BIRDS —PICIDAE—PICUS NUTTALLI. 93 
PICUS NUTTALLI, Gambel. 
Nuttall’s Woodpecker. 
Picus nuttalli, Gamper, Pr. A. N. Sc. I, April, 1843, 259, (Los Angeles, Cal.) 
Picus scalaris, (Waci.) GamseL, J. A. N. Sc. Ph., 2d ser. 1, Dec. 1847, 55; pl. 9, f. 2, 3, (not of Wagler.) 
Picus wilsonit, Maruerre, Rev. Zool. 1849, 529.—Bonap. Conspectus, 1850, 138. 
Picus (Trichopicus) wilsonii, Bonar. Consp. Zyg. Aten. Ital. 1854, 8. 
Sr. Cu.—Back black, banded transversely with white ; not, however, as far forward as the neck. Crown black, with 
white spots. Occiput and nape crimson. Tufts of feathers at the base of the bill white. Sides of the head black with two 
white stripes, one above the eye and passing down on the side of the neck, the other below and interrupted by the black. 
Under parts smoky yellowish white, spotted on the sides of the head with black. Predominant character of the three outer tail 
feathers white, with three, two, or one spots on the outer web near the end. Length about 7 inches; wing, 4}. Female with 
the top of the head uniform black. 
Hab.—Coast region of California. 
Third, fourth, and fifth Guile nearly equal’ and longest; second intermediate between the 
seventh and eighth. General color above black, barred transversely with white on the back, 
rump, and flanks; the upper surface of tail and tail coverts, and a broad patch on the upper 
part of the back about half an inch long, pure black. The white bands measure about .12ths 
of an inch, the black about twice as much. The top of the head is black, each feather with a 
short streak of white; on the extreme occiput and the nape is a transverse patch of crimson, 
each feather having a white spot just below the crimson. The crimson patch is usually as far 
from the base of the bill above, as this is from its point. The sides of the head may be described 
as black; a white stripe commences on the upper edge of the eye, and passing backwards 
margins the crimson, and extends on down the side of the neck to a patch of white, apparently 
connected with its fellow on the opposite side by white spots. Another narrow white stripe 
commences at the nostrils, (the bristles of which are whitish,) and passes as far as the occiput, 
where it ceases in the middle of the black of the cheeks. There are thus two white streaks on 
the side of the head bordering a black one passing through the eye. The under parts generally 
are white, with a dirty yellow tinge. The sides of the breast and body are faintly streaked with 
black ; the flanks barred with the same. The under coverts are barred with black. 
The three outer tail feathers are yellowish white, with two or three interrupted bars of black 
on the posterior fourth. The other feathers are black. 
The female has the crown entirely black, without red or white spots. In one specimen only, 
(4471,) possibly a young male, the black of the crown is spotted with white. In another, 
(6116,) doubtless a young male, the whole crown is red, spotted with white. 
One specimen (5400,) from Petaluma, has the black of the back and sides of the head much 
more intense, encroaching very greatly on the white markings, which are much reduced. The 
spots on the sides of the breast are also larger and darker. 
Specimens vary a good deal in the length of the wing. 
This species has some resemblance to Picus borealis, in the transverse white bands on the 
back and the black spots of the breast. The latter is, however, much larger; the sides of the 
head white, with a black stripe from the bill, the crown pure black, with only a slight trace of 
crimson on the side of the occiput. 
The immature bird, apparently of both sexes, has the feathers of the crown tipped with red, 
as in most young woodpeckers, with or without white at the base of the red. In this stage of 
plumage it has much resemblance to Picus scalaris, but is otherwise distinct. The light 
