Sphyrapicus varius

Description

In the woodpecker family, they have a long white stripe on the wing and a red forehead. Males have an all-red throat patch; females have an all white chin. They have a yellow belly, as the name implies.

Voice

A nasal me-ah. Drumming is a characteristic irregular, slow tapping.

Habitat

They can be found in woodlands.

Diet

The yellow-bellied sapsucker makes holes in the sides of trees looking for sap. They make two types of holes. The first is a round, deep hole looking for sap. They also make rectangular holes that are much shallower and must be maintained in order to continue to let sap flow. This is also when yellow-bellied sapsuckers will eat part of the cambium layer of the tree.

Range

Yellow-bellied sapsuckers can be found all throughout the eastern United States and as far west as the Dakotas down to Texas and in Mexico and northward through northern Canada up to the very eastern part of Alaska.

Other Useful Information

The yellow-bellied sapsucker is the only eastern woodpecker that is completely migratory and will leave to South America for wintering.

Similar Species

Red-bellied woodpecker, red-cockaded woodpecker, downy woodpecker, and hairy woodpecker.