Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
HONEY-GUIDE.
The name is bestowed on account of its remarkable habit of drawing attention to bees' nests.
It is interesting to note that the geographical range of the barbet is much wider than that of its immediate allies, extending through tropical Asia, Africa, and America.
The Woodpecker Tribe constitutes a large group, generally divided into two sections—the Woodpeckers and the Wrynecks.
The former are characterised by their large heads and very powerful bills and long and exceedingly stiff tails. The feet are also peculiar, two toes pointing directly forwards and two backwards. Beak, feet, and tail are all specially adapted to the peculiar habits of these birds, which pass their lives upon trees, climbing the trunks, and searching the interstices of the bark for ants, or drilling holes into the unsound portions of the trunk itself for the purpose of extracting the grubs which feed upon decaying wood.
Photo by A. S. Rudland & Sons.
A FAMILY OF GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS.