226 Birds of Colorado 



Batchelder's Woodpecker. Dryohates pubescens homorus. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 394b— Colorado Records— Aiken 72, p. 206 

 {Picua gairdneri) ; Henshaw 75, p. 388 ; Scott 79, p. 95 ; Drew 81, p. 141 ; 

 85, p. 17 ; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 196 ; Beckham 85, p. 143 ; Monison 

 88, p. 107 ; 89, p. 67 : Batcholder 89, p. 253 {D. p. oreoeciis) ; Kellogg 

 90, p. 87 ; Lowe 94, p. 268 ; Cooke 97, pp. 83, 207 : Henderson 03, 

 p. 107 ; 09, p. 231 ; Oilman 07, p. 154 ; Rockwell 08, p. 164 ; Warren 

 09, p. 14. 



Description. — Very similar in general coloration to D. villosua 

 monticola, but considerably smaller and with the lateral tail-feathers 

 transversely spotted with black ; inner secondaries and wing-coverts 

 unspotted ; white of under-surface not smoky, and under tail-coverts 

 unmarked ; iris brown, bill and legs dusky slate. Length 6-6 ; wing 

 4-0 ; tail 2-5 ; cuLnen -65 ; tarsus -65. 



The female has no red on the head, and is slightly smaller — 

 wing 3-80. 



Distribution. — The Rocky Mountain region from southern British 

 Columbia and north-east Nebraska south through Colorado to Arizona 

 and New Mexico, perhaps to southern California. 



In Colorado a less common resident than the Rocky Mountain Hairy, 

 but still by no means rare, breeding in summer from the foothills 

 up to timber line, and wintering more commonly on the plains along 

 the base of the mountains and occasionally as high as 10,000 feet. I 

 have not heard of its occurring out on the plains except that it was 

 seen by Warren in March at Orchard, some forty miles from the 

 foothills. 



The following are notices : Estes Park (KeUogg) ; Boulder co. 

 resident in vaUey and mountains (Gale) ; near Colorado Springs, 

 January, May and October (Aiken coll.), near Fort Garland 8,000 to 

 10,000 feet (Henshaw), Breckenridge, breeding (Carter), Mesa co. 

 breeding commonly above 7,000 feet, wintering up to 9,000 feet 

 (Rockwell), La Plata co., common resident (Morrison). 



Habits. — ^A restless and energetic little Woodpecker, 

 constantly tapping the tree trunks in search of insects. 

 It has hardly any distinctive traits of character from 

 the Hairy. 



It is a late breeder ; Gale found fresh eggs from June 

 5th to 25th. These are deposited in a hole excavated 

 in an aspen or pine, or sometimes in an old dead stub, 

 and are three or four in number. They are white in 

 colour, and measure '74 x '60. 



