ONTARIO 

 GENUS MELANERPES SWAINSON. 



SUBGENUS MELANERPES. 



167. MELANERPES ERYTHROCEPHALUS (LiNN.). 406. 

 Red-headed Woodpecker. 



Glossy blue-black ; rump, secondaries and under-parts from the breast 

 pure white ; primaries and tail feathers black ; whole head, neck and breast 

 crimson in both sexes, grayish-brown in the young ; about 9 ; wing, 5^ ; 

 tail, 3 . 



HAB. United States, west to the Rocky Mountains, straggling westward 

 to Salt Lake Valley ; rare or local east of the Hudson River. 



Nest, in a hole in a tree, varying greatly in height. 

 Eggs, 4 to 6 ; white. 



In Ontario the Red-headed Woodpecker is a summer 

 resident only, arriving early in May and leaving again in 

 September. It is quite common and perhaps the best known 

 of any of the Woodpeckers, both on account of its decided 

 markings, and from its habit of visiting the orchard during the 

 season of ripe fruit. It is also an expert fly-catcher, frequently 

 taking its position on the top of a dead pine, from which it 

 darts out after the passing insect in true fly-catcher style. 

 Though a very showy bird when seen in the woods, it does not 

 look so well in collections, the red of the head evidently fading 

 after death. 



SUBGENUS CENTURUS SWAINSON. 



168. MELANERPES CAROLINUS (LiNN.). 109. 



Red-bellied Woodpecker. 



Back and wings, except larger quills, closely banded with black and 

 white ; primaries with large white blotches near the base, and usually a few 

 smaller spots. Whole crown and nape scarlet in the male, partly so in the 

 female ; sides of head and underparts grayish -white, usually with a yellow 

 shade, reddening on belly ; flanks and crissum with sagittate-black marks ; 



169 



