44 BRITISH BIRDS 



Bird. Length 12 J in. Recognised by the bright green 

 on the upper-parts, greyish-green under- 

 parts and the rich crimson crown and nape. 

 Toes two before and two behind. The male 

 has a large black patch on the side of 

 the head enclosing a patch of crimson. 

 Rump yellow. Tail black with greenish 

 bars. Outer wing quills chequered white. 

 The female lacks the red in the black cheek 

 patch. The young are distinguished by the 

 barring on the rump and under-parts. 



Nest. Place : hole in a tree, almost always 

 bored by the bird. Material : chips of wood. 

 'Eggs. Usually 5-7. Glossy white, some- 

 Fig 49 times stained by the wood. Av. size, 1*24 

 x '91 in. Laying begins April-May. One brood. 



84. Great spotted-woodpecker [Dryobates major anglicus 

 (Hartert) ; Dendrocopus major (Linnaeus)]. Subspecies confined 

 to Great Britain. Found in woodland districts. 



Bird. Length 10 in. Recognised by the black upper-parts, 

 the white patches on the cheek, sides of the neck and 

 scapulars, and the red on the belly and under tail-coverts. 

 Is about 2J in. shorter in length than the green-woodpecker. 

 Toes two before and two behind. The male has a band of 

 crimson on the nape which is lacking in the female. Wings 

 black barred with white spots. Under-parts dull buff except for 

 the red. Centre tail-feathers black, others barred dull whitish 

 and black. The young have the crown of the head crimson. 



Nest. Place : hole in a tree bored by the bird. Material : 

 chips of dead wood. 



Eggs. Usually 5-6. Glossy white, sometimes creamy. Av. 

 size, 1*03 x "76. Laying begins May. One brood. 



85. Lesser spotted-woodpecker [Dryobates minor com- 

 minutus (Hartert) : Dendrocopus minor (Linnaeus)]. More or 

 less stationary in the woodlands of England and Wales. Ex- 

 ceptional in Scotland and Ireland. 



Bird. Length 6 in. More than a third shorter in length than 

 the great spotted form, and has most of the back whitish barred 

 black. Wings as No. 84. Toes two before and two behind. The 

 male has the crown crimson, the female dull whitish. Both have 

 white patchesonthecheeksandsides of neck. Centre tail-feathers 

 black, others barred black and white. Under-parts whitish, 

 streaked black on the flanks. Young have more or less crimson 

 on the crown, and buff under-parts with short brown streaks. 



Nest. As great spotted-woodpecker, but smaller. 



Eggs. Av. size, *73 X '56 in. Otherwise as great spotted form. 



