The Western Pileated Woodpecker 
her youngsters at 5153, after 23 minutes of scolding. Flew away and 
returned after 3 minutes, entered hole after 7 minutes of scolding and 
hopped about. Female returned again in 5 minutes, was scared away by 
noise of shutter, but returned after about a minute, and soon entered hole. 
Male came at 6:13, was slightly alarmed by noise of shutter when at hole, 
but fed a minute later. At the same minute female came, but had not 
entered when male made another visit within a minute and entered at 
once. Male came again at 6:20, fed at once, and flew away. Female 
flew away and back, and away again without feeding. Male returned 
and fed again at 6:24. Female came back at 6:26, but did not feed again 
while we stayed.” 
One soon comes to recognize the rigid requirements of the Williamson 
Sapsucker in the matter of nesting sites. Given a pine which is beginning 
to die at the top, usually in a fairly sheltered situation, and a pair of birds 
will adopt it for a permanent home. They will occupy it from year to 
year, or perhaps the year around, nesting twice in a season; and a long 
occupation is evinced by a trunk riddled with holes at all levels. One 
such ‘‘family tree,” closely examined, had 38 holes, apparently complete 
and fit for habitation or incubation. At the time of our visit, on June 
19th, the male was industriously drilling a new excavation at a height of 45 
feet, and from much amorous talk in which he affirmed that the state of his 
affection was clear, clear , and she declared that it was queer, queer, we 
knew that a bridal chamber was intended. 
No. 199 
Western Pileated Woodpecker 
A. O. U. No. 405a. Phloeotomus pileatus picinus Bangs. 
Synonyms.— Logcock. Cock-of-the-Woods. Black Woodcock. 
Description. —Adult male: General plumage sooty black, lusterless save on 
wings and back; whole top of head and crest of lengthened occipital feathers bright red 
(spectrum red to nopal red); a red malar-stripe changing to black behind, and sepa¬ 
rating white spaces; chin and upper throat white, the latter usually streaked or more or 
less suffused with gray; also a white stripe extending from nostrils and below eye to 
nape, and produced downward and backward to shoulder; a narrow white stripe over 
and behind eye; lining and edge of wing, and a large spot (nearly concealed) at base 
of primaries, white; black feathers of sides sparingly white-edged (the white disappear¬ 
ing by abrasion in spring). Bill dark plumbeous above, lighter below, save at tip; 
feet black. In some specimens the whites are everywhere tinged with sulphur-yellow, 
the color being especially noticeable in the axillaries and lining of wings. Adult 
female: Similar, but red of head restricted to hind crown and occiput, the deserted 
areas black. Length of adult male 406.4-457.2 (16.00-18.00); wing 237 (9.33); tail 
157 (6.18); head from tip of bill to end of crest 114.3-139.7 (4.50-5.50); bill 54.4 (2.14); 
tarsus 34.4 (1.35). Female smaller. 
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