THE GILA WOODPECKER. 127 



45. Melanerpes uropygialis (Baird). 



GILA WOODPECKER. 



Centurus uropij(jialls Baikd, Proceedings Academy Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, June, 



1854, 120. 

 Melanerpes urojiifffialis Eidgway, Proceedings U. S. National Museum, VIII, 1885, 355. 



(B 93, C 308, R 374, C 452, U 411.) 



Geographioal RANGE: Southeastern California, southern Arizona, southwestern 

 New Mexico, Lower California; south to Jalisco and Aguas Cali'entes, Mexico. 



The Gila Woodpecker is a commou resident iu suitable localities throughout 

 the greater part of southern Arizona, and is most common at altitudes of about 

 2,500, ])ut it is met with liere up to 4,500 feet. Although it has l^een reported 

 as having been taken in several localities in New Mexico, for instance, by 

 TJeutenant Whipple on Bill William's Fork, on February !(!, 1854, this is 

 really in western Arizona; a couple of more recent records, from Pueblo Viego, 

 New Mexico, September 19 and 27, 1873, by Dr. C. G. Newberry, I believe 

 ^vill also have to be changed to Arizona, but I have been unable to find this 

 ])lace on any of tlie later maps. The only locality in New Mexico where the 

 Gila Woodpecker seems to occur is in the Guadalupe Mountains, in the extreme 

 southwestern corner of the Territory, where Dr. Edgar A. Mearns, United States 

 Army, found it common along the international boundary line in the summer 

 of 1893, and forwarded several specimens obtained in that vicinity to the 

 United States National Museum. It reaches the northern limits of its rang-e in 

 the United States in the \-icinity of Fort Mohave, Arizona, about latitude 35°, 

 while in southeastern Arizona I believe it has not been detected as yet north 

 of the Gila River, in about latitude 33°. It seems also to be found throua-hout 

 the greater part of Lower California, where both Messrs. J. Xantus and L. 

 Belding report it as common in the vicinity of Cape St. Lucas. Mr. Walter E. 

 Bryant observed a few on Santa jMargarita Island, and met with it generally 

 along the overland route, and Mr. A. W. Anthony writes me: "I found the Gila 

 Woodpecker not uncommon from tlie southern slopes of the San Pedro Martir 

 Mountains nearly or quite to the coast of San Fernando, Lower California. 

 Its presence was governed entirely by the giant cactus, and it was only in the 

 near vicinity of the large growths of these that they were to be found." In 

 a subsequent communication he states: "At the time I left my camp in the 

 dry desert region, about 50 miles south of San Quentin, Lower California, on 

 June 25, 1894, young of Dri/ohafcs scalaris hicasauKs, Melanerpes nropyfi'iaVin^ and 

 Colaptes chrysokles were all common in families. The cacti found here were 

 vastly larger than in southern Arizona." 



Relating to its distribution in southeastern California, Mr. F. Stephens sends 

 me the following notes: "The western limit of this Woodpecker seems to be the 

 Colorado River. I expected to find it in the central part of the Colorado Desert, 

 where such species as Dnjolmtes seahiris hainli, Pipilo aberti, and Harporhiincluis 

 crissalis occur, but so far I have failed. I found a set of three partly incubated 



