236 Birds of Colorado 



breast and belly pink, slightly pencilled with grey ; under tail-coverts 

 bronzy like the back ; iris brown, bill blackish, legs dusky slate. Length 

 9-5 ; wing 6-6 ; tail 3-9 ; culmen 1-05 ; tarsus 1-0. 



The female is like the male, perhaps a little smaller. The young bird 

 is at first without lustre or crimson, the coUar is absent, and the 

 lower-parts are dull brown ; the iridescence and crimson are gradually 

 acquired. 



Distribution. — Western North America from southern British Coliunbia 

 and Alberta to western Texas and southern California : east to the 

 Black HiUs of South Dakota. 



Lewis' Woodpecker is a common siuiamer bird in Colorado, breeding 

 chiefly along the eastern foothills and somewhat less commonly in 

 the mountains up to about 9,000 feet. Above this level it occurs up 

 to 10,000 feet in the Wet Moimtains (Lowe) and near Fort Garland 

 (Brvmner), and even to 12,000 feet in La Plata co. (Morrison), but has 

 not been found nesting. Cooke classes it as a resident, but it is certainly 

 not a common bird in winter ; Aiken tells me he has never met with it 

 in this season. It does occasionally remain, however, as there is an 

 example in the Colorado College Museum, kiUed January 13th, 1907, 

 near SedaUa, by G. Flower. Breeding records are : Loveland 

 (W. G. Smith apud Bendire), Boulder co. (Gale), near Colorado Springs 

 and Buena Vista (Keyser), Wet Mountains to 8,000 feet (Lowe), Rouse 

 Junction (Christie apud Cooke), Mesa co. up to 6,500 feet (Rockwell), 

 La Plata co. to 9,000 feet (Morrison). 



Most of the birds arrive from the south about the middle of May ; 

 El Paso CO., May 6th (Aiken), Pueblo, May 13th (Beckham). 



Habits. — At first sight this bird is more like a Grackle 

 than a Woodpecker, owing to its iridescent colouring ; 

 and its ways rather confirm this. It is somewhat silent 

 and very shy. It frequently perches on boughs like 

 other birds, and it seldom "drums" or searches trunks 

 of trees for insects. 



It catches its prey, which consists chiefly of grass- 

 hoppers and other large insects, on the wing, and often 

 sits on a bare bough high up to get a good view around. 

 Besides insects, it feeds on berries and seeds ; it has 

 been accused of causing considerable damage in cherry 

 orchards. In the late fall it was observed by S. French, 

 storing up acorns for future use in holes in cotton- 

 wood and other trees ; some of these were small 



