The range of Sphyrapicus varius is North and Middle America. It is common to see this bird wintering in the southern United States, Central America, and the West Indies. Some birds stay within the transition zones, but most of them winter in the southern United States, Central America, and the West Indies.

(Bent 1992, Winkler et al. 1995)

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); neotropical (Native )

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Breeding

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: BREEDS: extreme eastern Alaska, southwestern Yukon, southwestern Mackenzie, northwestern and central Saskatchewan, central Manitoba, north-central Ontario, southern Quebec (including Anticosti Island), southern Labrador, and central Newfoundland south to northeastern British Columbia, central Alberta, central and southeastern Saskatchewan, eastern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, Iowa, northeastern Missouri, central Illinois, northwestern Indiana, northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northwestern Connecticut, western Massachusetts, and New Hampshire; locally in Appalachian Mountains south to eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina (AOU 1983). WINTERS: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio Valley, and New Jersey (rarely farther north) south through Texas, southeastern U.S., Middle America (except northwestern Mexico north of Sinaloa and west of Coahuila), Bahamas, and Antilles (south to Dominica, but rare east of Hispaniola and Netherlands Antilles). Casual or accidental in south-coastal Alaska, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Bermuda, and Greenland.

The male has a red forecrown on a black and white head and a red throat. Sexual dimorphism between the adults is easily observed as the female has a white chin compared to the red in the male. The back is blackish, with a white rump, and a large white wing patch. The underparts are yellowish and are paler in females. Juvenile woodpeckers retain a brown plumage until late in the winter when it begins to take on the colors of its sex.

(Short 1982)

Range mass: 43 to 55 g.

Length: 22 cm

Weight: 50 grams

• Terrestrial

They live in northern deciduous and mixed coniferous forests in summer. During winter they live in forests and various semi-open habitats.

(Winkler et al. 1995)

Terrestrial Biomes: forest

Comments: Deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forest; in migration and winter also in a variety of forest and open woodland habitats, parks, orchards (AOU 1983). Nest hole is bored by both sexes; usually located 3-14 m above ground. Generally excavates a new hole each year. See Mitchell (1988) for specifications for the construction and placement of nest boxes.

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Withdraws southward from most of breeding range in winter. Females tend to winter farther south than do males.

The main food source is insects. The most common are beetles, ants, moths and dragonflies. When insects are not abundant, sap is an important food source. Sphyapicus varius gets its sap from poplar, willow, birch, maple, hickory, pine, spruce and fir trees. Other sources of food taken from October to February include berries and fruits.

(Bent 1992, Winkler et al. 1995)

Comments: Drills holes in coniferous and deciduous trees and laps up sap and insects with tongue. Eats ants, wasps, mayflies, moths, spruce budworms, and beetles, etc. (Terres 1980). Also feeds on fruit, aspen buds, and suet.

Primarily a solitary species, but loose groups may be seen during migration (Oberholser 1974).

Presence of sapsuckers influences the structure of local bird communities (e.g., through cavity excavation), and sapwells made by these birds enhance local insect abundance and diversity (Rissler et al. 1995, Wilson Bull. 107:746-752).

The breeding call for these birds sound like a kwee-urk. This same call is also a territorial call.

"Quirks" are used to strengthen the pairbond between two birds of the opposite sex. This is a scratching on the tree and usually happens along with head bobbing.

Week, week; wurp, wurp noises are exchanged between pairs and/or with their juveniles when they meet.

When in the presence of a predator the birds give a repeated shrill. When they are just mildly excited, they have been known to give a mewing c-waan noise.

Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic

Average lifespan

Status: wild: 81 months.

In late April and May nests are excavated in live birch and poplar trees 2-20 meters above ground. Both sexes participate in the excavation. At the site of excavation, courtship flights are executed between the pair; a "winnowing" sound is made during these flights. Other than ritual flights there is ritual tapping to strengthen pair bonds, this occurs when the male taps on the tree and the female responds with a similar tap. Copulation results in four to seven egg being laid. Incubation duties are shared by both adults and lasts for 12-13 days.. The male, however, spends more time on the eggs, especially at night.

 Young fledge within 25-29 days of hatching. The adults must feed their chicks nine times per hour to help them develop properly. To help in sanitation, the adults mix sawdust with the droppings and carry them out of the nest.

(Short 1982, Kilham 1983)

Average time to hatching: 13 days.

Average eggs per season: 5.

Clutch size usually is 5-6, sometimes 4-7. Incubation, by both sexes, lasts 12-13 days. Nestlings are altricial. Young birds leave the nest-hole 25-29 days after hatching (Terres 1980).

Yellow-bellied sapsuckers are widespread and abundant, with no need for special conservation measures to protect their populations. They are protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Act.

US Migratory Bird Act: protected

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Global Short Term Trend: Relatively stable (=10% change)

Comments: Breeding Bird Survey data indicate a significant population decrease averaging 3.4% per year in North America between 1966 and 1989 (Droege and Sauer 1990) and a nonsignificant decline averaging 1.0% per year, 1966-1993 (Peterjohn et al. 1994).

They mainly eat insects that could otherwise damage agriculture.

Comments: S. NUCHALIS formerly was included in this species (Johnson and Zink 1983, Johnson and Johnson 1985). Constitutes a superspecies with S. NUCHALIS and Ruber (AOU 1998). See Cicero and Johnson (1995) for information on phylogenetic relationships among sapsuckers, based on mtDNA data.