From Opus

Sphyrapicus varius

Photo by KCFoggin
Photo taken: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA

[edit] Identification

• Medium-sized woodpecker
• Bold white patch on the side of the body (shows in flight)

[edit] Adult

• Red crown and (on male) throat
• Black and white patterning on body
• Bright yellow belly (for which the bird is named)

[edit] Juvenile

• Brown stripes on head
• Brown breast and flanks

[edit] Confusion species

White patch on wing coverts sets sapsuckers apart from all other woodpeckers, male Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are distinguished from male Red-naped Sapsuckers only by the red nape spot and incomplete frame to red throat of Red-naped Sapsucker. Females are somewhat easier to distinguish, as they differ in these characters, as well as having quite different throat patterns (white in Yellow-bellied, red and white in Red-naped). It is worth noting that any sapsucker in juvenal plumage after late fall must be a Yellow-bellied. Beware of rare hybrid Yellow-bellied x Red-naped Sapsuckers, and the occasional Yellow-bellied Sapsucker which may show a red nape spot.

[edit] Distribution

Found throughout much of eastern North America. Range also extends farther west through Canadian taiga.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Habitat

Found in early-successional/mixed conifer forests. Prefers quaking aspen, birches, and maples for nesting and feeding.

[edit] Behaviour

Seemingly prefers certain trees for feeding, most notably birches and maples, as well as some pines. Drills small "wells" in the bark to reach sap. Appears to have special enzymes in its saliva which keep the sap flowing for some time, as the wells would seal themselves rapidly under normal conditions. Sapsuckers also fairly regularly eat insects (mostly through fly-catching), especially those which come to feed from their sap wells.
Many other species of birds (including woodpeckers, warblers, and hummingbirds), as well as insects and mammals (such as squirrels and chipmunks), visit wells for a sweet treat.
Like all woodpeckers, has zygodactyl feet and a sharp, chisel-like beak. Tongue has a brush-like (as opposed to barbed) tip.

Voice: A nasal meow

This bird is widely known for its lengthy and humorous name. This bird is also the symbol of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (and their lab at Sapsucker Woods, Ithaca NY).

[edit] External Links