If birds were arranged by habits, not structure, LEWIS WOODPECKER would fall into the Jay class. They fly on a level without undulation, alight on branches oftener than on trunks, feed freely on the ground or catch insects expertly on the wing, gather in flocks and are noisy during the Spring and live largely on a diet of fruit. Certainly not a summary of Woodpecker characteristics. The hoarding instinct shows feebly when they stow acorns into natural cavities, their bill chiseling capacity being even weaker than the Flickers.
From southern British Columbia and southern Alberta south to Arizona and New Mexico. West to California coast ranges, east to Dakota, western Nebraska and western Texas.