152 PICOIDES 



PICOIDES, Lacep., 1801. 

 649. THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 

 PICOIDES TRIDACTYLUS 



Picoides tridactylus (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 177 (1766) ; (Naum.), v. 

 p. 346, Taf. 137, figs. 1, 2 ; (Gould), B. of E. iii. pi. 232 ; Dresser, v. 

 p. 69, pi. 284 ; Hargitt, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xviii. p. 275 ; Tacz. F. O. 

 Sib. O. p. 722 ; P. crissoleucus (Bp.), Consp. Volue. Zygod. p. 8. 

 (1854) ; Hargitt, torn. cit. p. 277 ; P. albidior, Stejn. Bull. U.S. 

 Nat. Mus. 1885, p. 231. 



Dreizehen Speclit, Germ. ; Tretaaet Flagspette, Dan. ; Tretaaet 

 Spctte, Norweg. ; Tretdiga HacJcspeUen, Swed. ; Caitne, Lapp. ; 

 Kolmevarpainen Tikka, Finn. : Trechperstnyi-Dyatell, Russ. 



( ad. (Sweden). Forehead and eyebrow blue-black, spotted with 

 white ; crown yellow, obsoletely barred with white ; middle of the back 

 white ; sides of the face and nape, malar stripe, and a line surrounding' the 

 eye and ear-coverts, upper parts generally, wings, and tail blue-black ; pri- 

 maries, innermost secondaries, and outer three tail-feathers spotted, barred, 

 and tipped with white ; a line from the lores down the cheeks, and 

 another from the eye above the ear-coverls and joining behind the nape, 

 also white ; under parts white, the sides of the upper breast streaked, the 

 flanks and under tail-coverts barred with black ; bill dark lead-brown ; 

 legs plumbeous ; iris rich dark reddish brown. Culmen 1*2, wing 4'85, 

 tail 3'5, tarsus 0'85 inch ; three toes only. The female lacks the yellow 

 on the crown, which is black. 



Hob. Northern and Central Europe, only in the mountains in 

 the South ; common in Lapland but not found in Western 

 Europe or Great Britain, and of very rare occurrence in 

 Denmark ; Asia, east to Kamchatka and south to Manchuria. 



In its general habits it resembles its allies, is quick and 

 active in its movements, and frequents both deciduous and 

 conifer woods, especially where fire has devastated the forest. 

 It feeds on insects and their larvae, and but seldom, when 

 pressed, eats berries. It bores its nest-hole in a conifer or non- 

 evergreen tree, and early in June deposits 4 to 6 glossy white 

 eggs which in size average 95 by O72. 



Specimens from the high north, and from North-east Siberia 

 have more white in the plumage than those from the mountains 

 of Central Europe. 



