Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-05
FOOD IS boarded
BY WOODIPEcKlERs
California Birds Store Acorns
and Insects in "Bins" in
Tree Homes.

California woodpeckers are like men
In taking thought for the morrow, says
o noted ornithologist. One can receive
vast help from these birds, he said, by
watching the manner in which they
provide for the future. They gather
acorns, grasshoppers and other insects
and store them in trunks and limbs of
trees for their Winter food supply Reg
Ularly arranged holes are bored in the
trees for this purpose, in each Of which
are stored special kind of food. One
section Of the tree may be set aside
for acorr1s, another for grasshopperS
and still another for an additional type
Of food, inst as the farmer stores his
corn in one bin. wheat in another and
rye In. still another.
8 FOsa Supply Varied.
In addition to the California spe-
cies, there are many kinds of wood
peckers, each of which feeds in his Pc
culiar way. When seeking fodo the ar
boreal species usually begins at the base
of q tree rtunk and aScends slowly,
often in spiral manner, prying into
creviceS, knocking of pieces of bark or
digging deeply into decaying limbs until
they reach the higher branches, when
the process is repeated on the next
tree that comes handy or otherwise at
tracts their attention. The food of
this species consists largely Of insects,
especially the larvae of wood-boring
beetles, including a greater or less
amount of the vegetable matter In the
form of berries, seeds, acornS or the
tender inner bark of trees, while few
forms, known as the SapSuckers, subsist
to some extent at least, on the sap OF
trees, causing thereby some damage,
since they often pierce rows Of holes
about the trunks or larger limbs.
The ground-feeding woodpeckers sub
sist largely on ants, and when they
have discovered a fresh nest usually
clean 1t up pretty thoroughly.
The note of woodpeckers, 1t was point
ed out, is rather loud and harsh, though
not altogether unmelodious The male,
and perhaps the female, also executes
the so-called drumming" which con-
siSts Of rapid blows delivered on dead
limbs or pieces of loose bark, the sound
being audible often for the distance of
. mile.
Nesting Habits Uniform.
The nesting habits of this bird, sci
entists say, Is very uniform, since all
woodpeckerS deposit their eggs in cavi-
ties, either in trees or in banks. A
natural cavity Is apparently rarely Sc
1ected, but one is excavated by the
birds themselves. Usually the site
chosen is an upright dead or decaying
trunk or large limb, although some
species select a perfectly solid trunk.
A circular hole is first made, which PEN
etrates the limb for several inches, then
turns abruptly downward for q distance
varying from one to two feet in depth.
Both male and female birds have a
part in the building Of their home. each
taking his turn. The chips are always
carefully removed to considerable dis
lance, since their accumulation at the
base of tree would serve to call atten-
ton to nest that might otherwise be
unobserved. The cavity Is slightly en-
1arged at the base and is never lined,
the glossy, pure white eggs being de-
posted on bits Of wood at the bottom of
the nest.