Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Ypu may see these Description: Woodpecker with overall black and tan body, turning yellow from the breast down beneath belly. The forehead is red in both sexes but the throat is only red in male birds. A black bib is apparent on the upper breast of both sexes.
Nest: Cavity excavated in the wood of a tree, usually dead or dying wood. There is no lining other than the wood chips that gather during the excavation process.
Eggs: 4-6 white eggs.¹
Diet: This species is known for making small holes in neat lines across the trunks of trees. These holes cause the sapwood to leak with sap which these birds lap up with their brush-like tongue. They alos eat wood boring insects and insects that are attracted to the flowing sap. They are particularly fond of feeding on maple, birch and apple sap but a huge variety of trees are tapped. The sap wells rarely do any lasting harm to the tree and are used by several other species of birds and mammals. They will occasionally come to feeders offering suet.
Habitat: Young forests, parks and open woodlands. They favor areas rich in preferred feeding tree species. They also require nesting habitat in these types of trees, particularly aspens. You may see these birds drumming on metal objects or parts of buildings. This is a territorial behavior where the birds find an object that conducts sound well and advertise to others the boundaries of their territory.
Nest: Cavity excavated in the wood of a tree, usually dead or dying wood. There is no lining other than the wood chips that gather during the excavation process.
Eggs: 4-6 white eggs.¹
Diet: This species is known for making small holes in neat lines across the trunks of trees. These holes cause the sapwood to leak with sap which these birds lap up with their brush-like tongue. They alos eat wood boring insects and insects that are attracted to the flowing sap. They are particularly fond of feeding on maple, birch and apple sap but a huge variety of trees are tapped. The sap wells rarely do any lasting harm to the tree and are used by several other species of birds and mammals. They will occasionally come to feeders offering suet.
Habitat: Young forests, parks and open woodlands. They favor areas rich in preferred feeding tree species. They also require nesting habitat in these types of trees, particularly aspens. You may see these birds drumming on metal objects or parts of buildings. This is a territorial behavior where the birds find an object that conducts sound well and advertise to others the boundaries of their territory.
Sources:
¹: Yellow-bellied sapsucker life history, all about birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/lifehistory
¹: Yellow-bellied sapsucker life history, all about birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/lifehistory