From Opus

Sphyrapicus thyroideus

Male. Photo jvhigbee
Location: Washington, USA.

[edit] Identification

Iridescent black head, back, sides and tail, white stripe behind the eye and a lower white stripe across each side of the head, red chin, bright yellow belly, black wings with large white patches. The female is completely different - black, pale yellow breast, brownish head with black streaking and fine barring on the back, breast and sides.

[edit] Distribution

Western North America, from southern British Columbia, Washington, and western Montana south to southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Uncommon in coastal areas.

[edit] Taxonomy

Two subspecies are recognized:^[1]

• S.t. thyroideus - southern British Columbia mountains to northern Baja; winters to northern Mexico
• S.t. nataliae - southeastern British Columbia to the Rocky Mountains and Great Basin ranges of the USA.

[edit] Habitat

Open forested areas, including conifers.

Female. Photo by SesG
Location: southwest Utah, USA.

[edit] Behaviour

• Breeding: They excavate a new nesting cavity each year, sometimes reusing the same tree.
• Diet: Includes sap, mainly from conifers; insects are the main food source during the nesting season; berries are eaten outside of the breeding period.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.

• List of references

[edit] External Links