Toes very long, fourth longer than third. An occipital crest of elongated linear feathers; general colour glossy black, with blue reflections on the upper, green on the lower parts; crest rich carmine; bristly feathers covering the nostrils, and a short band at the base of the upper mandible, a band on each side of the neck, from the cheek to the end of the scapulars, secondary quills, their bases excepted, and terminal portion of four inner secondaries, with the axillars and lower wing-coverts, white; bill yellowish-white. Female similar, but with the crest black, and the lateral tail-feathers, with two patches of white at the tip.
Male, 21, 30. Female, 191/2, wing 10.
Common in Texas, Louisiana, and along the Mississippi, to the Ohio. Rare on the latter, to Henderson. From Florida to North Carolina. Resident.
Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Picus principalis, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. iv. p. 20.
Picus principalis, Bonap. Syn. p. 44.
Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Picus principalis, Nutt. Man. v. i. p. 564.
Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Picus principalis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. i. p. 341; v. v. p. 525.
258. 3. Picus pileatus, Linn. Pileated Woodpecker.—Log-cock.
Plate XIII. Male and Female.
Fourth toe longer, considerably shorter than third; an occipital crest of elongated linear feathers; general colour black glossed with blue, upper part of head, and a band from the lower mandible, deep carmine; loral space and a broad band from the eye to the occiput, greyish-black; a narrow band from the eye margining the red of the crest, a band from the base of the upper mandible, down to the side of the neck, the throat, axillars, lower wing-coverts, and bases of the quills, white. Female similar, with the fore part of the head dusky, and the red on the cheek substituted by blackish-brown.
Male, 18, 28.
From Texas to the Columbia River, and along the Atlantic coast, as well as in the interior, to the Fur Countries. More abundant in the south. Resident everywhere.