Pl. CLXXX
The Birds · Plate CLXXX
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Picidae · Taxon 18463
| Length | 18–22 cm (7.1–8.7 in), both sexes |
| Wingspan | 34–40 cm (13.4–15.8 in), both sexes |
| Weight | 43–55 g (1.5–1.9 oz), both sexes |
Field marks
- Bold black-and-white facial stripes with a red forehead
- Male has a red throat; female has a white throat
- Long white patch along each folded black wing
- Whitish underparts with a pale yellow belly wash and dark chest crescent
- Stout, straight, dark bill and dark eye
- Gray feet and a stiff, pointed black tail adapted for trunk-clinging
HabitatHardwood and mixed coniferous forests, especially young woods, forest edges, and groves of small deciduous trees; outside the breeding season also uses open woodland, orchards, and other semi-open wooded habitats.
BehaviorClings upright to trunks, bracing with its stiff tail. Drills orderly rows of sap wells and returns to lap sap and trapped insects; also gleans insects from bark, catches some in flight, and drums in a stuttering rhythm.
Palette
blackwhitescarlet redpale yellowslate gray