348 THE ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 



No. 152. 



ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER. 



A. O. U. No. 400. Picoides arcticus (Swains.). 



Synonym. — BtACK-BACKED ThreE-toed Woodpecker. 



Description. — Adult male : Above black, lustrous on head, crest, back and 

 scapulars, fading to fuscous on wing-quills, which are narrowly while-spotted on 

 the outer webs of the primaries and on the inner webs 'of the secondaries; an 

 orange-yellow patch on the center of the crown ; of the tail only the central feathers 

 wholly black, the remainder graduated, and white on exposed portions, the inter- 

 mediate pairs rusty-tipped; a white stripe on side of head meeting its fellow on 

 forehead ; below this a black malar stripe ; under parts pure v/hite, save as heavily 

 barred with black on sides and flanks; bill and feet light plumbeous. Adult 

 female: Similar, but without orange-yellow crown-patch. Length 9.25-iG.oo (235.- 

 254.); wing 5.00 (127.); tail 3.54 (89.9); bill 1.38 (35.1); breadth at nostril 

 ■43 (10.9). 



Recognition Marks. — Robin size; lustrous black without white on back; 

 white with black-barred sides below ; the orange-yellow crown-patch of male serves 

 to distinguish from all resident species. 



Nesting. — ^Does not breed in Ohio. Nest, in holes in' trees, at moderate 

 heights. Eggs, 4-6, white. Av. size, i.oo x .75 (25.4 x 1 9.1). 



General Range. — Northern North America, from the Arctic regions south 

 to northern United States (New England, New York, Michigan, Minnesota and 

 Idaho), and in the Sierra Nevada to Lake Tahoe. 



Range in Ohio. — Rare or casual. Two positive records. 



SINCE this species is migratory, we may regard the two or three birds 

 which have been found in Ohio as migrants which have overflown their 

 customary southern limit, somewhere in Ontario. 



"It is a restless, active bird, spending its time generally on the topmost 

 branches of the tallest trees, without however confining itself to pines. Its 

 movements resemble those of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, but it is still 

 more petulant than that bird. Like it, it will alight, climb along a branch, 

 seek for insects there, and in a very few moments remove to another part 

 of the same tree, or to another tree at more^ or less distance, thus spending 

 the day in rambling over a large extent of ground. Its cries also somewhat 

 resemble those of the species just mentioned, but are louder and more shrill, 

 like those of some quadruped suffering great pain. . . . In the after- 



noon of long days, it very frequently makes sorties after flying insects, which 

 it seems to secure in the air with as much ease as the Red-headed Wood- 

 pecker. Besides insects it also feeds on berries and other small fruits. 



"Its flight is rapid, gliding, and deeply undulated. Now and then it 

 will fly from a detached tree of a field tO' a considerable distance before it 

 alights, emitting at every glide a loud shrill note 



