48 BIRDS OF ARKANSAS. 



reported from Clinton (where eggs ready to hatch were found on 

 April 28), Newport, Helena, Mammoth Spring, Fayetteville, Stutt- 

 gart, Wilmot, and Delight. This bird is ordinarily rather shy, but 

 many of the less experienced individuals fall victims to thoughtless 

 gunners. Its food consists chiefly of forest insects (particularly the 

 larvae of wood-boring beetles) and some wild fruits. 



Red-headed Woodpecker. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. 



The redhead is an abundant resident in all parts of the State and 

 especially favors cultivated lands containing much dead timber. Ir- 

 regularly migratory in the northern parts of its range, it is found 

 in Arkansas throughout the year, and is perhaps more abundant in 

 winter than in summer. It has been observed at Fayetteville, Rich 

 Mountain (at 2,600 feet), McGehee, Lake City, Mammoth Spring, and 

 other places. 



This woodpecker has been frequently accused of pulling up newly 

 sprouted corn, and it has a decided taste for cultivated fruit and 

 berries. On the other hand, stomach examinations have shown that 

 corn forms only about 7 per cent of its total food and that about half 

 of its food consists of insects, the larger part of which are beetles, ants, 

 and grasshoppers. At Van Buren, where the bird was common in 

 December, Hanna noticed its habit of storing acorns and other nuts 

 in hollows in trees. 



Red-bellied Woodpecker. Centurus carolinus. 



Although less numerous than the redhead, this woodpecker is a 

 fairly common resident in nearly all sections. It is reported common in 

 winter at Stuttgart (Hollister), Van Buren (Hanna), and Fayetteville. 1 

 It has been observed also at Clinton, Lake City, Helena, Wilmot, 

 Camden, and other places. 



This species eats more vegetable matter than any other wood- 

 pecker, its diet including a variety of wild fruits and berries, besides 

 many insects. 



Flicker. Colaptes auratus auratus. 



The flicker, or yellow hammer, is a fairly common resident in both 

 winter and summer. Many migrants pass through in spring and fall, 

 and many from farther north spend the winter in the State. The 

 ranges of the northern and southern forms are not accurately known, 

 but the typical race (auratus) will probably be found breeding in the 

 southern and eastern parts of the State. The flicker has been 

 reported as a summer resident at Newport, Helena, Wilmot, and 

 Delight, but is not usually an abundant bird at this season. In its 

 diet this species shows a special fondness for ants, which constitute 

 nearly half of its food, and a single bird has been known to consume 



i Cooke, W. W., Orn. and OoL, VIII, p. 34, 1883. 



