188 NEW-YORK FAUNA — BIRDS. 



THE YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 



PlCUS VARIUS. 

 PLATE XVIII. FIG. 38. 



(STATE COLLECTION.) 



Picus varius. Linn.^us, Syst. Nat. p. 176. Pennant, Arct. Zool. Vol. 2, p. 275. Wilson. Am. Om. Vol. t, 

 p. 147, pi. 9, fig. 2 (male). Vieillot, Ois. de l'Am. Vol. 2, p. 63, pi. 118 (adult male) ; pi. 119 

 (young). Bonaparte, Ann. Lye. Vol. 2, p. 45. Id. Am. Orn. Vol. 1, p. 75, figs. 1 and 2 (young). 

 Audubon, fol. pi. 190. Nuttall, Man. Orn. Vol. 1, p. 574. 



P. ( Dendrocopus) id. Rich. & Swainson, F. B. A. Vol. 2, p. 3U9. Kirtland, Zool. Ohio, p. 179. Peabodt, 

 Mass. Rep. p. 336. Audubon, B. of Am. Vol. 4, p. 263, pi. 267. 



Characteristics. Crown and front of the throat crimson. Breast and belly greenish yellow. 

 Throat and upper part of the back black. Female : Throat and hind 

 head whitish. Young : White band on the wings ; head brown, barred 

 with black. Length, 8^ inches. 



Description. An oblique carina on each side of the upper mandible. First quill very 

 short ; second and third longest. Tail wedge-shaped, concave, with ten acute feathers, 

 scarcely - 9 longer than the tips of the closed wings. 



Color. A light stripe over the eye, bounded above with black. The red on the throat 

 bounded with black, which unites below in a large crescent-shaped black patch with purplish 

 reflexions. Above black, varied with greenish white. Scapulars black, tinged with green. 

 Quills black. Tail-feathers margined with reddish white ; the two central feathers white on 

 a part of their inner webs, with two black spots like bars. Female, resembles the male in 

 its red head and other particulars. Chin and throat white, bounded with black. Black spots 

 on both vanes of the central tail-feathers. Young male (August 10): Breast varied with 

 brown and black. Head brown, streaked with black. One or two small red feathers 

 diluted on the head. Young female of the second year : Breast black ; crown purple, with 

 a few reddish feathers. 



Length, 8' 0-8' 5. Alar spread, 14-0-15-0. 



This species comes to us from the South in the spring, and remains in this State during 

 the summer, where it breeds, and then migrates southwardly in the autumn. Eggs white 

 unspotted. Food, insects, worms and berries. It ranges from Mexico to the 61st parallel, 

 and is a permanent resident near the Atlantic from Maryland south. In the interior, it is not 

 a resident so far north. 



