Altho colored like the Downy, except that the red is on side of male's head, these Woodpeckers are quite different in manner and habits. They are found usually in tops of tall pines, where the forests are dense, having no fondness for orchards or the ways of man. The home is always excavated in a living pine and the trunk above and below the entrance pierced with numerous holes from which exudes sap which forms a sticky barrier around the tree. When sunlight strikes at the correct angle, this glistening effect can be seen for some distance. Mites and ants are malignant foes of young birds and probably this defence is intended to foil these enemies — which it does most effectively.
If normal fare of insects becomes scarce these birds will substitute seeds and berries and seem to thrive on the changed menu.
Pine forests of eastern United States, south of Virginia.