202 WOODPECKERS 



records on its breeding grounds attests. A sharp 2^eek will sometimes 

 reveal its presence, and if you look quickly you may catch sight of a 

 vanishing back marked with a white vertical line. 



In working, the hairy woodpecker takes short hops up the tree 

 trunk, sidles around, or backs down with equal ease. It is a forest 

 preserver, spending its life in ridding the trees of wood-borers and 

 other insects that destroy them. When not engaged in getting food, 

 it entertains itself by drumming on a resonant branch. 



The Harris woodpecker is the humid Pacific coast form of mllosus 

 while Cabanis is the interior form. As villosus is a Transition zone 

 bird it affects yellow pines and aspens, and in the ponderosa forests 

 of Arizona I have seen it excavate in pine bark with wonderful dex- 

 terity. Instead of drilling straight down, with its head on one sid6, 

 it would fleck off and send flying the thin flakes of bark which char- 

 acterize the tree. In Arizona the young Cabanis woodpeckers leave 

 their nests about the middle of June, Dr. Mearns says, and soon after 

 make a partial vertical migration downward to the lower edge of the 

 pine belt in company with other birds that breed at the higher levels. 

 In winter when the timber gets icy the woodpeckers sometimes go 

 as low as the cottonwoods, where they are usually accompanied by 

 flocks of Cassin finches, red-backed j uncos, and their especial com- 

 panions, the slender-billed nuthatches. 



393c. D. V. harrisii {And.). Harris Woodpecker. 



Adult male. — Upper parts black, with scarlet napej^white stripe down 



back, wing coverts and tertials plain black or lightly spotted with white ; 



outer primaries with white spots ; outer 



tail feather plain white ; under parts smoky 



gray or light smoky brown. Adult female : 



similar, hut without scarlet nape. Young: 



^*^- ^^^- similar, but forehead spotted with white and 



scarlet of nape extending- partly or wholly over crown. Length : 9-10, 



wing- 4.70-5.30, tail 3.20-3.75, bill 1.12-1.40. 



Remarks. — The plain black or very lightly spotted wing- coverts and 

 tertials of harrisii distinguish it from the northern and southern hairy 

 woodpeckers, while its smoky under parts distinguish it from hyloscopus. 



Distribution. — Pacific coast in humid Transition and Canadian zones, 

 from Alaska south to northern California (Humboldt Bay). 

 Nest and eggs similar to that of the northern hairy. 



Food. — Wood-boring larvae, Avasps, weevils, beetles, ants, seeds, and wild 

 berries. 



393d. D. V. hyloscopus (Cab.). Cabanis Woodpecker. 



Similar to D. v. harrisii, but white instead of smoky below, and some- 

 what smaller. 



Distribution. — Resident in arid Transition zone of the southwestern 

 United States and south to mountains of Zacatecas, Mexico — replaced by 

 harrisii in the humid coast district. 



Nest. — Usually 12 to 18 feet from the ground in pines, aspens, and other 

 trees. Eggs : 3 to 6, white. 



