Identifier: birdlifeguidetos00chapman (find matches)
Title: Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945 Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York : D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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bundant in the fall, but their white wing-patch-es, which show so conspicuously when they fly, and theirloud, rolling call of Jier-r-riich, ker-r-rurl, are unmistak-able marks of identity. The most interesting of our Woodpeckers is theFlicker, or High-hole, whose pojiularity is attested by Flicker ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^** ^^^^ than thirty odd com- CoIaj>fe.«ai/ratun. moii iiaiiies. Surcly here is an instancePlate XXVI. illustrating the necessity of one sci-entific term l)y which the Piquebois jaune of Louisi-ana may l)e recognized as the Clape of New York.He is also a Yucker, a Flicker, and a Yellow-ham-mer ; all these names being based on his notes or plu-mage. The Flicker is less of a carpenter than are others ofhis family, and generally selects decayed logs and stumpsas his hunting grounds. Here he hunts for his favoritefood of ants, which he also procures at their holes andmounds. This is the reason we so often fiusli the Flickerfrom the ground, and, if we mark the spot from which he
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Plate XXVI. FLICKER. Length, 1200 inches. Male, crown gray, nape scarlet, back brownish andblack, rump white ; under surface of wings and tail yellow : sides of throatand breast-patch black; belly spotttd with black. Female, similar, butno black on sides of throat. 141 142 GOATSUCKERS. rises, the probabilities are that we sliall find tliere a miieli-disturbed community of ants. Professor Beal lias shown that nearly one half of theFlickers food consists of ants. He further tells us thatas ants aid in the increase of the plant lice so injuriousto vegetation, the birds which feed on ants are thereforethe friends of the agriculturist. The Flickers most prominent marks, as with a lowchuckle he bounds up before you, are his white ramppatch and his wings, which show yellow in fiight. Hisnotes are equally characteristic. The most common is aloud, vigorous lee-yei\ apparently a signal or salute. Inthe spring, and occasionally in the fall, he utters a pleas-ing, rather dreamy cuh-ciih-cuh-cuh,

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