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16
FIELD KEY TO THE LAND BIRDS
16
FIELD KEY TO THE LAND BIRDS.
WOOD
PBCKE.RS.—
Pk{dae.
— Sti'ong and straight.
— Not feathered. — Four, two in front
and
tAvo
behind, or three, two in front and one l^ehind. Nails strongly curved for climbing. Food. Insects, particularly woodboring insects in the trunks of trees. For the purpose of catching these insects Woodpeckers are provided Avith a long, string-like tongue
—
^r^'^
which has a l)arl)ed hook at the point. They insert tongue into the holes bored by the insects, and pull out their prey.
When the tongue is not long enough they hannner and chisel holes with their strong bills, and thus reach the insect. They build
