376 
Pileated Woodpecker 
to it as long as it can find a suitable spot at which to excavate a new j 
hole. It nevei uses the same hole a second time. I know of a pair of j 
these birds which resorted to the same tree for four consecutive years^ j 
and each year they excavated a new hole. ■ 
“Another pair of these Woodpeckers bred in a gigantic dead pine for ! 
three years, and as an illustration that their large holes are in great L 
demand by other birds, and even mammals, for breeding purposes, I will i 
state that on x\pril 16, 1903, there were three species breeding in the ; 
same tree, namely — Pileated Woodpecker, four eggs, at a height of 54 f 
feet; Fox Squirrel, at 70 feet; and Sparrow Hawk, at approximately j 
90 feet from the ground — all living together in perfect harmony ! 
“If this bird is deprived of its first set of eggs, it at once excavates 
a new hole, and the length of time consumed in its construction is about 
twenty-five days.” 
The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the noisest tenants of the heavy f 
forests and wooded swamps which it inhabits. Particularly is this true j 
Flicker, except that they are louder and the intervals between the calls 
are slightly longer. At times they become extremely animated, and 
two or three will gather on the trunk of some tree or the larger limbs 
and engage in querulous, conversational, zvick-y-up notes which again 
suggest the actions and calls of the Flicker. 
In flight the bird does not proceed with undulating movements com- 
mon to many AVoodpeckers. The flight is more or less directed in a 
straight line. The white underparts and the large white blotches on 
the wings contrast strongly with the black back. The white wing-area 
taiice by the heliostatic flashes of white. 
Although, as already indicated, the food consists largely of an animal 
diet, the bird also is fond of certain forms of wild berries, and one pre- 
sents an awkward and ungainly appearance as, in an uncertain and more 
or less laborious manner, it seeks to retain its perch and gather berries 
among the small twigs. 
The Pileated Woodpecker is found over a wide range of North 
America. From southern Florida, middle Texas and California it is 
distributed in suitable localities as far north as British Columbia, central 
Quebec and Newfoundland. 
Of recent years, ornithologists have regarded the species as being 
composed of two varieties, the Northern Pileated Woodpecker, embrac- 
ing those individuals found along the Alleghany Mountains and north- 
ward throughout its Canadian range. 
The bird has a variety of local names such as Wock-of-the-Woods,’ 
and ‘Log-Cock.’ One of the most popular in the South is ‘Good-God.’ 
during the mating-season and after the young have j 
left the nest. They have a long rolling cry which . 
strongly suggests similar notes produced by the |* 
shows so plainly that one may often discover the bird flying at a dis^ 
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