WOODPECKERS 



145 



witli dusky in front with black behind, where the black 

 is continued backward as a narrow stripe, which usually 

 sends a lateral branch upward to meet the rear end of 

 the black car stripe; under parts, dull grayish-white, 

 paler on chin and upper throat. Hanks, and under tail- 

 coverts, the sides of chest and breast marked with 

 streaks or, usually, drop-shaped spots of black, the sides 

 spotted, the Hanks transversely spotted or barred, the 

 under tail-coverts with transverse bars or spots of the 

 same, usually of V-shaped form; under wing-coverts, 

 dull brownish-white, sparsely (sometimes indistinctly) 

 spotted or streaked with black or dusky; inner web 



of wings dull slate or dusky, with large, roundish 

 spots of white, arranged in transverse scries, on inner 

 half of web; bill, horn color; iris, brown. Adult 

 I-e-male; Similar to the adult male, but without any 

 red, the crown uniform l]lack, passing into sooty brown 

 on front of forehead. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nicst: In trees, when they are 

 convenient, or in gate-i)OSls or in telegraph or telephone 

 poles. lCii(,s: 4 or 5, wliite. 



Distribution.— Southeastern California, southern 

 .\evada. Utah. Colorado soutli to central Texas and 

 northern Me.xico. 



This is a sort of Downy W oodpccker of the 

 sotithwestern horder. It is jicrhaps commoner 

 than any otlicr Woodpecker in western Texas, 

 where it is fre<inenily seen in hoth the hard- 

 wood and the soft-wood timber of the Guadalupe 

 and other mountains. In the hot and arid val- 

 leys it is to he found chiefly in the willow, Cot- 

 tonwood, mcsciuitc and yucca growths. 



In its appearance it is similar to Nuttall's 

 Woodpecker, though it has no bars on its black- 

 middle tail-feathers. In the mountainous country 

 it often associates with the .\nt-eating \\'ood- 

 pecker and the Red-shafted Flicker. Its note, 

 though thin and rather weak, is often persistent 

 enough to betray its presence, while its curiosity 

 prompts it to do much peering arotind tree- 



trunks at tiic stranger. Tliougli it nests in trees 

 where suitable ones are available, it frequently 

 sets up housekee]:)ing in telegra])h poles or gate 

 posts. 



The Texas Woodpecker shows the ruling 

 characteristic of its family in its choice of food, 

 for the largest item is wood-boring beetle larva. 

 Next in importance are the cater])illars and these 

 include a number of cotton worms. Ants make 

 up the remainder of its food. 



The San Lucas Woodpecker (Dryobatcs sca- 

 laris litcasanits) is similar to the Texas Wood- 

 pecker except that the outer tail-feathers are 

 barred only on the terminal half. It is found in 

 southern California south to southern Lower 

 California. 



NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER 

 Dryobates nuttalli (Gaiubcl) 



A. O. U. Number 397 



General Description. — Length, yyi inches. Upper 

 parts, black and white, barred ; under parts, white. 



Color. — .^DULT Male : Forehead and greater part 

 of croii'n, black conspicuously streaked (except some- 

 times on forehead) with white, the streaks narrowly 

 wedge-shaped ; extreme rear of crown, back of head, 

 nape, and upper hindneck, scarlet-vermilion, this color 

 separated, on each feather, from a dusky basal area 

 by a small V-shaped or drop-shaped spot of whitish; 

 lower hindneck, upper back, lesser wing-coverts, upper 

 tail-coverts, and four middle tail-feathers, uniform 

 black ; rest of back, together with shoulders and rump, 

 broadly barred with black and white, the bars of the 

 two colors equal in width ; middle and greater wing- 

 coverts, black, the former with a single subterminal 

 roundish spot of white, the latter with two roundish 

 white spots on outer web ; wing feathers, black, broadly 

 barred with white, their inner webs with larger round- 

 ish spots of the saiTie : outermost feathers, white, with 

 one complete subterminal bar of black and a second in- 

 complete or interrupted bar. the basal portion of inner 

 web usually with some black ; next one similar but with 

 more black at base and with second subterminal inter- 



rupted bar reduced to a pair of small, widely separated 

 spots, or absent; third with more than basal half black 

 and without second (sometimes without any) subter- 

 minal black spot or bar; nasal tufts and front of loral 

 region, dull whitish or light yellowish dusky behind ; 

 rear of lores, narrow mouth stripe (extending back 

 beneath eye), a broader stripe on side of head, con- 

 tinued more broadly along sides of neck, together with 

 under parts white, the under parts of body usually 

 tinged with pale brownish buffy; sides of head and 

 broad cheek stripe (the latter continued posteriorly 

 over lower sides of neck, where much e.xpanded), 

 black ; sides and flanks, spotted with black, the mark- 

 ings more longitudinal on sides of breast, more trans- 

 verse on flanks ; under tail-coverts, barred or spotted 

 with black ; bill, horn color ; iris, brown. .'\DfLT 

 Female : Siinilar to the male, but crown and hind- 

 neck uniform black or else (in earlier spring), with 

 very small or scattered white streaks. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : In dead limbs or old tree- 

 stubs ; not far from the ground. Eggs: 4 to 6, white. 



Distribution. — California (west of Sierra Nevada), 

 southwestern Oregon and northern Lower California. 



