Plate LXIV. 
Fig. 2. GENTURUS CAROLINUS-Red-bellied Woodpecker. 
The Red-bellied Woodpecker, or Chow Chow as the country boys call this bird, is frequently seen in 
Central Ohio in the fall, winter, and spring, but I have never been able to find its nest. Dr. Langdon speaks 
of the species as a common resident near Madisonville, and Dr. Wheaton says, “common resident, breeds.” 
He further adds: “Mr. Kirkpatrick, as the result of his observations near Cleveland, suggests that it 
may be a summer resident only in Northern Ohio, which would account for their greater abundance, 
apparently in other parts of the State in winter.” There is no question about it being a resident north of 
the dividing line, and it is probable that occasionally a pair may nest in even the extreme southern part 
of the State. It seems singular, that a bird so decidedly southern should be with us in the colder 
months and almost absent, except in the coolest part of the State, during the summer. Oue would 
naturally expect that from the distribution of the species, that if found breeding at all it would be in 
the southern counties, and I am entirely unable to explain why this is not the case. 
The nest is built in May, and but a single brood is reared. 
LOCALITY : 
This species is probably the most retiring of the family, preferring dense, tall timber to the more 
open wood frequented by the Reddieaded Woodpecker and others, and its nest is generally made in a 
large dead tree about the outskirts of such timberland. Some writers state that it generally excavates 
its nest in living wood, some, that it selects a hollow limb and bores an entrance to it, others, that it 
Usually selects a dead trunk and penetrates it near a limb, but all agree that it prefers a secluded 
locality. Occasionally a pair departs from the ordinary custom and builds a home in an orchard tree, 
or shade tree in a country lawn. I have never seen the species in town, even in the fall. 
POSITION : 
The nest is high up as a rule, forty or fifty feet from the ground, and is located in a perpendicular trunk 
or in a limb forming an angle with the horizon. In the latter position the opening is always on the under side. 
MATERIALS : 
No materials are carried into the excavation, a few fine chips being left in the bottom for the eggs 
to rest upon. According to Maynard, the diameter of the entrance is two inches ; beyond the turn the 
cavity becomes gourd-shaped, its greatest diameter being about five inches, and its depth about fourteen 
inches. If there is as much variation in the size of the excavation as there is in nests of others of the 
family, the above dimensions will vary somewhat for every nest. The most constant part of any 
Woodpecker’s nest is the size of the entrance. This seldom varies for a given species more than one-eighth 
of an inch from a fixed diameter. 
267 
