Spotlight on the Sensational Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

Written by 3rlt board member Madge Baker

Before the bugs and tree leaves emerge is a good time to visit one of our preserves and look for some birds.

A recent arrival is the Yellow bellied Sapsucker. Male and female sapsuckers look a lot alike — black and white stripes with accents of red and yellow. And they talk a great deal while forming pairs. Their drumming is unique because it is slower than that of other woodpeckers, and it is uneven. Their calls are loud, repetitive, and what might be described as whiny.

2 Reasons Why the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are a Welcome Species:

1. They create nest holes, which often are reused by other cavity nesting birds that cannot make holes, such as Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds.

2. They provide an important source of food in northern New England for hummingbirds that arrive before the birds can find many flowers. The released tree sap also attracts insects the hummingbirds need to supplement their sugar diet.

photo of woman with binoculars via Pexels.com