Red-Breasted Sapsucker

The Red-Breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) is a medium-sized woodpecker of the forests of the west coast of North America. The Pacific Coast Ranges in western Washington, Oregon, and northern California is where red-breasted sapsuckers breed. Southeast Alaska and British Columbia are also breeding locations.

Adults have a white lower abdomen and rump with a red head and upper chest. They have a huge white wing patch and are black on the back and wings with bars. In tree cavities, red-breasted suckers build their nests. Birds on the coast are frequently year-round inhabitants, whereas those in the north migrate to the southern portions of their range. These birds, like other sapsuckers, bore holes in trees and consume both the sap and the insects it attracts. In addition to eating seeds and berries, they occasionally grab insects as they fly. Where their ranges overlap, these birds breed with red-naped sapsuckers or yellow-bellied sapsuckers.