WESTERN BIRDS Sapsucket 



oftentimes kill pines by making so many holes that the 

 trees bleed to death. Spruces, if not killed, are weakened 

 and made unsightly, while many beautiful and valuable 

 ornamental conifers are destroyed or seriously defaced. 



GENUS SPHYRAPICUS: RED-NAPED 

 SAPSUCKER. 



Red-Naped Sapsucker: Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis. 

 FAMILY— WOODPECKERS. 



The western bird which most closely resembles the 

 eastern species (yellow-bellied) is the Red-naped Sap- 

 sucker, found along the Pacific Coast as far south as 

 northeastern California, in central New Mexico, and 

 western Texas; winters south to central Mexico and 

 casually in Kansas. 



The male of this species differs from the Yellow- 

 bellied in having a red patch below the black on back 

 of head, in having the red throat-patch separated from 

 the white line on side of head, by a black line, and in 

 having the under parts white, or yellow-tinged. In the 

 female the red nuchal patch is smaller, or wanting, and 

 the red throat-patch is also smaller. The young have 

 the throat-patch clouded with dusky and the other 

 bright markings wanting or very pale. 



In habits the eastern and western birds are similar, 

 Red-naped delighting in the sap of fir and pine trees 

 found in the mountains, although he also frequents 

 orchards and other lower altitudes, being especially fond 

 of being near a stream. 



Dawson, who has studied the habits of this bird in 

 Washington, says that it excavates a gourd-shaped nest 

 in decaying wood of a live aspen from 5 to 30 feet from 

 the ground, making the entrance about one and one-half 



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