' 3S1 



PICOIDES HIRS UTUS. ^ "^ 



PICOIDES niKSUTUS. 



Banded Three-tood Woodpecker. 



PicoiUcs hirsuttia IjArr.D, I5ii-ds N. A.; 1858, i)8, 



DESCKIPTION. 



Sp. Cii. Form, not robust. Si/.e, l:ir!;e. Sternum, not very stout. Tongue, rntlicr tliin and horny at llie tip which 

 is proviiled witli barbs for one third of the terminal length. The extensible sheath occupies about one half of tlic length of 

 the tongue. Terminal hook of scapula, angled above and below. 



CoLoit. A dull male. Glossy lilack above, including sides of head, maxillary line and bands on the sides and (lanks. 

 with lino cxt-^nding from base of bill, down the sides of neck, short, narrow line back of eye, spot-s on the primaries and on 

 the secondaries, Ixinds on back to rum]), all but basal portion of two outer tail feathers, and tlie tijis of next pair, white, 

 Forei-.ead, sp;.tted vv-ith white. Square patch on the top of the head, saffron-yellow. Under portion, including under tail 

 and under wing coverts, white, while the feathei-s of the latter arc banded with black and the breast is faintly ting(-d with 

 yellowish,. 



Adult female. Similar to the male, but lacks the yellow on the head which is replaced by black spotted with white, 

 and the whiteon the tail is not as extenilcd. Iris, brown, bill, black, bluish at ba.se of lower mandible, and feet, l)luish, 

 in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Like the ])rcccding, there is more black spotting below in some specimens than in others, hut they arc generally fjuito 

 uniform in color. Readily known from other Woodpeckei-s by the absence of any red on the head wliioh is replaced by yel- 

 low. Known from the preceding species, by the presence of the transverse white bandings above. There is also a line 

 back of the eye in arcticus but it is much narrower than in the present bird. Distributed, as a constant resident, through- 

 out North America from the latitude of Maine to the Arctic Circle. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Aver.age measurements of specimens from the North. Length, 9'25; stretch, 15 25; wing, 4'75; tail, .ST)0; bill, 1-15; 

 tai-sus, '(iO. Longe.'-t spochnen, 9"75; greatest extent of wing, 1G"00; longest wing, 5'"25; tail, 3'80; bill, 1'25; tarsus, -75. 

 Shortest s])ccimen, 8-50; smallest extent of wing, 14'00; shortest wing, 4'00; tail, 3-50; bill, TOO; tai-sus, -(JO. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Ats/i, placed in cylinder-shaped holes, generally excavated in living trees. Dimensions, diameter of external orifice, 

 1-50, greatest internal, 3-00. Internal depth, 15-00. 



Fm(JX, four to six in number, rather ovate in form, pure, polished jicarly-white in ccdor. Dimensidns from ■05x '90 to 

 ■70X-95. 



IlAIilTS. 



The first time that I cvei' mot with tlic Bamlcd Tlircc-toed Woodpoclcen-s, was at Errol, 

 New Hampshire, some years ago, late in aatnuiii; iU) late in fact, that the groun.l \^-as 

 co^^cred with snow to the depth of several irn^hes. I was walking along the margin of a 

 heavily wooded tract, looking after Pine Grosbeaks which were particularly abundant 

 there, when my attention was attracted by hearing the harsh cry of a Woodpecker which 

 was new to mo. It instantly occurred to me that it was a, Three-toed and, upon going 

 <[aickly in the direction of the sound, my suspicions were confirmed by seeing the bird on 

 the trunk of a tree. The Banded V/obdpecker, for sucli it proved to be, was quite unsus- 

 picious as it paid no apparent attention to me; therefore, I wallced as near as T chose, 

 wjitched its movements for a few moments, and then sliot it. But unforlunately, allliough 

 killed at once, it did not fall to the oround l)nr cluiig, lifeless, to a tuft of moss on the side 

 of the tree, some forty feet above the ground. TIn'.s I wai3 obliged to climb the straight 

 trunk in order to secure m}' prize which proved to be a fine male. 



