Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Least Concern

Quick Facts

Kingdom: Animalia
Abundance: Common
Habitat: Forest
Activity: Diurnal (Active during day)

A migratory woodpecker mottled with white and black with vertical white wing stripes. The male has a red crown and throat, and the female has only a red crown. The underparts, excluding the pale breast and above, are tinged yellow, transitioning to a whiter color in the lower region. The quietest and least conspicuous of the woodpeckers, Sapsuckers bore horizontal and vertical rows of holes into trees, let the sap run down the trunk, and suck it up with their tongues. They return many times to the same tree, also consuming the insects attracted to the sap

Diet

Tree sap, fruits nuts and insects

Activity Pattern

Diurnal (Active during day)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Sphyrapicus
Species: Sphyrapicus varius

Scientific Name

Sphyrapicus varius
Nesting Season
April-May
Migration Pattern
Travels to the south-east in winter

Behavior

The yellow-bellied sapsucker usually forages by itself, although it sometimes joins small groups in the winter, and occasionally mixes into flocks of insectivores in the winter.[

Activity Pattern

Diurnal (Active during day)

Habitat Types

Forest

Geographic Distribution

The yellow-bellied sapsucker is found across Canada, eastern Alaska and the northeastern United States. These birds winter in the eastern United States, West Indies and Central America.

Local Abundance

Common

Conservation Status

Least Concern

This species is widespread and abundant. No immediate threat to survival.

How You Can Help

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No field notes or observations available for this species.

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