RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. ■^^' ^ 



(■ovort«, wliitf- streaked with lilack. Outer weh of outer, tip«, terminal portion of next pair, anil inner wehs of central pair, 

 also l)arred with white and all, hut the central pair, are tipped with yellowish-whito. Top of head, orciput, and nape, 

 ^earlct-vermilion, lii^'iter on the forehead, and extending down on the sides of the lower neck, while the feathei-s of the 

 u|)pcr hack are soiiK-tiincs tinjred with it. Sides of head and under parts, including under tail coverts, light-slaty over- 

 waslicd with yellowish and tinged -on the sides of the head, chin, along the 1 )Wor hroast, and on the ahdomen with scarlet 

 wliicli is brightest on the latter named ))ortions. The feathers of the under tail coverts have a central stripe of black. 

 Under wing coverts, white, barred with dusky. Bill, black. Feet, greenish-brown. 



Ac/uH female. Verj' similar to the male, but the top of the head is slaty like the under )iarts, while the occiput and 

 nape are scarlet-vermilion and the forehead is tinged with it. Usually the red tinging below is not as conspicuous and 

 there is rather more white on the tail. The flanks are marked with arrow-sha])ed spots of dusky. 



Younr/ male. Similar to the adult but quite brown on the wings and lower back. There is very little, or no, white 

 tinging below but the yellowish overvv-ishing is quite strong and the tipjiing of the tail is nearly orange. The flanks are 

 considerably spotted. 



Ynurxj female. Not strikingly unlike the adult, but brown above as in the young male and shows hut little tinging 

 below, and even the yellowish overwasliing is scarcely perceptible. 



Ncsllirujs. liirds in this plumage retain tlie ])attern of the marking of the next stage, but thoy are quite yellow hclow 

 and streaked in a band across the back with dusky. The scarlet of the top of the head is not a.s liright. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Specimens vary considerably in amount of red below; the highest plumaged male that I have selected out of a large 

 ."cries, is tinged with this color over the entire under parts, excepting on the throat. The ])rimaries are usually edg«l with 

 white, especially in the younger stages. Readily known from all others by the description as given. 



Besid&s tiniso given, the following specific eharactei^ may be added: there are no laryngeal muscles, excepting thcsterno- 

 [rachcalis whic'.i is stout. The tymijaniform membrane is jjresent and alth<.iugh there is an os transversale, yet it does not 

 support a semilunar membrane. The a!so))hagus is without dilatation and opens into a small proventriculus which mea.s- 

 ures about "20 in external diameter. The gastric glands are simple and placed in a zonular hand which measures -40 in 

 width. The stomach is rather globular in form with thin walls that measure '18 in thickness, and the lining niemhrano is 

 soft. T!ic fold of the duodenum is not long and incloses a wide, though short, pancrea.s which has only one lobe but this is 

 divided liy several incisions which are of varying depth. The spleen is a spherical body lying ]3artly on the proventriculus. 

 The left lobe of the liver is only about one half as large as the right. A noticeable character may be seen in the peculiar, 

 lateral extension of t'.ie greater pectoral muscles which protrude very much beyond the costal border of the sternum, (see 

 plate X VII). 



This species is distributed throughcmt the Eastern Section of the United States, from Key West to Connecticut, but is 

 not common north of Pennsylvania. They are constantly resident in the Carolinas and south of them, but are migi-.itory 

 furtiicr north. 



DEMENSIONS. 



Average nieasurements of eighteen specimens from Eastern North America. Length, !)'f!7; stretch. Hi' 13; wing, 4().'>; 

 tail. . 1-37; hill, 110; tai-sus, -87. Longest specimen, 1000; greatest extent <if wing, 17''J5; longest wing, ii'.IO; tail, 3'75; hill, 

 1-20; tai-su-, I'OO. Shortest specimen, 8-7.'>; smallest extent of wing, 15-00; shortest wing, 'l-OO; tail, 3-00; hill, I'OO; taisus, 

 •75. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS ANT) EGGS. 



Ne.its, placed in gourd-shaped holes, usually excavated in living trees. Dimensions, diameter of external orifice, 2'00, 

 greatest internal, ."j'l'.O. Internal depth, 14'00. 



E'jr/.<!, f ur or five in number, elliptical in form, )iure, polished iiearly-white in color, unspotteil. Dimensions from 

 l'Olx-80 to •'.).)X-75. 



HABITS. 

 The first time that I ever met with a living specimcm of this fine Woodpecker, was at 

 Jacksonville on the thirty-first of Dcccmher, 18G8, the same morning that I had the ex- 

 perience with (lie Bridge Pewee which I have related; in fact, the next shot that I fired 

 :!i'tcr killing one of those Flycatchers, brought down a male of the birds which we have 

 under consideration. Thus in examining (he lovely plumage of the Woodpecker, I speed- 

 ily forgot the slight disappointment which I had felt for, as I have intimated, it was the 



