Red-headed Woodpecker 233 



Northern Pileated Woodpecker. 

 Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 405a— Colorado Records — Drew 81, p. 140 ; 

 Morrison 89, p. 68 ; Cooko 97, pp. 84, 207. 



Description. — Male — Above and below dark brown, almost black ; 

 crown, occipital crest and malar stripe crunson ; a stripe below the 

 eye, chin and a patch on the wings white. Wing 9*0 ; tail 6-25 ; culmen 

 2-05. The female has the crown and malar stripes brown, but retains 

 the crimson crest. 



Distribution. — The wooded regions of North America from the southern 

 Alleghanies north nearly to Hudson Bay, and west to Vancouver 

 Island, but exterminated in most of the settled regions. 



The occurrence of this handsome bird in Colorado rests on most slender 

 evidence. Drew was told of the existence of a large crested Wood- 

 pecker in San Juan co., and H. G. Hoskins informed Cooke that he had 

 seen what he took to be this bird on one occasion when ptissing the 

 Tattle Ranch in Kit Karson co., close to the Kansas line. 



Genus MELANERPES. 



Bill moderate, about as long as the head, culmen slightly curved, 

 the culminal and laterctl ridges evident, but not strongly marked j 

 nostrils hardly concealed by the bristles ; head not crested ; toes four, 

 the anterior and posterior outer toes about equal ; plumage black, 

 white and red in masses. 



Two species in the United States. The Califomian Woodpecker 

 is found in Arizona and New Mexico, but does not reach our limits. 



Red-headed Woodpecker. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 406— Colorado Records— Allen 72, pp. 151, 158, 

 180 ; Aiken 72, p. 207 ; Trippe 74, p. 290 ; Henshaw 75, p. 398 

 Tresz 81, p. 186 ; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 196 ; Beckham 85, p. 143 

 Drew 85, p. 17 ; McGregor 88, p. 44 ; 97, p. 38 ; Morrison 89, p. 145 

 Kellogg 90, p. 87 ; Bendire 92, p. 107 ; Cooke 97, pp. 84, 207 

 Henderson, 03, p. 235 ; 09, p. 231 : Dille 03, p. 74 ; Warren 06, p. 21 

 08, p. 21 ; Markman 07, p. 156. 



Description. — Male — Head aU round, including the fore-breast crimson, 

 bordered with black on the breast ; back, wings (except the secondaries) 

 and tail glossy blue-black, the latter with lateral feathers edged with 

 white ; secondaries, vipper tail-coverts and under-parts white ; iris 

 brown, bill and feet dusky brown. Length 8>5 ; wing 5-75 ; tail 3-2 ; 

 culmen l-l ; tarsus -9. 



The female is like the male, but slightly smaller — wing 5-4 



