WOODPECKERS 201 
GENUS DRYOBATES. 
General Characters. — Bill straight, square at tip, beveled toward end, 
with sharp culmen and distinct lateral ridges, and large nasal tufts hiding 
the nostrils; tongue greatly extensile; feet with outer hind toe longer than 
outer front toe; wing long, pointed. 
KEY TO SPECIES. 
1. Upper parts brown. arizonae, p. 206. 
1. Upper parts black, marked with white. 
2. Outer tail feathers plain white or with only two distinct bars. 
3. Upper parts black, barred with white .... nuttallii, p. 205. 
3'. Upper parts black, with a white stripe down hack. 
4. Wing coverts and tertials conspicuously spotted with white. 
leucomelas, p. 201. 
4'. Wing coverts and tertials plain black or lightly spotted with 
white. 
5. Under parts smoky gray . harrisii, p. 202. 
5'. Under parts pure white. 
6. Smaller. hy lose opus, p. 202. 
6'. Larger. monticola, p. 203. 
2'. Outer tail feathers white, barred with black. 
3. Upper parts black, barred with white. 
4. Outer web of outer tail feather barred for more than terminal 
half. bairdi, p. 204. 
4'. Outer web of outer tail feather barred for only terminal half or 
less. lucasanus, 205. 
3'. Upper parts black, with white stripe down back. 
4. Wing coverts conspicuously spotted with white. Middle and 
northern United States.medianus, p. 204. 
4'. Wing coverts not conspicuously spotted with white. 
5. Under parts pure white. Rocky Mountain region. 
homorus, p. 203. 
5'. Under parts smoky gray or brown. British Columbia to Cali¬ 
fornia ...“.“ . gairdnerii, p. 203. 
393a. Dryobates villosus leucomelas ( Bodd .). Northern 
Hairy Woodpecker. 
Adult male. — Upper parts black, with a scarlet band across back of 
crown, white stripe down back and wing coverts 
and tertials conspicuously spotted with white ; outer 
tail feathers plain white; under parts pure clear 
white. Adult female: similar, but without red 
on head. Young: crown with red. Length: Fig. 268. 
10-11, wing 5.02-5.40, tail 3.60-3.80, bill 1.40-1.62. 
Distribution. — Northern North America, south to about the northern 
border of the United States. 
Nest. — In holes in trees. Eggs: white. 
Food. — Larvae of wood-boring insects, ants, and a small amount of wild 
fruit, berries, and beechnuts. 
The hairy woodpecker, of whatever geographic race, is a quiet, 
solitary bird of the timber, and you may ride through the forests 
day after day without seeing it, as its surprising absence from your 
