P1LEATED WOODPECKER. 
235 
Color. Adult male. General color throughout, sooty-black -with the throat, line extending from nostril, down the sides 
of neck, to the side of upper breast, line back of eye, extreme tips of primaries, basal half of primaries, excepting outer 
webs of outer two, basal half of secondaries, and narrow tippings to feathers of sides, white. Top of head, including occi¬ 
put, crest, and maxillary patches, scarlet. 
Adult female. Similar to the male, but lacks the scarlet maxillary patch which is replaced by black, and the anterior 
portion of the head is sooty-brown with the feathers tipped with yellowish. 
Young. Differs from the adult in having more white edgings to the feathers below while a sulphury tinge pervades the 
broad white markings of the head and is especially noticeable beneath the wing, but there are few, or no, white tippings to 
the primaries. Iris, yellow, bill, black, bluish at base of lower mandible, and feet, greenish-brown, in all stages. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
This Woodpecker is readily distinguished from all others, excepting the Ivory-hilled, by its superior size, and from this 
latter named species by the almost uniform color above as well as by the black bill. Specimens vary but little; occasionally 
a female will have scarlet feathers dotting the darker patch of the anterior portion of the head and the amount of white 
especially the tippings of the wings, is not always the same. Specimens from Florida are much smaller than those from 
Maine but are only slightly darker in shade. Distributed as a constant resident, throughout North America but are found 
only in the heavily wooded districts. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Average measurements of seven specimens from the North. Length, 18*25; stretch, 28*50; wing, 9*00; tail, 6*75; bill, 
2-35; tarsus, 1*30. Longest specimen, 18*75; greatest extentofwing, 20*00; longest wing, 9*50; tail, 7*00; bill, 2*50; tarsus, 
1*40. Shortest specimen, 17*50; smallest extent of wing, 28*00; shortest wing, 8*50; tail, 6*50; bill, 2*25; tarsus, 1*20. 
Average measurements of sixteen specimens from Florida. Length, 16*32; stretch, 26*50; wing, 8*50; tail, 6*02; bill, 
1*75; tarsus, 1*30. Longest specimen, 17*50; greatest extent of wing, 28*00; longest wing, 9*00; tail, 6*75; bill, 2*10; tar¬ 
sus, 1*50. Shortest specimen, 15*15; smallest extent of wing, 25*00; shortest wing, 8*00; tail, 5*30; bill, 140; tarsus, 110. 
DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 
Nests, placed in cylinder-shaped holes, generally excavated in dead trees. Dimensions, diameter of external orifice, 
3*00, greatest internal, 6*00. Internal depth, 20*00. 
Eggs, four to six in number, elliptical in form, pure, polished pearly-white in color. Dimensions from *90x 1*05 to 
*95x1*10. 
HABITS. 
No one who has studied the habits of birds, will hesitate to say that Woodpeckers, as 
well as carpenters, may be known by their chips. When we see small bits of wood lying 
about the base of a tree, we are sure that some of the smaller species have been at work; 
larger pieces indicate that the labor has been performed by the Golden-wing, but when we 
meet with a tree trunk denuded throughout its entire extent and the bark lying in piles 
at its roots, often in blocks six inches square, it becomes obvious that such a task could 
have been accomplished by no other than the Great Pileated Woodpecker. The sound, of 
his hammer and chisel is also remarkable, for none among the Woodpeckers, save the Ivory- 
bill, can strike such resounding blows, each of which produces a marked effect. All this 
labor is performed for the sake of finding insects, for the Pileated is the most indefatigable 
of all the family in hunting this kind of prey. They are also very fond of ants and I have 
frequently found them, both in Pennsylvania and further south, at work on prostrate trees 
which were inhabited by these insects. They will eat fruit and are partial to the berries 
of the palmetto, feeding, in Florida, upon little else when these are in season. 
In general habits, this large Woodpecker does not differ especially from the Golden- 
wing. The notes are not strickingly unlike, those of the Pileated being, of course, louder 
and they end more abruptly. Both have the same, energetic way of throwing the head 
back when at work, in order to glance quickly around, and the flight of both is similar; 
