The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-02-24
SONGSTERS,
Winter Birds and
Their Nests.
BIG EXHIBITION.
Natural History Society Of
ferS a Treat to 0rnithologists

- NAS -N"tul dl history society IN
lcludes most interesting miscellaneous
group. In several instances the nests
and eggs are shown.
The woodpeckers are principally not
ed for their habit of hopping about the
trunks and larger limbs of trees sup
ported by their stiff tails and rapidly
hammering with their bills to extract
insects and their larvae upon which
| they feed. They are of stocky, com
pact build, with strong usually straight
bills, mottled and variegated plumage
and red markings about the head. To
De distinguished from other creepers by
their superior size and the fact that
ward
The nests of our various woodpeck-
ers differ but little except in size or
situation. They always consist of a
mole IN tree or rarely in a post, usual
~ made more than six feet from the
ground, and more often in a trunk
than in limb. They vary in depth
from six to even forty inches, and are
enlarged near the bottom, though sell
dom or never lined. The entrance is
almost invariably round unless arched.
The flicker is the largest as we'll as
the most important Of our common
lWoodpeckers, for the pileated wood
pecker is practically extinct in this re-
g1on. The flicker can be easily identi-
fled when at rest by the black throat
crescent and red head-patch, and when
flying, by the white rump and golden
wing Innings. 1t is lumber brown above,
barred with black, underparts white
spotted with black. There are many
other names given the flecker, among
them yellowhammer, highhole and
golden-winged woodpecker
The northern OF ack-backed, three
toed woodpeckeF is about nine inches
long, upper parts glossy black, beneath
white, banded on the sides with white
wings, and tail black and white The
male has a yellow crown patch. A
resident of northern New England, an
Irregular winter visitor to Massachu-
sets.
The DoYny is the smallest of our
Woodpeckers, black and white, wings
and tall barred. The red head-band
on the male Is replaced by a white
stripe in the female. The abundance
Of this little bird makes US we'll ac-
quainted with it's habit of boring tiny
holes in fruit trees The hairy wood
pecker, sometimes called the Downy's
!, big brother" is Also black and white.
wings spotted and striped, bill near
| Il.
a red spot on his head
The belted kingfisher may be recog-
nized by his large, long-crested head
and straight bill, which is longer than
the head. The kingfisher is about 121b
inches long, ashy-blue above, whitish
beneath. Living entirely upon fish,
this bird makes a burrow in a bank
near the Water-the burrows are from
SIX to eight feet deep, rarely lined I'M
less with fish-bones.
The American robin or migratory
thrush, is probably the best known of
our birds. Above, dark oliye-grav.
head and tail almost black, breast pc
cul1ar rudy red or orange brown. bill
generally yellow. If you see about
| worcester robin in mid-winter, you
may be pretty sure he is not the fellow
VINO built his nest in your garden last
summer, but rather, one who was then
in Labrador, perhaps, and has now
come down to what is to him the south.
A mid-Wlnter robin is not familiar
| thought, yet he is not rare fact.
me dainty little golden-crowned
pirds in the United States. ONLY
about four inches long, above olive
green, underparts yellowish gray. This
tiny bird may be identified nv its
HaIne-colored crown spot, edged with
yellow, and enclosed by a black line
me crown Of the female is simply vel
low. 'ei
The American waxwing or cedar hird
VIII be recognized at once by its crest
yellow tail tips, red wing appendages
| ana straight black bill Its feathers ARA
more exquisltely shaded than those of
our more brilliantly colored birds. The
WaXwlngs are so called because Of the
bright red waxy points on the tail fea-
thers. The Bohemian waxWing is an
1 sill al,
resembles that of the American wax
wing, a warm brown, but the wings
are marked with white.
| The northern shrike OF butcher BIRD
| is rightly named from its cruel habit
of killing small birds and impaling it's
victims upon thorns. 1t is blush ash
above, very light on the rump and
shoulders, below light gray, wings and
tail black. His bill is very stout, very
sharp, and well notched, as cruel as
a hawks. The shrika has but one re-
deeming habit-he kills many English
sparroWs.
| The winter wren is a tiny bird with
a short, stout body and very short tail.
| Its general color is dark brown. speck-
led with lighter brown a little white
on the wings. This little bird is more
common than it appears to be, for il
is the most retiring and shy of it's fam
lily. It's song is surpassed by very few.
| The brown creeper is comparatively
common in winter. Brown above, gray
| ish white beneath. It's sharp, curving
bill completes it's Identification, as it
is unlike the bill of other tree trunk
birds. The creeper often ascends in
spirals when hunting for insects in
the bark of trees.
The nuthatches, the red-breasted and
white breasted, are very similar in color
and markings each TO be recognized
hNr hn anln nf hn hf.cn rot 20,
ashy blue above with black crown, tail
marked with black and white. The nut
matches may well be called bird-acro-
| bats, walking as they do head DOWN
ward while in search of food in tree
trunks. The chickadee, a great friend
Of the kinglets, creepers, and nuthatch-
es, is a hardy little fellow, full of en-
ergy, ever merry with his cheerful
song, "Chickadee- dee-dee-dee." He is
gray above, white beneath, head mostly
black with white sides.
The American goldfinch, or yellow
bird" is, as it's name indicates, mostly
bright yellow. The crown, wings and
tail are black. In his winter dress the
male resembles the female in her dress
of brownish olive, yellowish beneath.
Wild canary is another name given the
goldfinch. The male has a sweet
canary-like song, but wilder and, more
joyous. The pine finch, or "siskin," is
a lover of evergreens. 1t is flaxen above.
paler below, thickly streaked, wings
and tail black with much yellow. II
has the dipping fight of the gol6lfnch,
and many other characteristics of the
two birds are similar The purple finch
has not been well named, for it's color
is not at all purple. When matute the
head, shoulders and breast Of the male
are crimson, almost carmine, flower
parts graysh white. The female is
olive brown, streaked with white. A