18 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



PILEATED WOODPECKER, 



A. O- UNo- 405 (Ceophloeus pileatus.) 



RANGE. 



The Pileated Woodpecker is found in the United States south of 

 South Carolina. Its subspecie, the Northern Pileated Woodpecker is 

 found throughout the northern parts of the United States and Canada 

 in heavily wooded regions. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length about 18 in. General plumage a dead black. Inner half of 

 the primaries and secondaries white; this shows only at the base 

 of the outer primaries when the wings are folded but when spread 

 shows on the under side, fully half of the wing being white. The male 

 has the whole top of the head and crest bright red and also the forepart 

 of the stripe that runs from the bill down the sides of the neck. The 

 female differs in having the fore part of the crown blackish or brown- 

 ish and in having no red mustache as the stripe immediately back of 

 the crown is termed. 



NEST AND EGGS. 

 These birds nest in the heavily timbered woods making the excava- 

 tions high up in the trunks of the trees, generally from thirty to sixty 

 feet from the ground. Their bills are very powerful and chisel-like 

 and they frequently make their nests in the heart of a living tree. 

 They lay from three to five glossy white eggs which average in size 

 about 1.3 in. by 1 in. 



HABITS. 



With the exception of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker this is much the 

 largest of any that we get in this country. They are very imposing 

 birds an 1 appear quite regal with their large vermilion crests. They 

 were formerly quite common throughout the United States and south- 

 ern Canada. As they live only in the densest of woods composed of 

 very large trees, the advance of civilization has steadily encroached 

 upon their domain until now they are never found in some localities 

 and very rarely in others. 



They are practically resident wherever found, being one of the few 

 birds that are equally at home in the compartively tropical clime of 

 Florida or the severe weather that is encountered in northern Maine 

 and Canada. They are generally very shy birds although some- 

 times one will be met with who has little fear of man. Through the 

 south they commence nesting the latter part of March or early in April, 

 while in the north they rarelv have full sets of eggs before the end of 



