256 BULLETIN 174, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



more or less addicted to drumming on the dead tops of cottonwood, 

 sycamore, and mesquite trees." 

 Mr. Oilman (1915) writes: 



As a neighbor, the Gila Woodpeclser is permanently on the map, and is afraid 

 neither of being seen nor heard. He is much in the public ear with a variety of 

 notes and calls. His sociable conversational notes somewhat resemble those of 

 the California Woodpecker but are shriller. In such of his notes as are directed 

 at humanity there is a peevish complaining tone, especially if closely approached 

 when feeding on fruit or some other delicacy. In such cases there is only one 

 term that exactly describes his attitude and utterances, and that is the phrase 

 "belly-aching." In fact all of his talk at us has a distinctly "colicky" tone and 

 one feels like giving him something to whine about. His ordinary call slightly 

 resembles that of the Flicker but is not quite so loud; altogether he is quite a 

 conversationalist. 



Field marhs. — The Gila woodpecker should be easily recognized as 

 a medium-sized woodpecker, about the size of a hairy woodpecker, 

 with a grayish-brown head, neck, and under parts and a back narrowly 

 barred with black and white; in flight a white patch shows in the 

 wing and basal half of the primaries, and the black and wliite barring 

 on the central tail feathers is rather conspicuous ; the red crown patch 

 of the male is conspicuous only at short range. 



Fall. — This woodpecker is apparently somewhat given to wandering 

 in fall and spring, for W. E. D. Scott (1886) says that he does not see 

 it about his house, at an elevation of 4,500 feet in Pinal County, Ariz., 

 in summer, but that it is rather common there in fall and spring. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Southwestern United States and western Mexico; nonmi- 

 gratory. 



The range of the Gila woodpecker extends north to extreme south- 

 ern Nevada (Clark County) ; southern Arizona (Sacaton, Rock Can- 

 yon, and Tombstone) ; and southwestern New Mexico (Eed Rock 

 and probably Gila). East to New Mexico (probably Gila) ; eastern 

 Sonora (Fronteras, Boca de Huachy, and Nuri) ; southwestern Chi- 

 huahua (Batopilas) ; western Durango (Chacala) ; and western Zaca- 

 tecas (Calvillo). South to southwestern Zacatecas (Calvillo) ; and 

 Jalisco (Guadalajara, Santa Ano, and Rio Ameca). West to Jalisco 

 (Rio Ameca) ; Nayarit (Tepic and San Bias) ; southwestern Sinaloa 

 (Escuinapa, Labrados, and Mazatlan) ; Baja California (Cape San 

 Lucas, Santa Margarita Island, San Ignacio, Rosario, San Quintin, 

 Las Palmas, and the Alamo River) ; southeastern California (Cal- 

 exico, probably Brawley, Palo Verde, and Needles) ; and southern Ne- 

 vada (Clark County). 



This species has been separated into three geographic races, or sub- 

 species. Typical G. u. uro'pygialis is the form found in that part of 



