Part 5

Nest.—Holes in trees in woods, orchards, or along roadsides and also in fence posts or telegraph poles. In May and June they lay four to six glossy white eggs (1.00 × .75).

Range.—United States east of the Rockies, breeding from the Gulf to New York and Minnesota. Winters in southern United States.

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER 409. Centurus carolinus. 9½ inches

Male with whole top of head and back of neck red; female with forehead and hind head red but crown gray. Both sexes have the centre of the belly reddish, and have red eyes.

Like the Red-heads, these birds are noisy, but they have few of the bad qualities of the others. Besides the regular Woodpecker fare, they get a great many ants and beetles from the ground and fruit and acorns from the trees. They are also said to be fond of orange juice. In most of their range they are regarded as rather shy and retiring birds.

Note.—A sharp, resonant “cha,” “cha,” “cha,” repeated.

Nest.—In holes bored usually in live trees and at any height from the ground. Their five or six eggs are glossy white (1.00 × .75).

Range.—United States east of the Plains, breeding from Florida and Texas to southern Pennsylvania and Minnesota. Winters along the Gulf coast; occasionally strays to Massachusetts.

FLICKER 412. Colaptes auratus. 13 inches

Male with a black moustache mark; female without, although young females in the first plumage show some black.

These birds are very often known as “Golden-winged Woodpeckers,” “High-holes” and about a hundred other names in different localities. Flickers are found commonly in woods, orchards, or trees by the roadside; on pleasant days their rapidly uttered, rolling whistle may be heard at all hours of the day.

Note.—A rapidly repeated whistle, “cuk,” “cuk,” “cuk”; an emphatic “quit-u,” “quit-u,” and several others of a similar nature.

Nest.—A cavity in a tree, at any distance from the ground. The white eggs usually vary in number from five to ten, but they have been known to lay as many as seventy-one, where an egg was taken from the nest each day.

Range.—South Atlantic States. The Northern Flicker (luteus) is found in North America east of the Rocky Mountains.

RED-SHAFTED FLICKER 413. Colaptes cafer collaris. 13 inches

Crown brown and throat gray, these colors being just reversed from those of the common Flicker.

The male is distinguished by a red moustache mark, which the female lacks. The typical male Red-shafted Flicker lacks the red crescent on the back of the head, but it is often present on individuals, as there are numerous hybrids between this species and the preceding. Flickers are more terrestrial in their habits than are any others of the family; their food consists largely of ants which they get from the ground.

Note.—Same as those of the last; both species often utter a purring whistle when they are startled from the ground.

Nest.—The nesting habits are identical with those of the last and the eggs cannot be distinguished.

Range.—From the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific.

CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW 416. Antrostomus carolinensis. 12 inches

Male with the end half of the outer tail feathers white, and the edge of the outer vanes rusty; female with no white ends to the feathers. Birds of this family have small bills, but extremely large mouths adapted to catching night-flying moths and other insects. They remain sleeping during the day, either perched lengthwise on a limb or concealed beside a stump or rock on the ground, their colors harmonizing with the surroundings in either case. They fly, of their own accord, only at dusk or in the early morning. This species, which is much the largest of our Goatsuckers, is known to, at times, devour small birds, as such have been found in their stomachs.

Note.—A loudly whistled and repeated “chuck-will’s-widow.”

Nest.—None, the two eggs being laid on the ground or dead leaves in underbrush. Eggs white, blotched with gray and lavender (1.40 × 1.00).

Range.—South Atlantic and Gulf States, breeding north to Virginia and Missouri, west to Texas.

WHIP-POOR-WILL 417. Antrostomus vociferus. 9¾ inches

Male with broad white tips to outer tail feathers; female with narrow buffy tips. These birds are often confounded with the Nighthawk, but are very easily distinguished by the long bristles from the base of bill, the black chin, the chestnut and black barred wing feathers and the rounded tail. Whip-poor-wills are more nocturnal than Nighthawks and on moonlight nights continue the whistled repetition of their name throughout the night. They capture and devour a great many of the large-bodied moths that are found in the woods, but are never seen flying over cities like Nighthawks.

Note.—An emphatically whistled repetition of “whip-poor-will,” “whip-poor-will.”