"Zebra Bird" is the name by which this handsome Woodpecker will be
recognized by many readers. Some regard it as the most beautiful of the
smaller species of its tribe. As may be seen, the whole crown and nape
are scarlet in the male. In the female they are only partly so, but
sufficiently to make the identification easy. A bird generally of
retired habits, seeking the deepest and most unfrequented forests to
breed, it is nevertheless often found in numbers in the vicinity of
villages where there are a few dead and partially decayed trees, in
which they drill their holes, high up on a limb, or in the bole of the
tree. When engaged in hammering for insects it frequently utters a
short, singular note, which Wilson likens to the bark of a small dog. We
could never liken it to anything, it is so characteristic, and must be
heard to be appreciated. _Chaw, chaw_, repeated twice, and with vigor,
somewhat resembles the hoarse utterance.
Prof. D. E. Lantz states that this species in the vicinity of Manhattan,
Kansas, exhibits the same familiarity as the Flicker, the Red-headed and
Downy Woodpeckers. About a dozen nests were observed, the excavations
ranging usually less than twenty feet from the ground. One nest in a
burrow of a large dead limb of an elm tree was found May 12, and
contained five eggs. The birds are very much attached to their nests. If
the nest is destroyed by man or beast, the birds almost immediately
begin excavating another nest cavity for the second set, always in the
vicinity of the first nest, often in the same tree.
In its search for food, the "Zebra Bird," regardless of the presence of
man, climbs in its usual spiral or zigzag manner the trees and their
branches boldly uttering now and then its familiar _chaw, chaw_, darting
off occasionally to catch a passing insect upon the wing. Its flight is
undulating, and its habits in many respects are like those of the
Red-headed, but it is not so much of an upland bird, or lover of berries
and fruits, and therefore more respected by the farmer. In contest with
the Red-head it is said to be invariably vanquished.
The North American family of Woodpeckers--consisting of about
twenty-five species--is likely to be brought together in BIRDS for the
first time. We have already presented several species, and will figure
others as we may secure the finest specimens. Occasionally a foreign
Woodpecker will appear. About three hundred and fifty species are known,
and they are found in all the wooded parts of the world except Australia
and Madagascar.