3G4 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



reported from Oscoda county, July 5, and Alcona county, September 19, 

 1904 (Wood & Frothingham) ; one seen at Ann Arbor March 1, 1899 (Chas. 

 L. Cass); common in winter on Mackinac Island in 1889-91 (S. E. White); 

 common and breeds on Neebish Island, St. Mary's River (Major Boies); 

 frequent in Lake county in November, 1896 and 1900 (F. H. Chapin); not 

 uncommon in Kalkaska county in 1907 (W. H. Dunham) ; specimens in the 

 College Museum from Missaukee county, December, 1895; two taken near 

 Greenville, Montcalm county, in 1896 by the late Percy Selous; not un- 

 common at Chatham, Alger county, in July, 1903 (Barrows) ; four seen near 

 Houghton; Houghton county, in November 1904 (Wilbur H. Grant); 

 two taken near Okemos, Ingham county in 1905 (Barrows) ; not uncommon 

 on Isle Royale, Lake Superior, in 1905 (Max M. Peet) ; fairly common in 

 parts of Iron county in 1908 (Blackwelder). 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult male: Entire top of head (including the conspicuous crest) and patch at base of 

 lower mandible on each side, bright scarlet; side of head with a black stripe between two 

 white ones, the lower of which nms down the side of neck for several inches; rest of plumage, 

 above and below, entirely slaty or brownish black, except the lining of the wings, and the 

 basal half of the inner webs of all the wing-feathers, which are pure white; sometimes the 

 primaries also are white-tipped; tail entirely black; upper mandible blackish, lower mandible 

 largely whitish; iris brown. 



Adult female: Similar to male, but only the occipital crest red, the forehead, crown, 

 and malar region being brownish gray or light slate color; the general color of the plumage, 

 moreover, is lighter and more slaty than in tlie male. Not much difference in the size of 

 the sexes. 



Length 16 to 19 inches; wing 9 to 10; tail 6.75 to 7.40; cidmen 2.10 to 2.65; spread 

 of wings 25 to 29 inches. 



170. Red-headed Woodpecker. Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linn.). (406) 



Synonyms: Rod-head, Tricolor. — Picus erytliroccphalus, Linn., 1758. — Melanerpes 

 erythrocephalus, Swains., 1831, and authors generally. 



Figure 90. 



Our only woodpecker with entirely red head and neck. Otherwise 

 conspicuous by the velvet black back, wings and tail, with large areas of 

 white on wings and rump. 



Distribution. — United States, west to the Rocky Mountains, and north 

 from Florida to about latitude 50°, straggling westward to Salt Lake Valley 

 and Arizona; rare or local east of the Hudson River. 



This is one of our best known woodpeckers, abundant in most places 

 and apparently not entirely absent from any section of the state. It 

 frequents equally the small groves of timber in 

 cultivated districts and the slashings and edges of 

 heavy timber in the wilder parts of the state. It 

 is the woodpecker oftenest seen in driving along 

 country roads, where it flies from fencepost to 

 telephone pole and by its noisy cries and striking 

 plumage attracts the attention of the most un- i.„,, .^ Jj^hefded Wood- 



observant. pecker. (Original.) 



The great majority of individuals move south- 

 ward at the approach of cold weather, returning again in numbers in the 

 latter part of April or early in May. A few, however, Hnger with us all 

 winter, at least in the southern half of the state, feeding largely on beech 



