Hi Fang,
I agree with you that there are some features other than white which have been observed but I’m not sure where you are getting your descriptions from. They don’t match the descriptions published in the Science paper Supporting Online Material. Here are the exact quotes from the science paper for anyone who has not got it. If descriptions change from one source to another it strikes me that they have been embellished or shortened at a later date. As IBWO_agnostic has implied for Sparling who, I have said before, probably has supplied the best description of all.
fangsheath said:
Gallagher: shiny plumage, almost purple-black, not brownish black like a pileated; duck-like flight
Direct quote from Science-paper-SOM
"27 February 2004 sighting. T. Gallagher and B. Harrison both noted (with naked eye at a distance of 20 m, measured later) that the basal two-thirds of the flight feathers, including all secondaries and several inner primaries, were snow-white in sharp contrast to jet-black elsewhere on the wings and along a narrow stripe between the two outstretched wings (Fig. S1). Having fixed their attention on the striking and diagnostic pattern of white in the wings, neither observer noted any features of the head or upper back."
No mention of shiny plumage, purple or duck-like flight. Also, the field sketch with notes is published and does not mention either feature.
fangsheath said:
Fitzpatrick: hint of red at end of tucked crest; strong, loon-like flight
Direct quote from Science paper SOM
"5 April 2004 (James M. Fitzpatrick saw overflight along a lake edge; with naked eye at 100 m he noted large size, broad white trailing edges of wings, and steady "loon-like" flight of otherwise black woodpecker)"
No mention of red on crest.
fangsheath said:
LaBranche: crest black on top with red crescent behind; non-undulating, powerful flight
"10 April 2004 (Melinda LaBranche saw overflight at site of 5 April sighting; through 10-power binoculars at 100 m she observed broad white trailing edges of wings and narrow red crescent on rear of folded crest)"
no mention of flight style
fangsheath said:
Driscoll: distinct trace of white along body (above), merging with white on wings, extending much further than white on the neck of a pileated; small flash of red on black crest; powerful wingbeats
"11 April 2004 (Melanie Driscoll watched a large woodpecker fly across a 50-m gap in the forest where she was stationed, and through 10-power binoculars at 120 m she saw broad white trailing edge of wings, white line extending from wings up the long neck, and small flash of red on crest, with head otherwise black)"
No mention of whether white is above or below wings or whether it merges with the white on wings (as discussed previously on this thread). No comparison with PIWO.
fangsheath said:
Taylor: long, straight bill; long neck; upperwings entirely black on leading edges; bird more deeply black than a pileated
14 February 2005 (Casey Taylor heard double-rap display drums for 30 min near power-line cut and then saw a large black-and-white woodpecker crossing the cut while being mobbed by American crows, Corvus brachyrhynchos. Through 8-power binoculars at 80 to 120 m, she noted broad white trailing edges to wings, long neck with white stripe running its full length, and black head with long bill.)"
Nomention of bill "straight"ness, no mention of “deep”ness of black.
Why all the differences – SOM is for giving extra information for which there is no room in the published paper. Has Cornell or Science edited out vital information or are the descriptions changing?
Cheers,