A bird of the trees
is the Great Spotted Woodpecker. Its feet are adapted for
climbing, its stiff tail feathers make a rest, and its stout bill is
excellent for
drilling in timber, whether to make a nest hole or in search of woodboring
insects. In person it is black and white with scarlet undertail coverts,
plus,
in the case of the male, a little red on the back of the head. In spring
it
hammers on a chosen branch, making a drumming noise that carries far
through the woods.
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