Voice.—Simmons (1925) says that this is “usually a thin, high-pitched, shrill cheek; tcheek, queep or queep-queep, uttered as the bird gives a hop in its progress up the tree-trunk. Sometimes an incredibly rapid, shrill, ringing, even, not-so-high-pitched cheeky-cheeky-cheeky-cheeky-cheeky or tchee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-deet; less commonly, chickp, chickp, chick-chick-chick-chick-chick-chick-chick-chick. Drums rapidly with its bill on dead limb of tree at any time of year.”

DISTRIBUTION

Range.—Southwestern United States, Mexico, and British Honduras; nonmigratory.

The range of this woodpecker extends north to southern California (Hesperia and Needles); southern Nevada (Upper Cottonwood Springs); southern Utah (Virgin River Valley); and probably southeastern Colorado (Swink). East to probably southeastern Colorado (Swink and Springfield); western Oklahoma (Kenton and Hollis); Texas (San Angelo, Kerrville, Boerne, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Brownsville); Tamaulipas (Presas and Ciudad Victoria); Yucatan (Chichen-Itza); Quintana Roo (Cozumel Island); and British Honduras (Manatee Lagoon and Ycacos Lagoon). South to British Honduras (Ycacos Lagoon); Jalisco (Zapotlan); Nayarit (Tres Marias Islands); and Baja California (Cape San Lucas). West to Baja California (Cape San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo, El Sauz, San Fernando, and Cocopah); and southern California (Paint Canyon, White Water, and Hesperia).

The range as above outlined applies to the entire species, which has, however, been divided into 15 or more subspecies or geographic races. Most of these, including the typical variety (Dryobates scalaris scalaris), are found only in regions south of the Rio Grande. The four races found in North America are distributed as follows: The Texas woodpecker (D. s. symplectus) is found from southeastern Colorado south and east through east-central Texas, to Coahuila, Tamaulipas, and Nuevo Leon. The cactus woodpecker (D. s. cactophilus) ranges from western Texas through New Mexico, Arizona, and southern Utah and Nevada south to northern Durango. The western edge of the range of this race cuts across southeastern California and northeastern Baja California. The San Fernando woodpecker (D. s. eremicus) is found in northern Baja California except for the northeastern part. The San Lucas woodpecker (D. s. lucasanus) occurs in southern part of Baja California north to about latitude 29° N.

DRYOBATES SCALARIS LUCASANUS (Xantus)

SAN LUCAS WOODPECKER

HABITS

The ladder-backed woodpecker of the southern half of the peninsula of Baja California, Mexico, has long been recognized as a distinct subspecies under the above name. It inhabits the Lower Austral deserts from Cape San Lucas north to about latitude 29° N. William Brewster (1902) says: “Mr. Frazar considers this woodpecker ‘rather common and generally distributed in the cape region, except on the mountains, where it was not met with.’ He found it most numerous about La Paz, but did not see it anywhere to the northward of that place during his trip along the Gulf coast.”