26 
FARMERS* BULLETIN 630. 
One of the larger woodpeckers familiar to everyone is the flicker, or golden¬ 
winged woodpecker 1 (fig. 21), which is generally distributed throughout the 
United States from the Atlantic coast to the Rocky Mountains. There it is 
replaced by the red-shafted flicker, 2 which extends westward to the Pacific. 
The two species are as nearly iden¬ 
tical in food habits as their respec¬ 
tive environments will allow. The 
flickers, while genuine woodpeckers, 
differ somewhat iu habits from the 
rest of the family, and are frequently 
seen searching for food upon the 
ground. Like the downy and hairy 
woodpeckers, they feed upon wood¬ 
boring grubs and ants, but the num¬ 
ber of ants eaten is much greater 
than that eaten by the other two 
species. Of the flickers’ stomachs 
examined, three were completely 
filled with ants. Two of these con¬ 
tained more than 3,000 individuals 
each, while the third contained fully 
5,000. These ants belong to species 
Fig. 21. —Flicker. Length, about 12| inches. which live in the ground. It is these 
insects for which the flicker searches 
when it runs about in the grass, although some grasshoppers also are then 
taken. The flicker’s habit of pecking holes in buildings sometimes greatly 
annoys his human friends, and it is particularly noticeable in the California 
species. Observation has shown that the object of the work is to obtain shelter 
for the winter. In the East most of the flickers are migratory, and only a few 
remain North where shelter is necessary. These generally find a safe retreat 
in the hollow tree in which they nested. In California, however, where the 
birds do not migrate, trees are not so 
abundant as in the East, and conse¬ 
quently buildings are brought into 
requisition, and in them holes are 
drilled, usually under the eaves, 
where snug nights’ lodgings are 
found. Often a dozen holes may be 
seen in one building. Barns or other 
outbuildings are usually selected, 
though churches sometimes have 
been used. 
The red-headed woodpecker a (fig. 
22), is well known east of the Rocky 
Mountains, but is rather rare in New 
England. Unlike some of the other 
speeies, it prefers fence posts and 
telegraph poles to trees as a forag¬ 
ing ground. Its food therefore natu¬ 
rally differs from that of the preced¬ 
ing species, and consists largely of 
adult beetles and wasps which it 
frequently captures on the wing after 
the fashion of flycatchers. Grass¬ 
hoppers also form an important part 
of the food. Among the beetles are a fig. 22.—Red-headed woodpecker. Length, 
number of predacious ground species about 91 inches, 
and some tiger beetles, which are 
useful insects. The red-head has been accused of robbing nests of other birds, and 
of pecking out the brains of young birds and poultry ; but as the stomachs showed 
little evidence to substantiate this charge, the habit probably is exceptional. 
The vegetable food of woodpeckers is varied, but consists largely of small 
fruits and berries. The downy and hairy woodpeckers eat such fruits as dog¬ 
wood and Virginia creeper and seeds of poison ivy, sumac, and a few other 
shrubs. The flicker also eats a great many small fruits and the seeds of a con¬ 
siderable number of shrubs and weeds. None of the three species is much 
1 Colaptes auratus. 2 Colaptes cafer collaris. 3 Melanerpes erythrocephalus. 
