Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Appearance:

Length: 7.5-8.25 in
Weight: 1.6 oz oz
Wingspan:13.5-15.75 in

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are fairly small woodpeckers with stout, straight bills. The long wings extend about halfway to the tip of the stiff, pointed tail at rest. Often, sapsuckers hold their crown feathers up to form a peak at the back of the head. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are mostly black and white with boldly patterned faces. Both sexes have red foreheads, and males also have red throats. Look for a long white stripe along the folded wing. Bold black-and-white stripes curve from the face toward a black chest shield and white or yellowish underparts.

Habitat:

Open forests and orchards are important winter habitats. Breeds mostly in young forest stands in nest cavities constructed in snag trees and dead branches. In the north, the yellow-bellied sapsucker shows a strong preference to nest in live aspens which have soft heart wood.

Behavior:

The yellow-bellied sapsucker has adapted a specialized feeding habit. This woodpecker makes with its bill a series of small round and square holes (1/4 inch diameter) in horizontal rows around live trees (trunks and branches), shrubs, and vines creating sap wells from which plant sap flows and collects. The sapsucker frequents these sap wells on a regular basis to feed on the energy rich sap and insects entrapped in the sticky residue. The sapsucker’s tongue shape and design allows this woodpecker to drink the liquid sap by simply lapping it right out of the hole. You can bet on the yellow-bellied to freshen up old holes and create a new one while at its dinner table. New holes are normally made above or below existing holes on favored trees and other plant species. Its spear-shaped tongue is equipped along the edges with tiny rear-pointing barbs that help the woodpecker grab and hold onto captured prey such as small insects.

Fun Fact:

Females of the species will winter much further south than their male counterparts. Since Alabama is in the northern range of the species wintering area pactically all Yellow-bellied sapsuckers seen in Alabama are male.