BIRDS — PICIDAK — MELANKKPES ERYTHROCEPIIALUS. 



113 



Comparative measurements of species. 



MELANEEPES ERYTHEOCEPHALUS, Swain son. 

 Red-headed Woodpecker. 



Picus erijthrocephalus, Linn. Syst. Nat. I, 176fi, 174. — Vieillot, Ois. Am. Sept. II, 1807, 60 ; pi. cxii, cxiii. — 

 Wilson, Am. Orn. I, 1810, 142 ; pi. ix, fijr. 1.— Wagler, Syst. Av. 1827, No. 14.— Is. Isis, 

 1829, 518, (young.)— Add. Orn. Biog. I, 1832, 141 : V, 536, pi. 27.— Ib. Birds America, 

 IV, 1842, 274 ; pi. 271. 



Melanerpes erythrocephalvs, Sw. F. B. A. II, 1831, 316. — Eon. List, 1838. — Ib. Conspectus, 1850, 115. — Gambel, J. 

 Ac. Nat. So. Ph. 2d ser. I, 1847, 55. 



Picus oiscunis, Gm. I, 1788, 429, (young.) 



Red-headed woodpecker, Pennant, Kalm, Latham. 



White-nimped woodpecker, Latham. 



Sp. Ch. — Head and neck all round crimson red, margined by a narrow creeCfent of black on the upper part of the breast. 

 Back, primary quills, and tail bhiish black. Under parts generally, a broad band across the middle of the wing, and the rump 

 white. The female is not diffencnt. Length about 9J inches ; wing, 5i. 



Hab. — North America, from the Atlantic coast to the eastern slope of the Rocky mountains. (Coast of California, Gambel.) 



The crimson feathers on the head and neck all round have the same bristly texture as 

 described under M. torquatus. The red descends much lower below than above ; its posterior 

 outline well defined and semi-circular. The white on the wing involves the whole of the 

 secondaries and tertiaries, except the extreme base ; the shafts are black. There is a yellowish 

 tinge to the white on the middle of the belly, and the exterior tail feathers are tipped with 

 whitish. The inside of the wing is white. 



I can detect no difference in western specimens. Occasionally the secondaries and tertiaries are 

 blotched or barred with black near the end, (587.) Immatui'e specimens almost always have this 

 character. The young lack the red of the head, which is replaced by brown obscurely spotted 

 and streaked. Dr. Gambel speaks of this species as common in oak timber near the Mission 

 of San Gabriel, California, but none have been noticed west of the mountains by any one else. 



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