General

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black-and-white mottled upperparts, white rump, and yellow-washed white underparts. Red throat has black border. Red crown and black-and-white striped face and neck are distinct. Wings are dark with large white shoulder patches; tail is black with black-barred, white center stripe. Female is similar but has a white throat. Juvenile is browner and lacks bright head and throat pattern.

Range and Habitat

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: Breeds across Canada east of the Rockies to southern Labrador and Newfoundland south to the northern U.S. from North Dakota to New York and Connecticut and south through the Appalachians to northwest Georgia. Spends winters in the southeastern U.S., the West Indies, and in middle and high altitudes of Central America as far south as Panama. Preferred habitats include deciduous and mixed woods in foothills and lower montane regions.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"meow", "cheee-er, cheee-er", "hoih-hoih"

Interesting Facts

 The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is considered a keystone species. Other species take advantage of the holes that the birds make in trees.

 Originally a single species, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were differentiated into three species in 1983 – Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker and Red-breasted Sapsucker. Similarities among the three species and uniqueness of individual birds can make identification difficult.

 They hybridize with both the Red-naped and Red-breasted Sapsuckers where populations overlap.

 A group of sapsuckers are collectively known as a "slurp" of sapsuckers.

Author

Gary Owen Dick