PICID^ — THE WOODPECKERS — PICUS. ^77 



Picus Gairdneri, Audubon. 

 GAIBDNEE'S WOODFECKEB. 



Picus Gairdneri, Audubon, Orn. Biog. V. 183'J, 317. lu. Syn. 1839, 180. Ib. Birds Amer. 

 IV. 1842, 252. — B.URD, P. K. Rep. IX. Birds, 91. Ib. Birds N. Amer.; pi. 85. — 

 Heermanx, X. vi. 57. — Cooper and Suckley, XII. iii. Zool. of W. T. 159. 



Picus meridionalis, Ndttall, Man. I. 2d ed. 1840, 090 (not of Swainson). 



Picus lurali, Malherbe, — Dryobates homorus, Cabak'IS and Heine. 



Sp. Guar. Vlm-v similar in (.'olor to P. Ilarrisii, but smaller. Larger wing coverts, and 

 more exposed tertials, either pure blai'k, or with but occasional spots on the outer web in 

 the latter. Back with a white median stripe. Sitle of head with two white and two 



black stripes. Two outer tail feathers white, with two bands of black at the end. 

 Length, (i.75 to 7.0() ; e.\tent, 12.00 ; wing, 3.75, generally rather less. 



Male, with a scarlet occipital band. Iris brown ; bill slate-color ; feet gray. 



Hab. With P. Harrisii, from the Pacific Coast to tlie eastern base of tlie Rocky IMoini- 

 tains, northward. 



This species is appareutly confined cliietly to the northern ]»arts of the 

 State, as I have not met with it south of the Santa Clara Valley. I there 

 found one of their nests containing young on the 24th of ^lay, 1864. It 

 was liuiTowed in a small, partly rotten tree about fi^'e feet from the ground. 

 From the fact of their hreeding so far south, we may suppose that they 

 occur much farther south ou the mountain.s, like almost all the northern 

 birds. 



This woodpecker frequents chiefly the smaller trees in the vicinity of the 

 evergreen woods, and may be found at all seasons industriously tapping 

 their bark to obtain insects. It is so closely analogous to P. jJuhcscens, the 

 " little sap-sucker " of the Atlantic States, that we may expect it to show a 

 similar haliit of perforating apple-tree bark to suck the sap. It is, however, 

 very doubtful whether the injury thus caused counterbalances the benefit 

 which the bird efi'eets in the destruction of insects, esj)ecially as no one has 

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