom 
drawn from timber lands, the little downy member of the family 
brings the comfort of his cheery presence to country homes, 
beating his rolling tattoo in spring on some resonant limb under 
our windows in the garden with a strength worthy of a larger 
drummer. 
This rolling tattoo, or drumming, answers several purposes: 
by it he determines whether the tree is green or hollow; it startles 
insects from their lurking places underneath the bark, and it 
also serves as a love song. 
56 
