172 KEY AND DESCRIPTION 



have but poor vocal powers, and tliey make use of a tattoo with 

 their bill for their love song. The eggs are in all cases white. 



Key to the Species 



* Head with a conspicuous crest ; large birds ; wings, 71 or more long. 



— Bill ivory-white 1. Ivory-biiled Woodpecker. 



— Bill blackish 9. Pileated Woodpecker. 



* Head not crested ; wings less than TJ long. (A.) 



A. With only three toes ; two in front and one behind.i (G.) 

 A. With four toes ; two in front and two behind. ^ (B.) 

 B. Back very distinctly barred crosswise with black and 



white. (E.) 

 B. Back not cross-barred, but with a broad central streak of l 



white ; under parts white without spots or streaTcs. (D.) 

 B. Back black without cross-bars or lengthwise streaks ; the 



rump may be white. (C.) 



B. Back olive-brown with numerous black bars ; breast with 



a broad black crescent-shaped band ; belly whitish, with 



numerous round black spots ; wing, 6^ or more long .... 14. Flicker. 



B. Back irregularly variegated with black and yellowish ; belly with 



more or less of yellow 8. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 



C. Secondary wing quills and rump wholly white (in the young nearly 

 so) ; breast without broad black band ; head and neck of the adult 



red 10. Red-headed Woodpecker. 



C. Wing quills mainly black, but rump white ; a broad black band 



across breast, separating the white of throat and belly (extreme 



western). Californian Woodpecker (407. Melanerpes formicivonis 



bau-di) . 



C. Western species with wings, rump, back, and tail a beautiful 



bronzy-black 11. Lewis's Woodpecker. 



D. Wing less than 4i long ; culnien less than 1 long ; under tail feathers 



white cross-barred with black 3. Downy Woodpecker. 



D. Wing over 4} long; culmen over 1 long; under tail feathers white 



without black 2. Hairy Woodpecker. 



E. Culmen, 1 or more long ; belly with reddish tinge 



12. Red-bellied Woodpecker. 



E. Culmen, 1 or more long ; belly without reddish 



13. Golden-fronted Woodpecker. 



E. Culmen less than 1 long. (F.) 

 F. Wing, 4|-5i long; a conspicuous white patch on the side of head and 



neck 4. Red-cockaded Woodpecker. 



F. Wing, 3-4^ long ; the white of the side of the head and neck inclos- 

 ing a curved black stripe 5. Texan Woodpecker. 



G. Back uniformly black C. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. 



G. Back barred crosswise 7. American Three-toed Woodpecker. 



