THE YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, 



( Sphyrapicus varms. ) 



The Woodpecker family is of great 

 interest not only for the variety of 

 brilliant and striking colors which mark 

 many of the species but also for its 

 unusual structual peculiarities, the 

 heavy, chisel-like ^bill, the sharply- 

 clawed feet with tw'o toes pointing be- 

 hind and two ahead, the stout tail- 

 feathers used to help support the body 

 against the tree trunk, and lastly its 

 peculiar sharp bristle-barbed tongue. 

 This combination of odd characters has 

 produced a very curious and interesting 

 group of birds. 



Of the twenty-five species of wood- 

 peckers which inhabit the United States, 

 one of the most interesting is the Yel- 

 low-bellied Woodpecker or Sapsucker. 

 It is a conspicuous bird, easily known 

 by its bright red head and throat, and 

 black and white streaks on the sides of 

 the head and the greenish-yellow color 

 of the breast and under parts. It is 

 not as active as most of the other 

 woodpeckers, being apparently of a 

 sluggish nature. Indeed, so slow is 

 this bird to fly when approached that 

 one may almost put their hand upon it 

 before it will take flight. Like its rel- 

 atives, it has the habit of always be- 

 ing on the opposite side of the tree 

 trunk. 



The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is the 

 most migratory of the woodpeckers, 

 wintering from Illinois and Pennsyl- 

 vania southward and breeding from this 

 section northward. Its range includes 

 the whole of Eastern and Northern 

 North America from Costa Rica and 

 the West Indies to Texas, Nova Scotia, 

 Kansas, North Dakota, Manitoba, On- 

 tario, Great Slave Lake, and British 

 Columbia: it is accidental in Green- 

 land. In the latitude of northern Illi- 

 nois the birds arrive about the first of 

 April on their northern migration, and 

 in the New England States about two 

 weeks later. 



Like that of other woodpeckers, the 

 nest is made in the hole of a tree from 

 eight to fifty feet from the ground. 

 The hole is excavated by the bird to 

 a depth of some twenty inches. Un- 

 like the perching birds this Woodpecker 

 does not line its nest with soft mate- 

 rials but lays its eggs on a bed of chips 

 left from cutting its hole. The eggs 

 are five to seven in number, glossy 

 white, and measure about seven-tenths 

 by nine-tenths of an inch. The eggs 

 are laid one each day until the set is 

 completed. Both parents assist in the 

 important function of incubation. The 

 young are fed wholly upon insects, the 

 sap-eating habit being acquired after 

 they have learned to fly. During the 

 time the young are in the nest the 

 old birds become as adept at catching 

 insects on the wing as flycatchers, and 

 it is a very curious, and sometimes a 

 ludicrous sight, to observe these un- 

 gainly birds perform their aerial gym- 

 nastics in their efforts to catch these 

 insects. 



Of all the woodpeckers, the Yellow- 

 bellied Sapsucker is practically the 

 only one which is harmful to the agri- 

 culturist, and this is true only in cer- 

 tain localities. The bird is insectivor- 

 ous like its fellows, but adds to it.- 

 insect diet the sap of trees as well 

 as the inner bark or cambium. Its 

 method is to drill a hole in the tree 

 and allow the sap to flow. This is 

 repeated over and over again until a 

 tree is fairly girdled with these punc- 

 tures. Not only are fruit trees thus 

 girdled but also shade trees, such as 

 birch, maple, oak and ash. This bird 

 has been observed at work of late in 

 Lincoln Park, Chicago, some of the 

 maple trees having the sap running 

 from the punctures like water. 



In bulletin number seven of the Di- 

 vision of Ornithology and Mammalogy 

 of the United States Department of 



