The Bohemian Waxwing is very similar to its cousin, the Cedar Waxwing,
in color and markings, but may be distinguished by its _larger size_, (8
inches), by _reddish-brown feathers under the tail, by the absence of
yellow on the breast, by a crown that is reddish-brown in front_, and
_by yellow and white markings on the wings_. In note, feeding habits,
and other characteristics, it resembles the Cedar-bird.
This larger species of waxwing is found in the colder regions of the
whole Northern Hemisphere. In North America it breeds from northern
Alaska and northern Canada to southern British Columbia and Alberta;
winters east to Nova Scotia and south irregularly to eastern California,
Colorado, Kansas, southern Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and
Connecticut. It is a rare winter visitor in Massachusetts.
[Illustration: TUFTED TITMOUSE]
THE TUFTED TITMOUSE OR TOMTIT
_Titmouse Family--Paridæ_
Length: About 6 inches; a little smaller than the English sparrow.
General Appearance: A slender, active, gray and white bird, _with a
crest_. Its reddish-brown sides are not visible at a distance. The
titmouse need never be confused with the waxwing; it is much
smaller, and lacks the yellow and red markings on tail and wings.
Male and Female: Head conspicuously crested; crest gray and pointed;
forehead black; bill short, sharp, black; back, wings, and tail
gray; under parts whitish, with a reddish-brown wash on the sides.
Call-note: _De-de-de-de_, similar to one of the chickadee's notes, but
louder.
Song: A loud, sweet, clear whistle: _Pe'-to, pe'-to, pe'-to, pe'-to,
pe'-to_, frequently repeated five times. The titmouse is called
locally the "Peter-bird."
Habitat: Woodlands; open groves of hard-wood trees preferred.
Range: Rare in New England. From Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, south to central Texas, the Gulf
Coast, and Florida; occasional in Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, and
Connecticut. Common permanent resident near Washington, especially
in winter.
No winter bird more truly exemplifies protective coloring than the
lively crested Tomtit, unless it be his little cousin, the Black-capped
Chickadee. This sober-hued titmouse is such a blending of the grays and
blacks of tree-trunk and icy brook, of the dazzling white of snow and
the soft gray shadows that lie across it, of reddish-brown shrubs and
weeds, that he might escape notice except for his conspicuous crest. He
can be distinguished from the cedar waxwing at a glance by his reddish
sides, and because of the _absence_ of a yellow band across the tail and
of conspicuous black, white, and red patches or markings.
Few more active birds exist than titmice. They are at once the envy and
the despair of aspiring small boys who know them, because of their
extreme agility--their ability to perform acrobatic feats. They swing
head downward from twigs in the search for their favorite food of
insect-eggs; they seem strung on wires.
In the woodlands frequented by tufted titmice, they are as much in
evidence as blue jays, because of their loud, clear
_peto-peto-peto-peto-peto_, a welcome and pleasant sound during belated
spring days or a bleak March "sugaring-off" season.
They are less friendly than chickadees, but are not shy, so they can be
observed easily. They are very sociable with their kind, and are found,
"playing around" with chickadees, nuthatches, and downy woodpeckers in
the winter-time, and snuggling close together in old nest-holes during
winter weather. In the spring, titmice use hollowed trees for their
nesting sites and have been known to welcome a nesting-box.
These birds do enormous good, not only in eating insect-eggs, but in
destroying caterpillars, cutworms, beetles, weevils, flies, wasps,
plant-lice, and scale-insects in their season.[28] They will eat
berries, nuts, and acorns during the winter and are extremely hardy.
[Illustration: CHICKADEE]
THE CHICKADEE OR BLACK-CAPPED TITMOUSE
_Titmouse Family--Paridæ_
Length: About 5¼ inches.
General Appearance: A very active little gray and white bird, with a
black cap and throat and dull yellowish sides.
Male and Female: Head and throat a glistening black; sides of head
white; bill small, black, sharp-pointed; back a soft brownish-gray;
wings and tail gray, edged with white; breast white, becoming
yellowish at the sides below the wings.
Song: _Chick-a-dee-dee-dee_, uttered with gurgles and chuckles, and with
variations.
Call-notes: _Day'-day_, and a whistle that resembles the word _Pé-whee_.
The latter note is often called the "Phoebe note," and sometimes the
"Pewee note." To me it resembles neither; it is not hoarse and
wheezing like the phoebe's, nor plaintive like the pewee's. The last
syllable has a descending inflection.
Flight: Very swift and jerky.
Habitat: Woodlands, orchards, and groves.
Range: Eastern North America, from the Hudson Bay region and N. F.,
south to central Missouri, Illinois, northern Indiana, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, and in the Alleghany Mts. to
North Carolina; somewhat farther south in winter.
The CAROLINA CHICKADEE, a smaller species, breeds from central
Missouri, Indiana, central Ohio, Pennsylvania (infrequently), and
central New Jersey, south to southeastern Louisiana, the Gulf Coast
and northern Florida. In southern Florida, are found the FLORIDA
CHICKADEES, that are still smaller and browner.
In the White Mts., the Green Mts., the Adirondacks, and southeastern
Canada live ACADIAN CHICKADEES, that differ from the preceding
species in having brownish-gray crowns, and reddish-brown sides. A
similarly marked species, slightly larger, is found from Ontario to
Alaska.
During tiresome days of a winter convalescence, spent largely on a
sleeping-porch that overlooked a beautiful hillside, my most constant
and cheering companions were lively little chickadees. Their blending
with the winter landscape was perfect. Whether they were seen against
the black snow-laden trunks or smooth gray boles of beeches, or among
yellowish willow-withes, they were bits of color harmony.
These active little gymnasts, performing unexpected feats in their
swinging from horizontal bars, furnished pleasant diversion, while their
friendly, confiding ways, their undaunted fearlessness, and their
optimism cheered lonely hours.
An ice-storm necessitated the spreading of a table for our brave little
all-kinds-of-weather friends. They came in pairs, grew very tame, and
drew near to us like confiding children who knew that no harm would
befall them. They acted as though our care of them was the most natural
thing in the world. Chickadees have never seemed to me to "grow up," but
always to remain the trusting little ones of the bird-world, too small
to be out alone, and yet, like children, to fare forth with confidence
that their needs would be supplied.
They repay a thousand-fold any care bestowed upon them. Dr. Judd
reported finding in the stomach of one black-capped chickadee between
200 and 300 eggs of the fall cankerworm moth, and 450 eggs of a plant
louse in another. Mr. C. E. Bailey computed that one chickadee alone
would destroy 138,750 eggs of the cankerworm moth in 25 days, while
Prof. Sanderson estimated that 8,000,000,000 insects are destroyed
yearly in Michigan by these invaluable little birds.[29]
"Much of the daylight life of the chickadee is spent in a busy, active
pursuit of, or search for, insects and their eggs. This is particularly
the case in winter, when hibernating insects or their eggs must be most
diligently sought, for then starvation always threatens. But the
chickadee is one of the few insectivorous birds that is keen-witted
enough to find abundant food and safe shelter during the inclement
northern winter. Nevertheless, its busy search for food is sometimes
interrupted for so long a time during severe storms, when the trees are
encased in ice, that it dies from cold and hunger. During a sleet storm
Mr. C. E. Bailey saw two chickadees creep under the loose clapboards of
an old building for shelter. Their tails were so weighted down with ice
that they could hardly fly, and had he not cared for them they might
have perished.
"The chickadee, notwithstanding its hardiness, requires protection from
cold winds and storms at night. It finds such shelter either in some
hollow tree or in some deserted bird nest. Late one cold and snowy
afternoon Mr. Bailey detected a movement in a cavity under an old crow's
nest, and on climbing the tree he found two chickadees nestling there.
They remained there until he had climbed to the nest and put his hand on
one, when they flew out, only to return before he reached the ground.
Minot speaks of a chickadee that slept alone in winter in a phoebe's
nest under his veranda. It retires to its refuge rather early at night,
and does not come out until the Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and Junco
are abroad."[30]
THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET
_Old World Warbler Family--Sylviidæ_
Length: About 4 inches; smaller than the chickadee.
Male: Olive-green above, grayish-white underneath; crown with a _bright
red center, bordered on each side_ by _bright yellow_, and by a
_black stripe_ that edges the yellow; a light line over the eye;
wings and tail brown; tail forked.
Female: Like male, but without the red in the center of the
yellow-and-black crown.
Call-note: A weak _tzee, tzee_, highly pitched.
Song: William Brewster, in the _Auk_ for 1888, describes the song as
follows: [It] "begins with a succession of five or six fine, shrill,
high-pitched somewhat faltering notes, and ends with a short, rapid,
rather explosive warble. The opening notes are given in a rising
key, but the song falls rapidly at the end. The whole may be
expressed as follows: _tzee, tzee, tzee, tzee, ti, ti, ter,
ti-ti-ti-ti_."
Habitat: Woodlands, where kinglets are usually found _near the ends of
branches_, of coniferous trees especially.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds in the tree-regions of central
Canada, south in the Rocky Mts. to northern Arizona, New Mexico, and
to Michigan, New York, and mountains of Massachusetts, and in the
higher Alleghanies south to North Carolina; winters from Iowa,
Ontario, New Brunswick, to northern Florida and Mexico.
Though the Golden-crowned Kinglet is one of our smallest birds, it
braves the rigors of winter in the United States. It may be seen from
the latter part of September until April or early May, when it goes to
its more northerly nesting ground.
Kinglets and chickadees are industrious searchers for insects' eggs.
Their value is almost inestimable. Mr. Forbush tells of watching the
"Gold-crest" hunt for its food among the pines. He says: "The birds were
fluttering about among the trees. Each one would hover for a moment
before a tuft of pine 'needles,' and then either alight upon it and feed
or pass on to another. I examined the 'needles' after the Kinglets had
left them, and could find nothing on them; but when a bird was disturbed
before it had finished feeding, the spray from which it had been driven
was invariably found to be infested with numerous black specks, the eggs
of plant lice. Evidently the birds were cleaning each spray thoroughly,
as far as they went."[31]
Mr. Forbush tells also of observing the work of seven kinglets in a
grove of white pine which "must have been infested with countless
thousands of these eggs, for the band of Kinglets remained there until
March 25, almost three months later, apparently feeding most of the time
on these eggs. When they had cleared the branches, the little birds
fluttered about the trunks, hanging poised on busy wing, like
Hummingbirds before a flower, meanwhile rapidly pecking the clinging
eggs from the bark. In those three months they must have suppressed
hosts of little tree pests, for I have never seen birds more industrious
and assiduous in their attentions to the trees. One might expect such
work of Creepers or of Woodpeckers; but the Kinglets seemed to have
departed from their usual habits of gleaning among limbs and foliage, to
take the place of the missing Creepers, not one of which was seen in the
grove last winter."[32]
THE CAROLINA WREN
_Wren Family--Troglodytidæ_
Length: About 5½ inches; the largest of the six more common eastern
wrens.
Male and Female: Reddish-brown above; _no bars_ or _streaks_, except on
wings and tail, and occasionally underneath the body, near the tail;
a _long light line over the eye, extending to the shoulders_; under
parts buff with a brownish wash; throat white.
Notes: "Wren-like _chucks_ of annoyance or interrogation," and "a
peculiar fluttering _k-r-r-r-r-uck_, which resembles the bleating
call of a tree-toad."[33]
Song: A loud clear whistle, consisting of three similar syllables, with
variations.
Habitat: Thickets, vines, and undergrowth.
Range: Eastern United States. Breeds from southeastern Nebraska, Iowa,
Ohio, southern Pennsylvania, the lower Hudson and Connecticut
valleys south to central Texas, Gulf States, and northern Florida;
casual north to Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, and Maine.
Professor Beal writes of this interesting wren as follows: "The Carolina
wren is resident from the Gulf of Mexico north to the southern
boundaries of Iowa, Illinois, and Connecticut in the breeding season,
but in winter it withdraws somewhat farther south. It is a bird of the
thicket and undergrowth, preferring to place its nest in holes and
crannies, but when necessary, will build a bulky structure in a tangle
of twigs and vines. Unlike the house wren it does not ordinarily use the
structures of man for nesting sites.
"It is one of the few American birds that sing throughout the year. Most
birds sing, or try to, in the mating season, but the Carolina wren may
be heard pouring forth his melody of song every month. The writer's
first introduction to this bird was in the month of January when he
heard gushing from a thicket a song which reminded him of June instead
of midwinter.
"This wren keeps up the reputation of the family as an insect-eater, as
over nine-tenths of its diet consists of insects and their allies."
Stomach analysis shows that the vegetable food of the Carolina wren is
largely seeds of trees and shrubs and some wild berries. He concludes:
"From this analysis of the food of the Carolina wren, it is evident that
the farmer and fruit-grower have not the slightest cause for complaint
against the bird. It eats neither cultivated fruit nor grain, and does
not even nest in an orchard tree; but it does feed on numerous injurious
insects and enlivens the tangled thickets with its cheerful songs for
twelve months of the year."[34]
Dr. Witmer Stone writes of the song of the Carolina wren as follows:
"His most characteristic song has been likened by Mr. Chapman to
_tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle_, and to _whee-udle, whee-udle,
whee-udle_. Wilson wrote it _sweet-william, sweet-william,
sweet-william_; and to Audubon it seemed to say _come-to-me, come-to-me,
come-to-me_. It has variations recalling forms in the Cardinal's song,
and also that of the Tufted Titmouse; and the Wren after repeating one
form for some time, often changes suddenly to another producing a rather
startling effect, as if another bird has taken its place."[35]
THE WINTER WREN
_Wren Family--Troglodytidæ_
Length: About 4 inches; the same size as the golden-crowned kinglet.
Male and Female: Similar in appearance to the house wren, but smaller
and with a shorter tail; body brown, mostly barred with fine, black
lines; light line over the eye; under parts darker than those of the
house wren, with a buff wash across throat and breast.
Song: A very beautiful song, unusually loud for so small a bird. Those
fortunate enough to hear it are extravagant in their praise. Mr.
Eaton calls it the sweetest melody that he and his associates heard
in the Adirondacks, excelling even the thrushes.
Habitat: Brush heaps, thickets in woods, along streams, and in wild
rocky places.
Range: Breeds from southern Canada to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan,
New York, and Massachusetts, through the Alleghanies to North
Carolina; winters from about its southern breeding limit to Texas
and northern Florida.
Eaton says: "During the migration, this little wren is commonly observed
about the shrubbery of our lawns, parks, and the edges of woods, when
disturbed retreating to the recesses of some brush pile or under the
damp edges of the stream bank. A few remain throughout the winter in
western and central New York, and it is fairly common as a winter
resident in the southeastern portion of the State, but in the principal
breeding range of the Adirondacks and Catskills it is only a summer
resident."[36] It is a rather common winter visitor near Washington, and
rare in New England.
[Illustration: DOWNY AND HAIRY WOODPECKERS]
THE DOWNY WOODPECKER
_Woodpecker Family--Picidæ_
Length: A little over 6½ inches; the smallest of our woodpeckers.
General Appearance: A _small_ black and white bird, with a _white stripe
extending down the middle of its back_; a red patch on back of
male's head. The tail is used for a prop as the woodpecker climbs
tree-trunks.
Male: Upper parts black and white; crown of head black with _red patch
at nape_; two broad white stripes above and below eye; a _broad
white stripe down the center of back_; wings spotted and barred with
white; tail sharply pointed; the long tail-feathers, black; the
short _outer tail-feathers, white barred with black_; bill long,
strong, with a tuft of feathers at its base.
Female: Like male, except for the _absence of a red patch on the head_.
Notes: A call-note _Peek-peek_. A metallic
_Tut-tut-tut'-tut-tut-tut-tut_ might be considered the Downy's song,
but he belongs really to the group of songless birds. He beats loud
tattoos on the boughs of trees, especially at mating time.
Flight: Labored, jerky, with a characteristic shutting of the wings
against the sides.
Habitat: Tree-trunks in woods and orchards, and on lawns. The Downy is
our most common woodpecker, and a permanent resident.
Range: Northern and central parts of eastern North America, from
Alberta, Manitoba, and Ungava, south to eastern Nebraska, Kansas,
the Potomac Valley, and in the mountains to North Carolina.
The SOUTHERN DOWNY WOODPECKER of the South Atlantic and Gulf States
is smaller and browner than its northern relative.
The Downy Woodpecker is a member of a family of birds that has attracted
man's attention since the old days of superstition. Various myths have
grown up around these birds; those of the American Indians are possibly
the most interesting. Until recently, woodpeckers have been persecuted
by the white man, because of their habit of pecking at trees which they
were thought to kill. Many have been unjustly slain.
While one branch of the family, the Sapsuckers, have done a great deal
of harm to forests where they breed, and other woodpeckers have done
occasional damage, it is now known that they are invaluable as
preservers of our trees. Entomologists and foresters consider them the
greatest enemies known of spruce-bark beetles and sap-wood borers. As
borers are found near the surface in living trees, the holes made by
woodpeckers while extracting them soon heals and leaves little mark.
An examination of the structure of woodpeckers shows the admirable way
in which they are fitted for their work. They have short, stout legs;
strong feet, usually with two toes in front and two in the back; large
claws, and stiff tails tipped with sharp spines, to aid them in
supporting themselves firmly against tree-trunks and branches. Mr.
Forbush says: "The bird is thus more fully equipped for climbing than a
telegraph lineman. The claws and tail take the place of the man's hand
and spurs."[37]
Professor Beal writes the following: "As much of the food of woodpeckers
is obtained from solid wood, Nature has provided most of them with a
stout beak having a chisel-shaped point which forms an exceedingly
effective instrument. But the most peculiar and interesting point in the
anatomy of these birds is the tongue. This is more or less cylindrical
in form and usually very long. At the anterior end it generally
terminates in a hard point, with more or less barbs upon the sides.
Posteriorly the typical woodpecker tongue is extended in two long,
slender filaments of the hyoid bone _which curl up around the back of
the skull_ and, while they commonly stop between the eyes, in some
species they pass around the eye, but in others enter the right nasal
opening and extend to the end of the beak. In this last case the tongue
is practically twice the length of the head. Posteriorly this organ is
inclosed in a muscular sheath by means of which it can be extruded from
the mouth to a considerable length, and used as a most effective
instrument for dislodging grubs or ants from their burrows in wood or
bark. Hence, while most birds have to be content with such insects as
they find on the surface or in open crevices, the woodpeckers devote
their energies to those larvæ or grubs which are beneath the bark or
even in the heart of the tree. They locate their hidden prey with great
accuracy, and often cut small holes directly to the burrows of the
grubs."[38]
Mr. Forbush calls attention to the wonderfully constructed head of a
woodpecker "which is built so that it can withstand hard and continuous
hammering. The skull is very thick and hard. Its connection with the
beak is strong, but at the same time springy, and somewhat
jar-deadening. The membrane which surrounds the brain is very thick and
strong."[39]
The Downy is the smallest member of the woodpecker family in North
America, and is one of the most useful. He is especially fond of
orchards and shade trees, and not only devours insects that infest them
during the spring and summer, but eats the eggs they laid in the
crevices of the bark during the winter. One Downy alone is of
inestimable value in an orchard or a grove. Mr. Forbush writes as
follows: "When the Metropolitan Park Commission first began to set out
young trees along the parkways of Boston, some species of trees were
attacked by borers; but the Downy Woodpeckers found them out and
extracted the grubs, saving most of the trees.
"The untiring industry of this bird and the perfection of its perceptive
powers may be shown by the experience of Mr. Bailey. On March 28, 1899,
a Downy Woodpecker that he watched climbed over and inspected one
hundred and eighty-one woodland trees between 9:40 A. M. and 12:15 P.
M., and made twenty-six excavations for food. Most of these holes
exposed galleries in the trunks in high branches where wood-boring ants
were hiding.... These ants often gain an entrance at some unprotected
spot on a living tree, and so excavate the wood of the trunk that the
tree is blown down by the wind. This woodpecker acts as a continual
check on the increase of such ants."[39]
The Downy may easily be attracted to our yards by a piece of suet
fastened securely to a tree. During the past winter, one has sought my
suet-cage, in company with chickadees and nuthatches. This spring he
brought his mate to a maple in front of the house. He has seemed excited
and happy, and has drummed persistently on a certain broken limb of the
tree. He has indulged in numerous rapid flights and his metallic,
ringing call.
THE HAIRY WOODPECKER
_Woodpecker Family--Picidæ_
Length: About 9½ inches; nearly 1/3 larger than the Downy, whom he
_resembles almost identically as to general appearance, except in_
SIZE.
Male: Black and white above; white underneath; _broad white stripe down_
the _middle of_ the _back_; head with black and white stripes, a red
patch at the back, and bristles at the bill; wings black, with white
stripes and bars; tail black, with white outside feathers; _the
absence of black flecks on the tail-feathers and the larger size of
the bird_ distinguishes the Hairy from the Downy.
Female: Like male, except for the absence of a red patch on the head.
Note: A loud, shrill call, difficult to imitate or to reproduce on paper
for identification. The Hairy also "drums" on the boughs of trees;
it has no real song.
Habitat: Tree-trunks in woodlands, rather than in orchards or gardens,
though I have noticed these woodpeckers in winter frequenting the
trees of village streets without shyness or fear. During the
breeding season, they remain in secluded spots in the woods.
Range: Three species of the Hairy Woodpecker may be found in Canada and
the United States; the NORTHERN HAIRY WOODPECKER, the HAIRY
WOODPECKER, and the SOUTHERN HAIRY WOODPECKER. The northern species
lives in the tree-zone of Canada, and is the largest of the three;
the Hairy, next in size, may be found in the United States from
Colorado, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, to the middle and northern parts
of the Eastern States. The Southern Hairy, the smallest of the
three, is a resident of our southern section.
The Hairy Woodpecker is so like his small Downy relative in appearance
and habits that his characteristics are not usually dwelt upon; he is
like an older neglected cousin of a baby upon whom much attention is
lavished.
But he is very worth while attracting. He is as untiring as the Downy in
his quest for beetles, his favorite kind of tree-food; he is also a
lover of ants and other "borers." His longer bill enables him to reach
many that the Downy cannot. One Hairy Woodpecker alone saved an entire
orchard that had become infested with "borers." One tree had died before
he began his rescue-work, but he saved all the others.[40]
He likes the caterpillars of the cecropia and gypsy moths. He eats much
vegetable food, especially during the winter; he has been known to take
an occasional bite of the soft inner bark of trees and a drink of sap
which he has well earned. Like the Downy, he will eat suet in the winter
season.
Mr. Forbush writes: "While this bird often excavates a hole for winter
shelter, it sometimes sleeps exposed on a tree-trunk. Mr. Bailey and I
once watched one that slept for many winter nights on the north side of
a tree trunk in a thick grove. It attached its claws to the bark and
went to sleep in much the same position in which it ordinarily climbed
the tree. It invariably went to the same tree at night, and was found in
the same place at daylight every morning."[40]
THE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
_Nuthatch Family--Sittidæ_
Length: About 6 inches.
General Appearance: A short, thickset bird, blue-gray, black, and white.
Bill long; tail short and square.
Male: Mostly bluish-gray above; white underneath, shading to
reddish-brown at sides and under tail; top of head and nape a
shining blue-black; sides of head and throat white; wings gray
shading to brown, edged and tipped with light gray or white;
shoulders gray and black; bill large and strong, (¾ of an inch in
length); tail short and square-cut; middle feathers bluish-gray;
outer ones black, with large white patches near tips; legs short;
feet large and strong; hind toe unusually long, with a long, sharp
nail.
Female: Head a dull grayish-black; otherwise like male.
Notes: A nasal _crank-crank_, which, though not melodious, is not
unpleasant to hear. Dr. Chapman says: "There is such a lack of
sentiment in the Nuthatch's character, he seems so matter-of-fact in
all his ways, that it is difficult to imagine him indulging in
anything like song. But even he cannot withstand the conquering
influences of spring, and at that season he raises his voice in a
peculiar monotone--a tenor _hah-hah-hah-hah-hah_--sounding strangely
like mirthless laughter."[41]
Flight: Undulating.
Habitat: Trunks of trees, which he ascends and descends. The other
tree-trunk birds, except the black and white warbler, usually ascend
trees.
[Illustration: NUTHATCH]
Range: North America, east of the Plains. A permanent resident, though
irregularly distributed. Breeds from central Canada to the northern
parts of the Gulf States.
Of the so-called tree-trunk birds, none are easier to identify than
nuthatches, because of their habit of _descending_ trees. Woodpeckers
jerk themselves up a tree somewhat as men might ascend telegraph-poles
or smooth slippery palm trees. Creepers wind spirally about trunks in a
gentle, unobtrusive manner. Both woodpeckers and creepers use their
sharply-pointed tails as props. Not so the nuthatches. They care not how
they go--"uphill or down dale"--all is one to them. They are as
sure-footed as burros descending the Grand Canyon. If they depart from
their trail, and decide to leap from crag to crag of their arboreal
cliffs, they alight on their strong feet with something of the assurance
of a cat. Their tails are not necessary to them as supports.
It is interesting to inquire into the reasons for curious habits of
birds. In the economy of Nature one finds marvelous adaptations and
harmonies. Mr. Francis H. Allen, in his delightful sketch written for
the National Association of Audubon Societies, speaks of the nuthatch as
"filling a gap in nature" by approaching his prey from an angle not
possible to woodpeckers and creepers. Mr. Allen says: "He would not have
adopted so unusual a method of feeding if it had not stood him in good
stead. I suspect that by approaching his prey from above he detects
insects and insect-eggs in the crevices of the bark which would be
hidden from another point of view. The woodpeckers and the creepers can
take care of the rest. Of course these other birds get something of a
downward view as they bend their heads forward, but the Nuthatch has the
advantage of seeing, before he gets to them, some insects which even a
Brown Creeper's gentle approach would scare into closer hiding in their
holes and crannies."[42]
In addition to beetles, moths, caterpillars, ants, and wasps, the
nuthatch eats seeds, waste grain, and nuts such as acorns, beechnuts,
and chestnuts.[43] His habit of wedging nuts into some crevice that will
hold them securely, and then using his strong bill as a hatchet to
"hatch" open the nuts is well-known. From that habit he derives his
name, which Mr. Forbush says originated probably from _nuthack_ or
_nuthacker_. The bird does much good, and no harm that is known.
He is active and cheerful, inquisitive, and intelligent. He makes an
interesting winter companion. During an ice-storm in Asheville, N. C., a
nuthatch was attracted by fragments of bread scattered for the hungry
winter birds during their famine time. This nuthatch pounced on large
crumbs so greedily and purloined them so rapidly that my sisters feared
he would die of acute indigestion! They finally discovered that he had
wedged the crumbs into large crevices in the bark of a tree near by, and
had stowed one good-sized crust in a hole in a telegraph-pole. When he
had appropriated most of the bread, he spent the day feasting, going
from one store house to another.
A nuthatch in Massachusetts frequently sought an improvised
feeding-table made from a bluebird's nesting-box. One cold morning the
owner saw him emerging from the box, where he had evidently "spent the
night sitting on his breakfast," literally seated in the lap of luxury.
He reminded me of that delicious tale I loved to read and contemplate
during childhood,--of the children who lived in a candy house and ate
their way out of it!
Another New England nuthatch, one that I watched at my feeding-table, at
first made rapid inroads upon the suet-cage, storing pieces in the
cracks of a tree near by. I saw him tuck one large crumb beneath a
warped shingle of the chicken-house, evidently laying it up for an icy
day, instead of the proverbial rainy one. When an unusually severe
ice-storm occurred, he returned to his store house and the crumb
disappeared. I had the satisfaction of having assisted him in his dire
need.
THE RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH
_Nuthatch Family--Sittidæ_
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is very similar to its white-breasted cousin
except that it is smaller, (4½ to 5 inches), and is _yellowish_ or
"_rusty_" _underneath_, (except for a white throat), has a _white
stripe_ on each side of its _black crown_, and a _black stripe extending
through the eye_. The head of the female is gray, with white and gray
stripes.
This species is not so well known as the white-breasted nuthatch,
because it frequents coniferous forests or woods that contain
evergreens. It breeds from the Upper Yukon Valley, central Canada, and
northern United States, and winters as far south as lower California,
New Mexico, Arizona, and the Gulf Coast.
Mr. Allen says of this bird: "To those who know it the Red-breasted
Nuthatch is dear out of all proportion to its size and its musical
attainments. It is livelier than its big cousin, and prettier in its
markings, and there is something particularly fetching about its quaint
little form. It is even less of a songster than the white-breasted
species, for prolongations and repetitions of its call-note seem to be
all it has that can pass for a song. This call-note can be rendered as
_äap_. It is nasal, like that of the White-breasted Nuthatch, but much
higher in pitch, more drawling, and lacks the _r_. It has been happily
likened to the sound of a tiny trumpet or tin horn.
"The habits of the Red-breasted Nuthatch are so like those of the
White-breasted that much that I have said about that species is
applicable to this. The most striking difference is in the favorite
haunts of the two birds, the Red-breasted preferring the coniferous
woods, or mixed woods that contain a large proportion of evergreens. In
those winters when they are found in southern New England, they come
freely to the neighborhood of man's dwellings and feed familiarly on the
supplies provided for the winter birds, but even there they show their
partiality for coniferous trees. They are particularly fond of the seeds
of pines and spruces, so that they are much more vegetarian than their
white-breasted cousins. They have the same habit of hiding their savings
in cracks and crevices."[44]
THE BROWN CREEPER
_Creeper Family--Certhiidæ_
Length: About 5½ inches.
Male and Female: Brown above, mottled with gray, buff, and white; under
parts white. A _whitish line over eye_; bill long, curved; a bar of
buff across wings; tail-feathers long, _sharply pointed_; _upper
tail-coverts bright reddish-brown_.
Note: A faint, monotonous, _skreek-skreek, skreek-skreek_.
Song: According to Brewster, the brown creeper sings an unusually sweet
song during the nesting season.
Habitat: Tree-trunks, which are carefully inspected by these industrious
birds.
Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from Nebraska, Indiana, the
mountains of North Carolina and Massachusetts north to southern
Canada; also in the mountains of western North America from Alaska
to Nicaragua; winters over most of its range.
The Brown Creeper should inherit the earth, for he is one of the most
perfect examples of meekness that may be found. Small, slight,
self-effacing, untiring in his work, he reminds one of a quiet
industrious person who performs unremittingly small tasks that amount to
a large total.
He is a searcher for insect-eggs, and for insects so small that they
might escape the notice of eyes not peculiarly fitted to espy them. His
long bill is slender enough to slip into crevices which neither
nuthatches nor woodpeckers investigate. Possibly it is because he
selects such tiny particles of food that he must work so industriously
in order to get enough to eat. He seems always in a hurry. Mr. Frank
Chapman has humorously described the brown creeper as follows:
[Illustration: BROWN CREEPER]
"After watching him for several minutes, one becomes impressed with the
fact that he has lost the only thing in the world he ever cared for, and
that his one object in life is to find it. Ignoring you completely, with
scarcely a pause, he winds his way in a preoccupied, near-sighted manner
up a tree-trunk. Having finally reached the top of his spiral staircase,
one might suppose he would rest long enough to survey his surroundings,
but like a bit of loosened bark he drops off to the base of the nearest
tree and resumes his never-ending task."[45]
The creeper is not easy to find. He is so wonderfully protected by his
dull brown feathers that he looks more like an animated lichen than a
bird. His nest is a cleverly camouflaged affair, tucked behind loose
bark and often containing eight whitish eggs about the size of beans.
We are surprised to learn that this patient, hard-working little
creature has the soul of a poet. His sweet nesting song, reserved for
his mate brooding in the woods, breathes exquisite tenderness and
beauty.
THE STARLING
_Starling Family--Sturnidæ_
Length: About 8½ inches.
General Appearance: A _short-tailed, long-billed black bird_ with flecks
of brown that look like freckles.
Male and Female: Head purple, flecked with light brown spots; body
purple and green, the purple predominating on back and sides, the
green on the breast. In summer, the upper parts and sides are
speckled, the breast and belly dark, and the _bill yellow_. In
winter, the upper parts are spotted with light brown, the under
parts with white; the bill is _brown_ until January, when it begins
to turn yellow.
Notes: Squeaks and gurgles, interspersed with pleasant musical notes. A
flock of starlings make a great deal of noise.
Range: Numerous starlings live in the Eastern Hemisphere. A number of
them were brought to America in 1890 and released in Central Park,
New York City. They have increased in number and enlarged their
range greatly. They have spread northward and southward; they are
now reasonably common near Boston and Washington, as well as New
York and other places in the East.
In the winter, starlings are easily identified, because they are the
only black birds smaller than crows to be found in some localities. In
the spring, they may be readily distinguished from grackles because they
have _yellow bills_, _dark eyes_, and _short, square_ tails, while
grackles have _dark_ bills, _yellow_ eyes, and _long_ tails. Both
starlings and grackles are iridescent; a near view reveals the spotted
plumage of the starlings and the iridescent bars on the backs of the
purple grackles.
Major Bendire says that starlings possess unusual adaptability and can
make their nests in a great variety of places. Accusations are brought
against them for driving away bluebirds and even flickers. It remains to
be seen how much harm is done to our native birds in this way.
There are different opinions regarding the economic value of Old World
starlings. Mr. Forbush tells of an Australian locust invasion near
Ballarat, Victoria, which made terrible havoc with crops. "It was feared
that all the sheep would have to be sold for want of grass, when flocks
of Starlings, Spoon-bills, and Cranes made their appearance and in a few
days made so complete a destruction of the locusts that only about forty
acres of grass were lost." Mr. Forbush gives also "the experience of the
forest authorities in Bavaria during the great and destructive outbreak
of the nun moth which occurred there from 1889 to 1891. The flight of
Starlings collected in one locality alone was creditably estimated at
ten thousand, all busily feeding on the caterpillars, pupæ and moths.
The attraction of Starlings to such centers became so great that
market-gardeners at a distance felt their absence seriously."[46]
In an article by E. R. Kalmbach of the Biological Survey, published in
"The Auk" of April, 1922, and entitled "A Comparison of the Food Habits
of British and American Starlings," occur the following statements by
Dr. Walter E. Collinge, the eminent Scotch biologist:
"The Starling offers a most serious menace to the production of
home-grown food, and any further increase in its numbers can only be
fraught with the most serious consequences." He says also, "For many
years past there has been taking place a sure but gradual change of
opinion with reference to the economic status of the Starling, for from
one of our most useful wild birds it has become one of the most
injurious. Its alarming increase throughout the country threatens our
cereal and fruit crops, and the magnitude of the plague is now fully
realized." He states further, "There is fairly reasonable evidence to
show that in the past the bulk of the food consisted of insects and
insect larvæ, slugs, snails, earthworms, millepedes, weed seeds, and
wild fruits; in more recent years, this has been supplemented by cereals
and cultivated fruits and roots."
Mr. Kalmbach reports a better record for the starling in America, and
refers to the decision made by the Department of Agriculture, reported
in Bulletin 868:
"Most of the Starling's food habits have been demonstrated to be either
beneficial to man or of a neutral character. Furthermore, it has been
found that the time the bird spends in destroying crops or in molesting
other birds is extremely short compared with the endless hours it spends
searching for insects or feeding on wild fruits. Nevertheless, no policy
would be sound which would give the bird absolute protection and afford
no relief to the farmer whose crops are threatened by a local
overabundance of the species.... The individual farmer will be well
rewarded by allowing a reasonable number of Starlings to conduct their
nesting operations on the farm. Later in the season a little vigilance
will prevent these easily frightened birds from exacting an unfair toll
for services rendered."
THE NORTHERN SHRIKE OR BUTCHER-BIRD
_Shrike Family--Laniidæ_
Length: A little over 10 inches.
Male and Female: Gray above, lighter underneath; forehead, rump, and
upper tail-coverts white; wings black, irregularly marked with
white; tail black, bordered with white; _a heavy black streak
extending from the bill beyond the eye_; _bill hooked_ and blackish.
Notes: A call-note and a sweet song.
Habitat: Fields or roadsides where it can find insects, small rodents,
and little birds for its prey.
Range: Northern North America. Breeds from northwestern Alaska and
northern Canada to the base of the Alaskan Peninsula, Saskatchewan,
Ontario, and Quebec; winters south to central California, Arizona,
New Mexico, Texas, Kentucky, and Virginia.
The LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, a resident of the Southern States, is similar to
the Northern Shrike but smaller. It is found from southern Florida
to North Carolina and west to Louisiana. Northward this species is
represented by the MIGRANT SHRIKE, nesting locally from Virginia and
eastern Kansas to the southern border of Canada.
Shrikes or Butcher-Birds are attractive to look at, but have a habit
which renders them extremely unpopular. They pursue small rodents and
little birds and impale them upon sharp twigs, thorns, or barbed wire
fences. In excuse for these cruel acts, it must be said that they have
not strong, sharp talons like hawks and owls; in order to tear their
prey to pieces, there must be a way of holding it firmly.[47] One agrees
with Mr. Forbush, however, in his estimate of the habit. He says:
"The Shrike or Butcher-Bird is regarded as beneficial; but our winter
visitor, the Northern Shrike, kills many small birds. It pursues Tree
Sparrows, Juncos, Song Sparrows, and Chickadees, overtakes and strikes
them while they are in flight, sometimes eating them, but oftener
leaving them to hang on trees, where they furnish food for other birds.
When one sees the little Butcher killing Chickadees and hanging them up,
his faith in its usefulness receives a great shock. Shrikes are probably
of less value here than in their northern homes, where in summer they
feed much on insects. Their chief utility while here [in Massachusetts]
consists in their mouse-hunting proclivities."[47]
Their habit of killing English sparrows and thus getting rid of a
nuisance has been commended. Shrikes are likewise destroyers of
grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, and other insects.
"Like birds of prey and some other birds, the Butcher-Bird habitually
disgorges the indigestible part of its food after digesting the
nutritive portion. The bones and hair of mice are rolled into compact
pellets in the stomach before being disgorged."[48]
DESCRIPTIONS AND BIOGRAPHIES
OF
OUR EARLY SPRING BIRDS
PART THREE