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British Columbia, Yukon, and the interior of Alaska. In southern British Columbia, 
east of the Coast range, is Batchelder’s Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens homorus, of the 
size of ndsoni, but with little white on the wing-coverts, analogous to monticola in the 
Hairy Woodpecker. This race extends southward through the United States interior to 
New Mexico. On the coast, west of the Coast and Cascade ranges, is Gairdner’s Wood- 
pecker Dryobates pubescens gairdneri, extending southward to northern California. It 
has the whites tinged with smoky similarly to harrisi of the Hairy Woodpeckers. On 
the Alaskan coast, from Kenai peninsula to northern British Columbia, is the Valdez 
Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens glacialis , in size intermediate between nelsoni 
and medianus, and with a slightly different distribution of white on the wings and 
coverts. 
With the exception of the deeply coloured Gairdner’s Woodpecker, 
these are all very slightly defined races, founded on more or less average 
characteristics, and naturally intergrade with each other along the lines of 
contact. Their boundaries have not been very well established in Canada. 
The Downy Woodpecker shows an interesting case of parallel develop- 
ment with the Hairy, of which it is little more than a small replica. It 
breaks up into geographical races closely resembling those of that species. 
Thus we have the following analogous races, showing practically similar 
characters: 
Eastern Hairy Eastern Downy Smaller 
Northern Hairy . Northern Downy Larger 
Rocky Mountain Hairy .... Batchelder’s Large and spots reduced 
Harris’ Gairdner’s. Smoky 
The Downy, over most of its range, is one of the commoner Wood- 
peckers. It is more likely to come into the orchard and parks, and closer 
to the house, than is the Hairy. It is a valuable assistant to the husband- 
man, the orchardist, and the forester. 
Economic Status, Being the most fearless of the Woodpeckers and 
coming close about the fields and houses where it is most needed, it is an 
invaluable bird. Peering into every crack and crevice of shade and fruit 
trees and drilling for deeper-lying insects it well complements the work of 
the little Chickadee and Nuthatch. In fact, these three species often 
travel in company in the winter and there is little in the food line that is 
overlooked when the three species work together. The food of the Downy 
Woodpecker is similar to that of the Hairy Woodpecker, but, as would be 
expected from its smaller size and its more common presence in summer, 
includes more of the smaller insects. The various scale-insects make a 
larger item in its food and it takes more moth-caterpillars, including 
the^tent caterpillar and those of the codling moth. 
399. White-headed Woodpecker. Xenopicus albolarvatus. L, 8-90. Male: all 
black, except for white head, neck, patch on wing, and a red bar across nape. Female, 
similar, but without red bar. 
Distinction. With above description, can be mistaken for no other species. The 
female Williamson’s Sapsucker may have a whitish head, but her body, sharply barred 
with black and white, is quite different. 
Field Marks. A black Woodpecker, with white head and wing patch. 
Nesting. In a hole in a stub. 
Distribution. In mountains from Washington to southern California. Occasional 
in southern British Columbia. Only three Canadian specimens known, from the Similka- 
meen and Okanagan valleys. 
SUBSPECIES. The form to be expected in Canada is the northern, or type race, 
Xenopicus albolarvatus albolarvatus. Only an occasional wanderer across our far south- 
western borders. 
