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Hairy Woodpecker
Adult Male--Upper parts black, divided by a broad white line; head black, with nape deep scarlet, and a broad white line above and another below the eye; wings spotted with white; under parts white.
Adult Female--Lacks the scarlet on the head. Length--9.40.
Breeding Range--From North Carolina northward. The eggs are laid in a hole in a tree; usually a dead or partly dead tree is chosen, a new hole being made every year. 4 to 5 and sometimes 6 white eggs are laid. Size--.97 x .70.
This bird might easily be mistaken for the downy woodpecker, its markings and colour being very similar; it is, however, so much larger that there should be little difficulty in its identification. When searching for a tree suitable for their nesting purposes, these birds commence excavations in a great number of places, often making holes several inches deep before deciding for or against some particular tree; and I believe that if, after having found one that is thoroughly suitable, they imagine themselves observed while excavating, they will immediately abandon the tree.
The breeding season begins rather before the middle of May.