THE WILLIAMSON SAPSUCKER. 437 



removed. Their surface is highly pohshed, and their texture \aried, giving 

 an effect as of water-marked hnen pajjer, in heavy Ijranching hnes and coarse 

 frost-work patterns. 



No. 174. 



WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER. 



A. (>. U. No. 404. Sphyrapicus thyroideus (Cass.). 



Synonyms. — Williamson's Woodpecker. Red-thro.\ted Woodpecker 

 (male). Browx-iie.\ded Woodpecker (female). Black-breasted Wood- 

 pecker (female). 



Description. — Adult male: In general glossy black including wings and tail; 

 throat, narrowly, scarlet ; belly gamboge yellow ; sides, flanks, lining of wings and 

 under tail-coverts more or less mingled with white, — black-and-white barred, or 

 marked with black on white ground ; a broad oblique bar on wing-coverts and 

 small more or less paired spots on wing-quills and upper tail-coverts, white : a 

 white post-ocular stripe and a transverse stripe from extreme forehead passing 

 below eye to side of neck. Bill slaty ; feet greenish gray with black nails ; iris dark 

 brown. Adult female: Very different; in general, closely barred black-and-white, 

 or black-and-brownish ; breast only pure black, in variable extent ; whole head 

 nearly uniform hair-brown, but showing traces of irrupting black; post-ocular 

 stripe of male faintly indicated and occasionally with touch of red on throat; 

 some intermediate rectrices black but exposed surfaces of central and outer tail- 

 feathers black-and-white barred ; white spots of wing-quills larger, paired, and 

 changing to bars on inner quills. Young male: Like adult male, but black not 

 glossy; belly paler; throat white. Young female: Like adult female but barring 

 carried across head, neck, throat, and breast. Length of adult : 9.00-9.75 (228.6- 

 247.6) ; wing 5.25 ( 1.33.3) '• tail 3.80 (96.5) ; bill .90-1.15 (22.9-29.2). 



Recognition Marks. — Small Robin size; fine barring of female distinctive; 

 extensive black of male with white head-.stripes, white rump (upper tail-coverts) 

 and white wing-bar; pattern of underparts (in male) clearly a modification of 

 that of .9. T'. nucludis, but red of throat nuich reduced, and black much extended. 



Nesting. — Nest: A hole excavated by birds at any height in live deciduous 

 tree or dead conifer. Eggs: 3-7, usually 4, white. Av. size, .96 x .67 (24.4 x 17). 

 Season: Alay-June; one brood. 



General Range. — Western United States chiefly in mountains and foothills 

 from eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains to western slopes of Sierra-Cascades, 

 breeding from mountains of Arizona and New Mexico north to British Columbia 

 (in the valley of the C'kanaganj; south in winter to Southwestern States an<l 

 Mexico. 



Range in Washington. — Summer resident chiefly on eastern slopes of the 

 Cascades. 



Authorities.— Bendire, Life Hist. N. A. Birds, Vol. II. 1895, p. 97. D^ 



Specimens. — C. 



