Life histories of North American woodpeckers

Name: Life histories of North American woodpeckers
Author: Bent, Arthur Cleveland

Bent, Arthur Cleveland

Birds -- North America; Woodpeckers -- North America

This southern race probably does not differ materially in its habits
from other hairy woodpeckers, except in so far as it is affected by its
environment.




             DRYOBATES VILLOSUS LEUCOTHORECTIS Oberholser

                       WHITE-BREASTED WOODPECKER


                                HABITS

Northward and eastward from the range of the Chihuahua woodpecker
(_icastus_) and southward from the range of the Rocky Mountain hairy
woodpecker (_monticola_) lies the range of this white-breasted race
of the hairy woodpecker, extending from southern Utah, through
Arizona and New Mexico, into central western Texas. It is evidently
a smaller edition of monticola, for Dr. Harry C. Oberholser (1911a),
in describing and naming it, says that it is “much like _Dryobates
villosus monticola_, but decidedly smaller; wing coverts practically
always without white spots.”

Dr. Edgar A. Mearns (1890b) says of its haunts in the mountains of
northern Arizona:

     Breeds commonly throughout the pine belt, often ascending
     higher in summer, then preferring aspens to the fir and
     spruce woods of higher altitudes. It very rarely descends
     to the cottonwoods of the Verde Valley to fraternize with
     its smaller relative, Baird’s woodpecker, and only when the
     mountain timber is icy or the weather uncommonly fierce;
     then it is usually accompanied by flocks of Cassin’s Purple
     Finches, Red-backed Juncos, and its boon companions, the
     Slender-billed Nuthatches. About the middle of June the
     young leave their nests, and soon after make a partial
     migration downward towards the lower border of the pine
     belt, in common with many other birds that breed at high
     levels.

_Nesting._--I can find no references to the nesting habits or eggs of
this subspecies, which probably do not differ materially from those of
the Chihuahua woodpecker, except that J. S. Ligon told Mrs. Florence M.
Bailey (1928) that it nests “generally in small trees in canyon beds.”

_Eggs._--The eggs of this subspecies are apparently similar to those of
other hairy woodpeckers. They seem to be scarce in collections; I have
been able to locate only two sets of eggs, one set of four and one set
of three. These seven eggs show average measurements of 24.66 by 17.91
millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure =25.3= by 18.2,
24.6 by =18.6=, =24.2= by 18.2, and 24.6 by =17.2= millimeters.

_Food._--Mrs. Bailey (1928) quotes Maj. E. A. Goldman as follows:

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

Life histories of North American woodpeckersBent, Arthur Cleveland

Science

Life histories of North American woodpeckers

Bent, Arthur Cleveland

Birds -- North America; Woodpeckers -- North America

This southern race probably does not differ materially in its habits
from other hairy woodpeckers, except in so far as it is affected by its
environment.




             DRYOBATES VILLOSUS LEUCOTHORECTIS Oberholser

                       WHITE-BREASTED WOODPECKER


                                HABITS

Northward and eastward from the range of the Chihuahua woodpecker
(_icastus_) and southward from the range of the Rocky Mountain hairy
woodpecker (_monticola_) lies the range of this white-breasted race
of the hairy woodpecker, extending from southern Utah, through
Arizona and New Mexico, into central western Texas. It is evidently
a smaller edition of monticola, for Dr. Harry C. Oberholser (1911a),
in describing and naming it, says that it is “much like _Dryobates
villosus monticola_, but decidedly smaller; wing coverts practically
always without white spots.”

Dr. Edgar A. Mearns (1890b) says of its haunts in the mountains of
northern Arizona:

     Breeds commonly throughout the pine belt, often ascending
     higher in summer, then preferring aspens to the fir and
     spruce woods of higher altitudes. It very rarely descends
     to the cottonwoods of the Verde Valley to fraternize with
     its smaller relative, Baird’s woodpecker, and only when the
     mountain timber is icy or the weather uncommonly fierce;
     then it is usually accompanied by flocks of Cassin’s Purple
     Finches, Red-backed Juncos, and its boon companions, the
     Slender-billed Nuthatches. About the middle of June the
     young leave their nests, and soon after make a partial
     migration downward towards the lower border of the pine
     belt, in common with many other birds that breed at high
     levels.

_Nesting._--I can find no references to the nesting habits or eggs of
this subspecies, which probably do not differ materially from those of
the Chihuahua woodpecker, except that J. S. Ligon told Mrs. Florence M.
Bailey (1928) that it nests “generally in small trees in canyon beds.”

_Eggs._--The eggs of this subspecies are apparently similar to those of
other hairy woodpeckers. They seem to be scarce in collections; I have
been able to locate only two sets of eggs, one set of four and one set
of three. These seven eggs show average measurements of 24.66 by 17.91
millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure =25.3= by 18.2,
24.6 by =18.6=, =24.2= by 18.2, and 24.6 by =17.2= millimeters.

_Food._--Mrs. Bailey (1928) quotes Maj. E. A. Goldman as follows:

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Life histories of North American woodpeckers

Life histories of North American woodpeckers

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