TEXAS WOODPECKER 81 



Food. — Mr. Simmons (1925) says that it "searches high up on the 

 knotty trunks of oak trees in open groves for Larvae and eggs of in- 

 jurious wood-boring insects, for the aduhs of similar as well as 

 other insects, and for weevils and ants." 



Voice. — Simmons (1925) says that this is "usually a thin, high- 

 pitched, shrill cheek; tcheeh., qijueeip or queep-queep., uttered as the 

 bird gives a hop in its progress up the tree-trunk. Sometimes an in- 

 credibly rapid, shrill, ringing, even, not-so-high-pitched cheeky- 

 cheeky - cheeky - cheeky - cheeky or tchee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee- 

 dee-deet; less commonly, chickp.^ chickp^ chick-chick-chick-chick- 

 chick-chick-chick-chick. Drums rapidly with its bill on dead limb of 

 tree at any time of year." 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Southwestern United States, Mexico, and British Hon- 

 duras; nonmigratory. 



The range of this woodpecker extends north to southern California 

 (Hesperia and Needles) ; southern Nevada (Upper Cottonwood 

 Springs) ; southern Utah (Virgin Kiver Valley) ; and probably south- 

 eastern Colorado (Swink). East to probably southeastern Colorado 

 (Swink and Springfield) ; western Oklahoma (Kenton and Hollis) ; 

 Texas (San Angelo, Kerrville, Boerne, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, 

 and Brownsville) ; Tamaulipas (Presas and Ciudad Victoria) ; Yuca- 

 tan (Chichen-Itza) ; Quintana Koo (Cozumel Island) ; and British 

 Honduras (Manatee Lagoon and Ycacos Lagoon). South to British 

 Honduras (Ycacos Lagoon) ; Jalisco (Zapotlan) ; Nayarit (Tres 

 Marias Islands) ; and Baja California (Cape San Lucas). West to 

 Baja California (Cape San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo, El Sauz, San 

 Fernando, and Cocopah) ; and southern California (Paint Canyon, 

 White Water, and Hesperia). 



The range as above outlined applies to the entire species, which 

 has, however, been divided into 15 or more subspecies or geographic 

 races. Most of these, including the typical variety {Dryohates sca- 

 laris scalaris), are found only in regions south of the Rio Grande. 

 The four races found in North America are distributed as follows: 

 The Texas woodpecker (D. s. symplectus) is found from southeastern 

 Colorado south and east through east-central Texas to Coahuila, Ta- 

 maulipas, and Nuevo Leon. The cactus woodpecker {D. s. cacto- 

 philus) ranges from Avestern Texas through New Mexico, Arizona, 

 and southern Utah and Nevada south to northern Durango. The 

 western edse of the range of this race cuts across southeastern Cali- 

 fornia and northeastern Baja California. The San Fernando wood- 

 pecker {D. s. eremicus) is found in northern Baja California except 

 for the northeastern part. The San Lucas woodpecker (Z>. s. lucasa- 



