THE GILA WOODPECKER. 127 



45. Melanerpes uropygialis (Baird). 



GILA WOODPECKER. 



Centiirus uropygialis Baird, Proceedings Academy Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, June, 



1854, 120. 

 Melanerpes uropygialis Ridgway, Proceedings U. S. National Museum, VIII, 1885, 355. 

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



Geogeaphical RANGE: Southeastern California, southern Arizona, southwestern 

 New Mexico, Lower California ; south to Jalisco and Aguas Calientes, Mexico. 



The Gila Woodpecker is a common resident in suitable localities throughout 

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

 2,500, but it is met with here up to 4,500 feet. Although it has been repoi-ted 

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

 Lieutenant Whipple on Bill Wilham's Fork, on February 16, 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 

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

 place on any of the 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 range in 

 the United States in the vicinity of Fort Mohave, Aiizona, 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 throughout 

 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 Margarita 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 the 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 Dryohates scalaris lucasamis, Melanetyes uropygialis, and 

 Colaptes chrysoides 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 jiart of the Colorado Desert, 

 where such species as Dryohates scalaris hairdi, Pipilo aberti, and Harporhynchus 

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



