. A Book of ornithology, for youth. Embracing descriptions of the most interesting and remarkable birds in all countries, with particular notices of American birds . r colours. THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. This bird has the back and wings above of a dark am-ber, transversely marked with equidistant streaks of black;throat and chin of a very light cinnamon or fawn colour ;the breast ornamented with a broad crescent of deepblack; the lower parts tinged with yellow, and scatteredwith innumerable round spots of black; the inner side ofthe wing and tail, and shafts of all the larger feathers are,o
. A Book of ornithology, for youth. Embracing descriptions of the most interesting and remarkable birds in all countries, with particular notices of American birds . r colours. THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. This bird has the back and wings above of a dark am-ber, transversely marked with equidistant streaks of black;throat and chin of a very light cinnamon or fawn colour ;the breast ornamented with a broad crescent of deepblack; the lower parts tinged with yellow, and scatteredwith innumerable round spots of black; the inner side ofthe wing and tail, and shafts of all the larger feathers are,of a beautiful golden yellow. The bill differs somewhatfrom that of other woodpeckers, being long, slightly bent,ridged only on the top, and tapering almost to a point. IThe female differs from tho male chiefly in the greater;obscurity of the fine colours. These birds are we\\ known to farmers and sportsmen. THE GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER. 167 They begin to prepare their nest early in April, in thehollow body or branch of a tree. Their sagacity in dis-covering an unsound place under a sourd bark, and theirperseverance in perforating it, are truly surprising: the. male and female alternately relieving and encouragingeach other, renewing their labours for several successivedays, till they have provided themselves with spacious andconvenient accommodations. They will sometimes worktill a late hour in the evening. They carry in no mate-rials for their nest, the soft chips and dust of the woodanswering all their purpose. The female lays six whiteeggs, almost transparent. The food of this bird varies with the season. It con-sists partly of common cherries, bird cherries and berries 168 THE i:,GED WOODPECKER. of the sour gum, but principally of wood lice, and theyoung and larvae of ants. The following anecdote is related by Mr. Wilson,In rambling through the woods one day, I happened toshoot one of these birds and wounded him slightly on thewing. Finding him in full feather, an
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookidbookoforni, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1832
