OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Sphyrapicus ("hammer woodpecker") varius ("varigatated")
Fledgeling Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) at Buffalo Creek State Park, Minnesota - July 2024
Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 50g / Length: 19-21cm / Wingspan: 34-40cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern
As the name suggests, sapsuckers are a notable for their feeding on sap of trees, which they do by pecking a series of holes in a straight line to tap into the xylem and phloem. They however do also eat invertibrates, nuts and fruit. Due to this feeding technique they sometimes end up killing the tree by functionally robbing it of it's ability to send nutrients above the circle they have drilled.
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic
- Sighting Locations -
CANADA - Found across Canda from Atlantic Coast to Alaskan Border.
- CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in Alberta.
UNITED STATES - Localised primarily to Great Lakes and New England as a breeding bird, Winters in the South-East Lower 48.
- CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: Seen in Minnesota
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
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