lorne wrote:
> Can
> anyone tell me more about woodpeckers or flickers in the southern states
> of the USA? Are there indeed woodpeckers in these areas?
There are woodpeckers in the sthn States. Hopefully my National Geographic
filed guide will turn up before I leave for Houston. Then I should be able
to spot a couple for you. In the meantime, from "The Complete Birds of the
World" (Michael Walters), here are the ones that are specific to the area,
there are probably others, but the range description is too general to say:
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), Acorn (M. formicivorus),
Golden-fronted (M.aurifrons) in Texas at least, Hairy (Dendrocopos
villosus), Downy (D.pubescens), Red-cockaded (D.borealis), but more
specifically SE USE Ladder-backed (D.scalaris).
There are about 210 species throughout the world except AUstralia, the
oceacnic islands and Madagascar. I have to admit to quite a bit of a thrill
when I spotted my first Woodpecker in the wild (Scotland), and subsequently
in Africa. No-one else in the non-birding party seemed to care that we have
none in Aus. They really are very pretty birds.
> What are the
> differences in the sounds of their peckings/drummings? I will consult a
> birdsong CD I've got in the meantime.
Gotta pass on that one. But it took a while for me to realise what I was
listening to the first time I heard a Woodpecker hammering.
--
Eric Hocking
"A closed mouth gathers no feet"
== Melbourne, Australia ==
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~ehocking
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