THE ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 429 



No. 169. 



ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 



A. (.). U. No. 400. Picoides arcticus Swains. 



Synonym. — Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker. 



Description. — Adult male: Upperparts glossy blue-black, duller on flight 

 feathers ; primaries and outer secondaries with paired spots of white on edges of 

 outer and inner webs; a squarish crown-patch of yellow (cadmium orange) ; a 

 small post-ocular spot of white, a transverse white cheek-stripe meeting fellow 

 on forehead and cut off by black malar stripe from white of throat and remaining 

 underparts : sides heavily barred or mingled with blue-black. Bill and feet 

 plumbeous black; iris brown. Adult fcuialc: Like male, without yellow crown- 

 patch. Length 9.00-10.25 (228.6-260.4) ; wing 5.25 ( 133.3 ) : t^'l 3-5O-4.00 (88.9- 

 101.6) ; bill 1.25 (31.7). 



Recognition Marks. — Chewink to Robin size: yellow crown-patch of male; 

 back witlmut white as compared with P. aiiicricanus fasciatus ; and black of head 

 continuous with that of back as compared with the Drvobatcs I'illosus group. 



Nesting. — Not known to breed in Washington, but probably does so. Nest: 

 hole in pine or fir stub, 10-18 inches deep. Eggs: 4-6, white, moderately glossed. 

 Av. size, .96 X .72 (24.4 X 18.3). Season: last week in May, June; one brood. 



General Range. — Northern North America from the Arctic regions south 

 to northern tier of states, and in the Sierra Nevada to Lake Tahoe, south in 

 New England and in Alleghany Mountains in winter, but breeding thruout 

 western range. 



Range in Washington. — Rare resident in coniferous forests of the central 

 Cascades. 



Authorities. — ["Black-backed three-toed woodpecker." Johnson, Rep. Gov. 

 W. T. 1884 (1885), 22.] Bendire. Life Hist. N. A. Birds, Vol. H. 1895. p. 74. E. 

 Specimens. — U. of W. Prov. C. E. 



THE Black-backed \\V)od])ecker should occur in all uur niotmtains, 

 and especially upon the pine-timbered slopes of the eastern Cascades and 

 in the Blue Mountains. It must, however, be considered rather rare, for 

 we ha\'e never met with it afield, and lia\-e records of onlv two specimens, 

 one taken at Glacier and the other near Lake Kichelas. The species is 

 practically non-migratory and should breed wherever it occurs. It is ordi- 

 narily a very quiet bird, devoting itself assiduously to its search for tree- 

 boring insects and their larvse, chiefly Biiprcstidcr and Ccrainhycidcr; and at 

 other than breeding seasons appears stolidly to ignore the presence of 

 strangers. Its note is described as a sharp, shrill "chirk, chirk" ; and it is 

 besides a most persistent drummer, rattling away at a single station for 



