DRYOBATES Plumage black and white (with some red); 4 toes; neck much thinner than in "Pict's." Dryobates major major (L.). GREAT SPOTTED WOOD PECKER. Fr. Pic epeiche ; Ger. Grosser Buntspecht ; //a/. Picchio rosso maggiore ; Swed. Sterre Hackspett.
6 Above black, frontal band brown to brownish white ; occiput crimson ; sides of head, ear coverts, a patch on side of neck, scapulars and wing spots white ; beneath creamy white to buff or dirty brown ; a black band from gape to nape, developing into a black patch on either side of chest ; abdomen and under tail coverts crimson ; outer tail feathers barred white. Bill leaden grey, paler at base below. Legs and feet greenish grey. Iris crimson red. Wing 6 136-144. Tarsus 24-26.
Bill 23-26. like 6 but lacks crimson on occiput. Young have entire crown crimson, and iris brown.
Resident.—Scandinavia to E. Finmark, Lapland, Finland, Russia east to Urals and south to Volga, Baltic Provinces, E. Prussia. Sometimes strays in winter, then occurs in small numbers C. Europe, British Isles, Ural Delta, Caucasus. Rare visitor Faroes.
D. major pinetorum (Brehm). Smaller than "major" and bill more slender ; frontal band grey brown. Wing 131-138 (H.).
Resident —C. Europe from Holland and Germany (except E. Prussia) south to Pyrenees, N. Switzerland, and Hungary.
D. major anglicus (Hartert). Wing still shorter than in " pinetorum" and bill finer ; ear coverts and underparts browner than in "major" ; occasionally traces of crimson on breast. Wing j 9 126-136.
Resident.—England and Scotland.
D. major harterti (Arrigoni). Rather browner on underparts than in "anglicus," frontal band lighter, more reddish buff; crimson of ventral region much more brilliant than in preceding races. Wing 13o-13S (H.).
D. major parroti (Hartert). Like "harterti" but bill about 5 m.m. longer and more slender.
Resident. —Corsica.
D. major italiae Stresemann. Smaller than "pinetorum," underparts browner, red paler ; very close to "anglicus." Wing 126-133 (H.).
D. major prmalpinus Burg. Frontal band narrow ; under parts deep red brown with whitish tinge ; throat deep brown, often with a red brown band between the dark stripes. \Ving 13o-136 (H.).
Resident. —Switzerland and N. Italy.
D. major candidus Stresemann. Measurements as in "pinetorum" but underparts very pale as in "major." ; possibly also S. Russia to Caucasus.
D. major balcanicus Cengler and Stresemann. Nearest "1). m. syriacus " of Asia Minor in which black of back of head does not join black of sides of neck, but differs from it in having a stronger bill and more pronounced stripes on flanks. \Ving 125-135 (H.).
Residen/.—Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria D. major hispanus (Schluter). Very near "anglicus" but white spots on wings, especially outer webs of secondaries, markedly narrower ; frontal band reddish buff; crimson of ventral region brighter as in "harterti" ; generally traces of crimson on breast. \Ving 124-131. 1;i11 2 Resident.—S. Spain and Portugal.
D. major mauritanus (Brehm). Like " hispanus" but under parts paler and crimson on breast well developed, though occasionally absent. \Ving Resident—N. and Middle Morocco.
D. major numidus (Malherbe). Like "mauritanus" but black side patches meet on breast and the feathers have crimson tips forming a black and crimson breast band.
Resident.—N. Algeria, N. Tunisia.
D. major canariensis (Koenig). Underparts of a dark buff brown, sides of abdomen very white, ear coverts almost pure white, frontal band reddish buff to reddish brown. \Ving 132-137 (H.). Bill weaker than in " pinetorum." Rest dent.—Tenerife (Canary Islands).
D. major thanneri (Le Roi). Underparts paler than in "canariensis," and also frontal band ; ear coverts are similar. Resident.—Gran Canaria (Canary Islands).
Dryobates leucotus leucotus (Bechstein). WHITE BACKED WOODPECKER. Ger. Weissspecht ; Swed Hvitrig giga.
g Above black ; frontal band creamy white ; entire crown crimson, ear coverts brownish white with black above and below ; lower back and quills barred and spotted white, some white on median wing coverts ; rump white narrowly barred black ; beneath white, flanks black streaked, and ventral region pale crimson ; three outer pairs of tail feathers white, barred black. Bill horn blue. Legs leaden grey. Iris hazel. Wing 140-14S. Tarsus 25. Culmen 36-39 (H.). ? Size as ; crimson on crown replaced by black.
Resident.—Scandinavia, Poland, E. Prussia, Bavaria, Bohemia
to Alps and Carpathians ; Russia (except south). Occurs occasion ally Tyrol and N. Italy ; rare in Denmark ; once recorded Belgium.
D. leucotus uralensis (Malherbe). Spots and bars on quills much larger, rump uniform white.
Resident.—N. and C. Ural Mountains, through Siberia to Corea.
D. leucotus lilfordi (Sharpe and Dresser). Rump with broad black bars ; flanks broader streaked, ear coverts entirely enclosed in black.
Resident.—Balkan Peninsula, from Dalmatia to Macedonia ; also Asia Minor to Transcaucasia. Rare visitor Italy.
Dryobates minor minor (L.). LESSER SPOTTED WOOD PECKER. Fr. Pic dpeichette ; Ger. Kleiner Buntspecht ; /At/.
Picchio mmore ; Lilla Hackspett.
6 Above black, barred white ; centre of crown crimson ; forehead and cheeks huffy white ; ear coverts pale brown, sides of neck white ; beneath dull white streaked on flanks and sides of breast ; tail, two central pairs of feathers black, rest white barred black. Bill, legs and feet dark plumbeous. Wing a ? 89-96 (H.). Tarsus 13-15. Bill 12-13. ? has no crimson on crown. Reside/el.—Scandinavia and N. Russia to 67° N., Baltic Provinces, E. Prussia, Poland, C. Russia to Volga and Orenburg.
D. minor hortorum (Brehm). Beneath pale brown, sides more distinctly streaked. Wing shorter than in "minor," 87-93 (H.).
Resident.--France, Switzerland, Germany, and through Austria and Hungary to Rumania and Bulgaria.
D. minor comminutus Hartert. Still smaller than " hortorum," underparts darker brown, streaks on sides and bars on tail feathers narrower. Wing 6 ? 85-89.
Resident.—S. and C. England, Holland. Very rare Scotland and Ireland.
D. minor buturlini Hartert. Is like "hortorum" but streaks on sides and dark bars on tail broader. Wing rather shorter, 82-88 (H.).
Resident.— France (Riviera and C. Pyrenees), Italy, through Balkans to Greece and Turkey.
D. minor ledouci (Malherbe). Similar to "buturlini" but black deeper.
Resident.—N. Algeria and N. Tunisia.
D. minor colchicus (fluturlin). Difficult to separate from "ledouci," but has faint traces of a black ring surrounding ear coverts ; this becomes complete in " D. minor clanfordi" front Asia NI inor. Wing 84-90 (Buturlin).
Resident. —Caucasus.
D. minor kamtschatkensis (Malherbe). Black barring on back and wings much less developed than in "minor" showing more white ; underparts as a rule white, faintly streaked on sides of breast. Larger. Wing 93-1o1 (H.).
Resident—E. Russia between Volga and Ural, north to Petchora ; also across Siberia.
" D. m. transitivus," Loudoun, has been described from Baltic Provinces (south part) as intermediate between "minor" and "kamtschatkensis" but its status is not satisfactory.
Dryobates medius medius (L.). MIDDLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER. Fr. Pic mar ; Ger. Mittlerer Buntspecht.
a Above black, forehead grey brown, crown crimson, scapulars white, apical half wing coverts white, quills with white spots on both webs ; beneath, face, throat, sides of neck and underparts white tinged yellow ; a black patch on sides of neck and breast ; abdomen and under tail coverts rosy, flanks streaked ; outer tail feathers white with black bars or spots. Bill blue grey, paler below at base. Legs and feet blue grey. Iris cinnabar red (brown in young). Wing ? 123-129 (H.). Tarsus 21-23. Bill 18-2o. In red on crown is paler.
Resident—S.W. Sweden, Denmark, N. and W. Russia south to Bessarabia, Belgium, France (local, chiefly in south and in Vosges), Switzerland, Germany (local), E. Prussia, S. Poland, Austria, Hungary, Rumania.
D. medius splendidior (Parrot). Yellow colour on underparts distinct, and rosy colour on abdomen deeper.
Resident.—S. Hungary to Macedonia, Turkey and Greece. Rare Italy and Sicily.
D. medius caucasicus (Bianchi). Is like "medius" but yellow colour extends over entire abdomen, leaving vent and under tail coverts red.
Resident.—Caucasus and N.W. Persia.
D. medius lilianle Witherby. Like "medius" but black above more intense, black bars on outer tail coverts broader, axillaries very pale yellow. Wing 8 126-129, 124-127 (\V.).
Resident.—N. Spain.