Part 9

Like its slightly larger relative, the Black-bill is fond of caterpillars, and both are very valuable birds. They eat so many “woolly” caterpillars that their stomachs become lined with the spines from the bodies of their prey.

BELTED KINGFISHER _Streptoceryle alcyon alcyon_ (Linnæus)

Description.—Head large, with long bill and prominent crest; feet small and short; plumage firm and compact. _Male_: Head and crest blue-gray, the feathers with dark centers; two spots, one in front of, and one under eye, and collar about neck, white; back and band across breast blue-gray, the wings and tail considerably spotted with white; bill blackish; eyes dark brown. _Female and young_: Similar, but with sides and a broken band across lower breast bright reddish brown, noticeable in the field. _Length_: 13 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common and widely distributed summer resident from late March until the end of October; occasional in winter, when the streams are open. It does not occur along streams which have been polluted by mining refuse and other poisonous waste products.

Nest.—At the end of a 6-foot burrow in a bank, made of a few fish-bones and scales crudely scraped together. _Eggs_: Usually 7, glossy white. The burrow, while usually dug rather high on a bank, directly along the stream, is sometimes located at some distance from water. It is dug with the bill and feet.

The flashing white collar and underparts of the Kingfisher gleam as he flies rapidly along his chosen stream, giving his loud, rattling call. As he perches on a favorite overhanging stub, he elevates his crest, rattles once or twice, then becomes quiet as he watches the pool below him. Suddenly he dives from his perch, there is a splash, and he disappears beneath the surface. In a few seconds he arises, a slim, glistening fish in his mandibles. He makes off up stream, rattling again and again as the fish ceases its struggles, then swallows his prey, head first, entire. In addition to fish, he eats crayfish and other small aquatic creatures, and sometimes mice.

When the young hatch they are naked and ugly. They soon are covered with pin-feathers, however, and when the tips of these break, the young begin to look like their parents at once. Several days before they leave the burrow to learn angling for themselves, they scuttle about on their short feet, sometimes coming to the entrance for a moment to glimpse the world that is soon to be such an unfolding of adventure for them. They rattle like their parents, and if a hand is thrust in among them, they pick savagely at the fingers—either in anger or with the belief that a larger, finer fish than parents ever caught has come to be swallowed.

Kingfishers capture some trout and other valuable food or game-fish and are therefore not protected in Pennsylvania.

HAIRY WOODPECKER _Dryobates villosus villosus_ (Linnæus)

Other Name.—Sapsucker (erroneous).

Description.—Smaller than Robin; like other Woodpeckers, usually seen perched on the trunk of a tree or flying, in a strongly undulating fashion, through the air. _Adult male_: Top of head, line through eye and line from lower mandible to rear part of head, black, _nape bright red_, rest of head, white; back, black with white median stripe; wings black, spotted profusely with white; tail black, the outer feathers _white, unspotted_; underparts white. The adult female is precisely the same but lacks the red nape. Young birds have the _crown_ red, the tips of the feathers lightly speckled with white. _Length_: 9½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common permanent resident, usually to be found in the higher woodlands but often also in the towns.

Nest.—A cavity in a tree trunk, usually from 25 to 60 feet from the ground, the entrance about 2 inches in diameter. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, glossy white.

The Hairy Woodpecker’s loud, sharp _peek, peek_ is a welcome sound in winter woods of northern Pennsylvania where so few birds are found during the cold season. This species is the enemy of all wood-boring larvæ, its sharp, chisel-like bill, long, barb-tipped tongue, strong feet, and stiff tail all being peculiarly adapted to existence on the tree-trunks. It is sometimes found in orchards, but about towns and human dwellings is not nearly so often seen as its smaller, more confiding relative, the Downy Woodpecker.

DOWNY WOODPECKER _Dryobates pubescens medianus_ (Swainson)

Other Name.—Sapsucker (erroneous).

Description.—About the size of an English Sparrow. Precisely like the Hairy Woodpecker, but noticeably smaller, with shorter, weaker bill, and the _outer tail-feathers distinctly barred with black_. The Downy is quieter, less energetic bird than its larger cousin; its call-note is softer in quality and its song, which is composed of a series of call-notes rapidly repeated, is more musical than that of the Hairy Woodpecker. _Length_: A little under 7 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant permanent resident, often seen in the towns.

Nest.—A cavity in a dead stub, usually from 15 to 30 feet from the ground, the entrance about 1½ inches in diameter. _Eggs_: 4 to 6, laid on a heap of small chips at the bottom of the cavity, glossy white.

The careful bird student can distinguish the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers from call-notes, general appearance, flight, or even from the sound of their pounding on wood, which in the Hairy is so loud and positive in nature as to suggest, at times, a much larger bird. The amateur, however, may have some difficulty in distinguishing the two species.

The Downy and Hairy both like to be fed suet during the winter. They will come regularly to the feeding-counter and often become quite tame.

YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER _Sphyrapicus varius varius_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Yellow-bellied Woodpecker; Sapsucker.

Description.—Smaller than a Robin, with all the characteristics of the woodpecker tribe to which it belongs. _Adult male_: Top of head and throat rich, deep red; lines below crown-patch, back of eye, and enclosing throat to form prominent breast-patch, _black_; lines above and below eye white; back black, spotted with white; wings black, with prominent white patch on greater coverts, and primaries spotted; tail black, the central and outer feathers marked with white; underparts whitish and pale yellow, barred on sides and flanks with blackish gray. _Adult female_: Similar, but throat white. Immature birds are similar to the adult female, save on the head and back, which are brownish throughout, spotted irregularly with black and on top of head with flecks of red, yellow, and glossy black. _Length_: 8½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant, sometimes abundant, from March 30 to May 15 and from September 1 to November 15; rare and local as a summer resident in the northern and mountainous counties; casual in winter.

Nest.—A cavity in dead or living wood, often in a yellow birch, from 30 to 60 feet from the ground. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, glossy white.

The Sapsucker is, for the most part, a quiet and rather dignified woodpecker. Rarely does it pound noisily at a dead stub, searching for grubs. As a rule, it is to be seen drilling its sap-wells on the lower trunk of a maple, apple, or hemlock, where it clings sometimes for hours at a time if unmolested. These wells, which penetrate only to the sap-bearing layer of bark, are made in regular rows. Here gathers the sap which the bird regularly swallows, together with all the small insects which have come to drink. This sap-drilling is a destructive trait, for many valuable trees are girdled annually through the attacks, chiefly, of the migrant birds. During the summer the parents capture only insect food for their young.

The mewing note of the Sapsucker will startle the beginner in bird-study. It is almost as convincing an imitation of the cry of a cat as is the scolding, querulous call of a Catbird, and is a familiar sound of the spring woods.

When courtship starts, Sapsuckers quite forget their dignity and go flashing through the tree-tops, sometimes three or four in a flock, bowing and dancing, displaying their spotted wings and tails and giving forth loud and incessant Flicker-like cries of _plee-kah, plee-kah_.

A Sapsucker sometimes actually becomes intoxicated with the juice it has drunk and wanders through the woods bumping into trees and branches, grasping the bark as best it can with toes which are marvelously adapted to holding to rough surfaces, even while the bird sleeps.

PILEATED WOODPECKER _Phlœotomus pileatus abieticola_ (Bangs)

Other Names.—Red-headed Woodpecker (erroneous); Cock o’ the Woods; Log-cock; Woodcock (erroneous); Indian Hen; Black Woodpecker.

Description.—Size large, about that of a Crow; both sexes with prominent triangular crests. _Adult male_: High crest and line from lower mandible to middle of head, bright glossy red; narrow line back of eye and prominent line from bill under eye to neck and down to edge of breast, white; throat whitish; patch at base of folded primaries and irregular barring, on sides and flanks, white; _the under-wing lining and most of the inner web of primaries white_, showing plainly in flight. Rest of plumage brownish black; eyes bright orange-yellow. _Female_: Similar, but front of head brownish, only the rear part of the crest red. Immature birds are similar to the female. _Length_: 17 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare permanent resident, found chiefly in the northern mountainous counties, but a few still persist in the southwestern counties and locally elsewhere. It is becoming somewhat commoner as a result of rigid protection.

Nest.—A large cavity in a tree, drilled by the birds, usually in a dead stub, though sometimes in a living yellow birch, at from 20 to 60 feet from the ground. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, glossy white.

The magnificent Log-cock is all too rare in Pennsylvania, but wherever the striking creature swings noisily across a valley or pounds with its great bill into soft wood, the bird student receives a thrill few of our birds can afford. Its flight is rather slow and laborious, and noticeably less undulating than in other woodpeckers.

It is given to searching for food in deep, shadowy woods, where it is sometimes the only bird to be found, and where the sound of its hammering gives the only hint of life in the vast stillness.

The call of the Pileated is a high, irregular cackle, something like the spring song of the Flicker, but more noisy and irregular. An imitation of this cry, a clapping of the hands, or the beating of a dead stub with a stick, will sometimes bring the curious, bright-eyed creatures very close—too close, if the gunner be of the law-breaking kind. The fact that this bird is sometimes called Woodcock, and therefore regarded as a game-bird, has led to the destruction of many of them. They are naturally creatures of the wilderness, and have never been really common. Careful protection will be necessary if we are to keep them from extinction in this Commonwealth.

The food of the Pileated Woodpecker is chiefly grubs, bored sometimes from the very center of great trees. Its long, barb-tipped tongue aids it in securing its food.

In looking for the bird, seek the wild, wooded mountains. Listen for the cackling cry; watch for a big, black bird with flashing wing-linings; and attempt an imitation of its hammering by beating two sticks together.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER _Melanerpes erythrocephalus erythrocephalus_ (Linnæus)

Other Name.—Red-head.

Description.—A little smaller than a Robin. _Adults_: Head, neck, and upper breast, rich, deep red; upperparts glossy blue-black; the terminal half of the secondaries, rump, and upper tail-coverts, white; tail black, the outer feathers tipped and somewhat edged with white; lower breast and belly white, a reddish or buffy cast in the middle. _Immature birds_: Head and neck grayish brown, somewhat mottled; upper back glossy black, barred with gray; wings black, the terminal half of secondaries _barred with black and white_; tail usually as in adults; underparts white; the sides more or less streaked and spotted with dark brown or gray. _Length_: 9½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A local but usually common summer resident from April 15 to October 1; casual in winter.

Nest.—A cavity drilled in a dead tree or telegraph-pole, usually from 15 to 30 feet from the ground, often in an oak. _Eggs_: 3 to 5, glossy white.

The white wing-patches of this bird are conspicuous, particularly in flight, and its loud cry, _kree-er, kree-er_, is a familiar roadside sound. It is given to capturing insects flycatcher-fashion and is an accomplished acrobat in the air. The food of the Red-head is varied, and while it often eats grubs, it also takes other insects and much small fruit. Occasionally an individual develops the habit of eating the eggs of other birds.

RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER _Centurus carolinus_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Ladder-back; Zebra Woodpecker; Chiv; Sapsucker (erroneous).

Description.—A little smaller than a Robin. _Adult male_: Top of head and back of neck bright, glossy scarlet; rest of head, neck, and underparts, ashy gray, the region about the bill and the belly usually tinged with red; upperparts, including wings, strikingly barred with glossy black and white; upper tail-coverts white, with median streaks or sagittate markings of black; tail black, the feathers considerably marked with white. _Adult female_: Similar, the forepart of the head gray. Immature birds are similar to the female, but the belly is often tinged with brownish rather than red. _Length_: 9½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common in the extreme southwestern counties; local, sometimes common, in other western counties as far north as Crawford County, and through the southern tier of counties; a permanent resident wherever found.

Nest.—A cavity drilled from 20 to 60 feet from the ground, usually in a forest tree. _Eggs_: 3 to 6, glossy white.

The squirrel-like cry of this woodpecker, which may be written _chiv, chiv_, is a familiar sound in some of the woodlands of Greene County. Its call-notes resemble those of the Red-head and Flicker, and are considerably varied. The principal range of this species is the southern United States. It is gradually moving northward, however, like the Cardinal, and should be looked for in all central counties. The bright red top of the head and prominently barred back are good field-marks.

NORTHERN FLICKER _Colaptes auratus luteus_ Bangs

Other Names.—Golden-winged Woodpecker; Yellow Hammer; Wake Robin; Ground Woodpecker; Wickup; Clape; Yarrup; High-hole; Plickah; Ant-bird, and many other names, most of them colloquial.

Description.—A little larger than a Robin. _Male_: Top of head gray, scarlet patch on nape, black patch extending backward from each lower mandible, rest of head cinnamon-brown; back and wings olive-brown, barred with black, the wing-linings and shafts of feathers bright yellow, noticeable in flight; rump and upper tail-coverts white; tail-feathers black above, edged with whitish, bright yellow below; breast with prominent black patch; underparts light cinnamon-brown, each feather with round black spot at tip; under tail-coverts barred with black. _Female_: Similar but lacking the black marks which extend backward from the lower mandibles. _Immature birds_: Similar to the female, but with red sprinkled over _top of head_. _Length_: 12 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—An abundant and widely distributed summer resident and migrant from March 15 to November 15; casual in winter.

Nest.—A cavity drilled in a living or dead tree, often an apple or maple, from 4 to 40 feet from the ground. _Eggs_: 5 to 11, usually 7 or 8, glossy white.

The Flicker is one of our best-known birds. Living in the towns, and conspicuous as it is with its golden wing and tail-linings, its white rump-patch, and easily imitated cries, it is familiar to all, and has won for itself many a nickname.

It is often seen hopping about on the lawn. Its ability in perching or in standing on the ground marks it as a creature of wide adaptation, yet on the tree-trunk it is a normal woodpecker, using its still tail-feathers as a prop.

The Flicker is very fond of ants. Patiently it will sit on an ant-hill, probing its long, saliva-covered tongue down into the burrow, drawing the insects out and eating them by the dozen. It may remain thus at an ant-hill half an hour at a time, filling its gizzard and crop with the insects, whose bites and acid flavor seem not to be objectionable.

Flickers sometimes become annoying when they choose a tin roof or favorite spot on a gable as a drumming-point. At such a place they will roll out their challenge at sunrise on the spring mornings, wakening all the household. Occasionally they drill their nests in houses, under the eaves, and thereby may do considerable damage.

The courtship dance is animated and beautiful. With handsome wings flashing and tail widely spread, the birds bow to each other, calling rapidly _wickah, wickah, wickah_. Flickers are considerably persecuted by Starlings which oust them from their nests and use the cavities as their own.

WHIP-POOR-WILL _Setochalcis vocifera vocifera_ (Wilson)

Description.—Head and eyes large; bill very small; mouth lined with long, hair-like feathers which protrude in front of bill; feet small and weak; plumage soft and lax; color pattern highly protective. Head and upperparts rich deep brown and gray, streaked, mottled, and barred with black, buffy, and whitish; a noticeable white band across throat; tail with terminal half of three outer feathers white; _no white spot in wings_; underparts buffy, irregularly and finely barred and marked with blackish; eyes deep brown. The female differs only in having the throat-patch and tips of the outer tail-feathers buffy instead of white. _Length_: 10 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A somewhat local summer resident from April 20 to September 30; found only in deep woodlands.

Nest.—None. _Eggs_: 2, white, spotted sparingly with grayish, lilac, and brownish, and laid on the leaves or ground, without even a depression.

The Whip-poor-will is never seen flying high in the sky, and the absence of white spots in the wings always distinguishes it from the Nighthawk. To find the Whip-poor-will one must go to the deep woods where, in a quiet tangle of ferns and bushes, a dark brown, silent-winged creature may fly from the leaves, to flutter a few rods farther on, and drop again to the ground. The well-known song which is given with such constancy and fervor on spring and summer nights may be written _chuck, whip-poor-wee-ah, chuck, whip-poor-wee-ah_. Sometimes the song is repeated two hundred times or more without cessation.

NIGHTHAWK _Chordeiles minor minor_ (J. R. Forster)

Other Names.—Bull-Bat; Whip-poor-will (erroneous); Goatsucker; Night Jar; Mosquito Hawk.

Description.—Mouth without prominent bristles protruding in front of short bill; wings long and pointed; tail forked. _Male_: Upperparts black, barred and variously marked with whitish, gray, buffy, and cream-color, the flight-feathers blackish, the _middle of the primaries marked with a prominent bar of white_ which is especially noticeable from below, in flight; tail with a white bar across all but the middle feathers; throat marked with a prominent white patch; chin and upper throat black, the feathers tipped with buffy; underparts whitish, regularly and heavily barred with blackish. _Female_: Similar, but lacks the white on tail, the throat-patch is buffy, and the underparts are buffy barred with blackish. _Length_: 10 inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant, but very local summer resident from the first week of May to mid-September; during the fall migration it is likely to occur in large flocks.

Nest.—None. _Eggs_: 2, white, heavily spotted with gray, placed on the ground, _in the open_, not, as a rule, in woods.

The Nighthawk is a familiar bird of summer evenings, when even over the cities it circles back and forth, calling as it hunts its insect food, _pee-ah, pee-ah_, in a rough, grating voice. In spring it courts its mate by plunging rapidly downward on set wings, producing with the vibrating primaries a booming sound which has given the bird the nickname “Bull-Bat.” It is one of our most beneficial birds. During the day it sleeps or rests on the ground, or sits lengthwise on a horizontal branch. It has recently taken to laying its eggs on gravel-roofed buildings in the city. Young Nighthawks, equipped as they are with strong feet, can run nimbly. The parents, though able to fly well, have lost much of the power of their foot-muscles and can scarcely walk.

CHIMNEY SWIFT _Chætura pelagica_ (Linnæus)

Other Name.—Chimney Swallow (erroneous).

Description.—Wings very long; bill and feet very small; tail of stiff feathers, all with noticeable spines at tip; sexes alike. Plumage brownish black, grayer on the throat, a deep black spot in front of eye; a ridge of feathers over the eye, forming a sort of brow. _Length_: 5½ inches.

Range in Pennsylvania.—A common migrant and summer resident from about the middle of April to October. It is widely distributed and _occurs in all towns_.

Nest.—A shallow, basket-like structure of small twigs glued together _with saliva from the bird’s mouth_ and fastened to the bricks on the inside of a chimney, or rarely on boards on the inside of a barn, or in a hollow tree. The nest has no lining. Nests built in a chimney are usually placed well down from the top. _Eggs_: 4 to 6, white.

The familiar Chimney Swift, with its cheerful chittering cries and its rapid “bow and arrow” flight, is a common bird in all Pennsylvania towns. In the wilder sections—in the mountains, for instance—it is rare. It has come to depend upon chimneys almost exclusively as nesting-sites. This is a valuable bird, eating only flying insects, which it captures from the air.

It alights nowhere save inside the chimney, where it clings to the rough bricks with its exceedingly strong and sharply clawed feet, using its spiny tail as a prop. In securing nesting material it breaks dead twigs off with its feet _while flying_, lifting these to its mouth while in the air, there to cover them with saliva.

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD _Archilochus colubris_ (Linnæus)

Other Names.—Hummer; Ruby-throat.