BARRED WOODPECKER. g 



are extended at full length. The-call note of the Barred 

 Woodpecker is an often-repeated, rather shrill, and long 

 drawn keek, keek, keek, keek ! This call he utters after 

 having flown some little distance, but rarely when on the 

 wing ; and during the pairing season he sits on the top of 

 some tree frequently repeating his call, and gradually short- 

 ening its expression during the continuance of each strain. 



In the spring of the year the male of this species also vi- 

 brates a branch of some tree in the manner before described, 

 and for the same purpose as the foregoing species, but owing 

 to its smaller size he is obliged to beat a branch of less 

 magnitude, and consequently the sound produced is not so 

 loud. The restless and jealous habits of the species become 

 very apparent while the bird is in pursuit of his partner, or 

 whilst driving away an intruder or rival, or while fighting 

 for his right to a chosen hole in a tree, during which times 

 a continual outcry is kept up. The food of the Barred 

 Woodpecker consists entirely of insects, as nothing is found 

 in its stomach either in summer or winter, but spiders, beetles, 

 ants or their larvae. In pursuit of this food, he climbs up 

 the trunks and amongst the branches of trees, preferring 

 those of lesser size, owing to the bark of these being easier 

 to remove. Plum and apple trees contain many favourite 

 insects of this bird, to which he is consequently a frequent 

 visitor. The scent of this bird nearly approaches to that 

 of musk. 



The Barred Woodpecker builds its nest in a hole in 

 some tree, either an old habitation, or one made by it for 

 the occasion, at an elevation of from ten to sixty feet from 

 the ground. The hole is as perfectly round as if made 

 by a carpenter, and not more than an inch and three quarters 

 in diameter and six inches in depth. These birds fre- 

 quently begin several holes and leave them unfinished, and 



sometimes even complete more than the one they occupy, 



b2 



