250 BULLETIN 174, UNITED STATES NATIOls^AL MUSEUM 



eastern Chihualiiia (Jiilimes) ; and central Texas (Eagle Pass, Fort 

 Clark, Kerrville, and San Angelo). 



Egg dates. — Texas: 66 records, March 30 to June 29; 33 records, 

 April 24 to May 17, indicating the height of the season. 



CENTURUS UROPYGIALIS UROPYGIALIS Baird 



GILA WOODPECKER 



Plates 32-34 



HABITS 



In the desert regions of our southwestern borders, this gay little 

 woodpecker is one of the commonest, noisiest, and most conspicuous 

 birds, always much in evidence, and always seeming to protest, in 

 whining tones, the intrusion of strangers. Its center of abundance 

 seems to be on the great desert mesas of southern Arizona, where the 

 infertile soil is scantily covered with a scattered growth of creosote 

 bushes, low mesquites, an occasional choUa or barrel cactus and 

 dotted with single specimens or little groups of the giant cactus, or 

 saguaro. But it is also common in the river bottoms, covered witli 

 a heavier growth of mesquite, and in the canyons of the foothills 

 among the cottonwoods, willows, and sycamores. It ranges from 

 an elevation of 2,500 feet on the mesas up to 4,000, or even 4,500, feet 

 in the canyons and foothills. 



In this region, it is a dominant species and a very useful neighbor, 

 even if unintentionalh% for the many species of birds and small mam- 

 mals for which it provides homes. M. French Gilman (1915) puts it 

 very well as follows: 



Were it not for the Gila woodpecker (Centurus uropygialis) what would be- 

 come of the several species of birds that use already prepared cavities for 

 their domiciles? In some cases these tenants do not even await the pleasure 

 of the excavators, but take forcible possession. In holes excavated by Gila 

 woodpeckers there may regularly be found nesting the elf owl, ferruginous 

 pigmy owl, ash-throated flycatcher, and Arizona crested flycatcher. Occasion- 

 ally a cactus wren makes use of the handy hollow, and once I saw one occupied 

 by a Lucy warbler. A big "rough-neck" scaly lizard frequents the holes Avhen 

 not too high in the cactus, and in two holes in willow trees I found snakes. 

 It is not pleasant to insert one's hand and have a big lizard or snake crawl 

 up the arm to escape. Rats and mice are sometimes found in the deserted 

 holes, especially if the tree be much decayed and with cracks and hollows con- 

 necting holes at different heights in the tree or branch. So these woodpeckers 

 may be considered among the class of innocent or unintentional benefactors. 



In addition to the species mentioned by Mr, Gilman above, we 

 found saguaro screech owls, desert sparrow hawks, and western mar- 

 tins nesting in the old holes made by woodpeckers. Some of these 

 holes were doubtless made by Mearns's gilded flickers, perhaps those 



