213 



THE RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER. 



(Sphyrapicus ruber.) 



The Red-breasted Sapsucker is a resi- 

 dent of the Pacific Coast, ranging from 

 northern Lower CaHfornia northward to 

 Southern Alaska. It extends its flight 

 and breeds as far east as the Sierra Ne- 

 vada and Cascade Mountains. It belongs 

 to the family of Woodpeckers (Picidae). 

 The generic name, Sphyrapicus, is taken 

 from two Greek words that refer to the 

 habits of these birds — sphura, a hammer 

 and pikos, a woodpecker. The specific 

 name, ruber, means red. 



Like its eastern relative, the Yellow- 

 bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), it 

 punctures trees possibly in order to feed 

 upon the exuding sap or the insects at- 

 tracted by its flow, yet this bird does not 

 develop this habit to so great an extent 

 as the eastern species, for it will com- 

 pletely girdle a tree with punctures, which 

 at times will cause its death. A direct 

 evidence of this is found in the fact that in 

 localities where the Red-breasted Sap- 

 sucker is abundant indications of their 

 work are not usually common. The adult 

 birds are beautifully marked with crim- 

 son on the head and breast, while in the 

 young the color is brownish and the yel- 

 low of the belly is wanting. 



These birds seem to prefer aspen trees 

 for their homes, selecting one which is a 

 foot or more in diameter near the 

 ground. They excavate a cavity in the 

 tnmk several feet from the ground, the 

 door of which, a small round hole, less 

 than two inches in diameter, seems far 

 too small for the parent birds to enter. 

 "The gourd-shaped excavation varies in 

 depth from six to ten inches, and it is 

 from three inches near the top to four or 

 five inches wide at the bottom. The finer 

 chips are allowed to remain in the bot- 

 tom, forming the nest proper, on which 

 the eggs are deposited. The interior of 

 the entire excavation is most carefully 

 smoothed off, which must consume con- 

 siderable time, considering the tough, 

 stringy and elastic nature of the wood 

 when filled with sap, making it even more 



difificult to work when partly decayed, 

 which seems to be the case with nearly all 

 aspens of any size." The larger chips are 

 dropped from the nest and their presence 

 on the ground at the base of the tree is 

 quite a sure indication of the proximity 

 of the nest of this or some related species. 

 The period of incubation probably lasts 

 twelve or more days, and its labors seem 

 to be shared by both sexes. During this 

 period, if the birds are disturbed by a 

 close approach to their nest, they fly away 

 for a short distance uttering sounds of a 

 soft, plaintive character, that are variable 

 and difificult of description. These Sap- 

 suckers are watchful and devoted parents 

 and cases have been reported where the 

 mother bird has been easily captured be- 

 cause of her refusal to leave her young. 



As a rule, but a single brood is raised 

 each season. There are five or six eggs 

 and occasionally seven in each set, which 

 vary in form though they are always of 

 the ovate type. At times they are quite 

 elongated. When fresh, the yolk may be 

 seen through the thin shell, giving a 

 pinkish shade to the tgg. When the con- 

 tents are removed the shell is white, 

 showing some lustre. 



The food of this species, in addition to 

 the sap and inner bark of the trees they 

 puncture, if it is true that they use this 

 as food, consists of ants, insect larvae, 

 moths and butterflies, many of which are 

 caught on the wing, and small fruits. 



Like all the Sapsuckers and the other 

 woodpeckers, the sense of hearing is well 

 developed and it is usually very difificult 

 to approach them without detection. 



A sister species of the Sapsucker of our 

 illustration is the beautiful Williamson's 

 Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus), an 

 inhabitant of the Pacific coast. This bird 

 dififers from all of the woodpeckers in that 

 the two sexes show a great difiference in 

 coloration. So marked is this difiference 

 that for a long time they were described 

 as distinct species. 



