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Updated: May 8, 2025
In the domain of these birds trees may be found which are riddled like a sieve with holes stopped up by an acorn as by a plug. When the hunting of insects ceases to be fruitful, the Melanerpes visits his barns.
One of their amusements was to drum on the tin girdles of the shade trees; and meanwhile they themselves afforded a pastime to the gray squirrels, who were often to be seen creeping stealthily after them, as if they imagined that Melanerpes erythrocephalus might possibly be caught, if only he were hunted long enough.
One of them which is common in California, the Melanerpes formicivorus, nourishes himself, as his name indicates, by insects, and especially ants. All the summer he gives himself up to this hunt, but at the same time he collects acorns, which he does not touch, however, so long as he can find other food.
Now and every time that he has need he can utilise the method that has been employed by his cousin the Melanerpes. In order to feed on each acorn without too much trouble, or allowing it to slip from his beak, the bird places it in a vice. He hollows a hole in the trunk of a tree, introduces the fruit there forcibly, and eats it at his ease.
I am naturally undemonstrative; but I said to myself that Melanerpes erythrocephalus was a very handsome bird. On one of my first jaunts into the suburbs of Tallahassee I noticed not far from the road a bit of swamp, shallow pools with muddy borders and flats. It was a likely spot for "waders," and would be worth a visit.
In the regions of Mexico where this bird is found the dry period is so absolute that he would die of hunger for want of insects or fruits if he had not taken the precaution of laying up stores during spring. His store consists of acorns. He has not time to fix them one by one, like the Melanerpes, and only thinks at first of rapidly collecting a large quantity.
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