Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

 

 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a medium-sized woodpecker which nests in Alaska, Canada and the north-northeastern United States, and winters in the eastern USA, the Caribbean, and Central America. It arrives in breeding grounds in late March-April, and leaves by early October. This species, when nesting, is found in deciduous and mixed forests, up to 2,000 m, and at forest edges and in open woodland during migration and in winter. Male and female are sexually dimorphic; the male has bright red forehead and throat; the female has less red on the forehead, and white throat. Breeding season lasts from April to July. Nest cavity is usually excavated in living deciduous trees, 3-15 m above the ground. Clutch 4-7 eggs; incubation 10-13 days; the young fledge at 25-29 days.

This woodpecker complements its diet of insects with tree sap, fruits, nuts, and buds. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drills parallel rows of shallow holes (sap wells) in the bark of trees and feeds on sap that flows into them. Preferred tree species include White Birch (Betula papyrifera), Red and Sugar maples (Acer rubrum, A. saccharum), etc.

 

		D38008 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D45399 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D45414 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D38009 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D45376 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D45394 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D38002 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D45387 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D45385 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D45405 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D45406 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius); female Bruce Peninsula Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
Unauthorized use of our images is NOT permitted.
Hotlinking or "pinning" of our images to websites is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Copyright © Michael Patrikeev - All Rights Reserved