PICID^E — THE WOODPECKEES. 



539 



Sphyropicus varius, var. varius, Baird. 



THE YELLOW-BELLIED WOODPECKER. 



Picus varius, L. Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 176. — Vieillot, Ois. Am. II, 1807, 63, pi. cxviii, 

 cxix. — Wilson, Am. Orn. I, 1808, 147, pi. ix, f. 2. — Wagler, Syst. Av. 1827, 

 No. 16. — AuD. Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 519 ; V, 537, pi. 190. — Ib. Birds Amer. IV, 

 1842, 263, pi. cclxvii. — Bon. List, 1838. — Ib. Consp. 1850, 138. —Maxim. Cab. Jour. 

 VI, 1858, 416 (refers to peculiar tongue). — Gosse, Birds Jam. 270 (Jamaica). — New- 

 ton, Ibis, 1860, 308 (St. Croix). — Taylor, Ibis, 1860, 119 (Honduras). — Sunde- 

 VALL, Consp. 33. — Gray, Cat. 51. Picus {Dendrocojms) varius. S\v. F. B. A. II, 

 1831, 309. Pilitmnus varius, Bon. Consp. Zygod. Aten. Ital. 1854, 8. Cladoscopus 

 varius, Cab. & Hein. Mus. 80. ? Picus atrotJiorax, Le.sson, Traite d'Ornithologie, I, 

 1831, 229. — Pucheran, Rev. Zobl. VII, 1835, 21. (Refers it to Picus varius.) 

 Yelloir-hellied IVoodpccker, Pennant, Latham. Sphyropicus varius, Baird, Birds N. 

 Am. 1858, 103. — Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, 367 (Xalapa). — Ib. Catal. 335 (Orizaba). — 

 Ib. Ibis, 1859, 136 (Guatemala). — I b. 1860, 119 (Honduras). — Cab. Journal, IV, 

 1856, 102. — Gundlach, Repertorium, I, 1866, 294 (Cuba). — Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc. 

 1859 (Bahamas). — Ib. 1865, 91 (Anatomy of tongue. ) — Dresser, Ibis, 1865, 468 (breeds 

 in Texa.s). — Samuels, 96. —Allen, B. E. Fla. 306. 



Sp. Char. Third quill longest ; second a little shorter ; first between fourth and fifth 

 considerably shorter. General color above black, 

 much variegated with white. Feathers of the 

 back and rump brownish-white, spotted with 

 black. Crown crimson, bordered by black on 

 the sides of the head and nape. A streak from 

 above the eye, and a broad stripe from the 

 bristles of the bill, passing below the eye, and 

 into the yellowish of the belly, enclosing a black 

 post-ocular one, and a stripe along the edges of 

 the wing-coverts, white. A triangular broad 

 patch of scarlet on the chin, bordered on each 

 side by black stripes from the lower mandible 

 which meet behind, and extend into a large 

 quadrate spot on the breast. Rest of under parts 

 yellowish-white, or yellow, streaked and banded 

 on the sides with black. Inner web of inner 

 tail-feather white, spotted with black. Outer 

 feathers black, edged and spotted with white. 

 Quills spotted with white. Length, 8.25 ; wing, about 4.75 ; tail, 3.30. Female with the 

 red of the throat replaced by white. Immature bird without black on the breast, or red 

 on top of the head, as in every intermediate stage to the perfect plumage. 



Hab. Atlantic coast to the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains; Greenland; 

 West Indies ; whole of Mexico, to Guatemala. Localities : ? Oaxaca (Scl. P. Z. S. 1858, 

 305) : Orizaba (Scl. Cat. 335) ; Xalapa (Scl. 1859, 367) ; Yucatan (Lawr. Ann. N. Y. 

 Lye. IX, 205) ; Guatemala (Scl. Ibis, I, 136) ; Honduras (Scl. Ibis, II, 119) ; Cuba (Cab. 

 J. IV, 102); (GuNDL. Repert. I, 1866, 294); Bahamas (Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc. VII, 

 1859; Ib. 1867, 65); Jamaica (Gosse, B. Jam. 270); St. Croix (Scl. Ibis, II, 308); 

 E. Texas (Dresser, Ibis, 1865, 468 ; breeds). 



There is an occasional variation in the markings of the tail-feathers. 

 Thus, in No. 782, from Carlisle, the innermost one is entirely black, while 



Sp/iyroptcus larius 



