Sphyrapicus ruber
The Red-breasted Sapsucker (*Sphyrapicus ruber*) is a striking medium-sized woodpecker of western North America, instantly recognizable by its vivid crimson head and breast, contrasting with a black back often barred with white, and a prominent white stripe along the folded wing. Measuring about 20-22 cm (8-9 inches) in length with a wingspan of 34-39 cm (13-15 inches) and weighing 43-66 grams (1.5-2.3 oz), its robust bill and short tail are typical of sapsuckers. A key identification mark se...
Primarily inhabits mature coniferous, mixed coniferous-deciduous, and riparian deciduous forests, often near water sources, from sea level up to mid-elevations.
Feeds predominantly on tree sap, particularly phloem, obtained by drilling sap wells. Supplements its diet with insects (especially ants and beetles), berries, and fruits.
Red-breasted Sapsuckers are diurnal, typically roosting singly in tree cavities overnight. Their foraging strategy is distinctive: they drill orderly rows of shallow, rectangular or circular 'sap wells' through the bark to access the nutrient-rich phloem sap, which they then lap up with their bru...
The Red-breasted Sapsucker's breeding range extends along the Pacific Coast of North America, from the Alaska Panhandle southeast through coastal British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and into the mountains of northern California. Inland, populations breed in scattered areas of central British Co...
Least Concern
- The Red-breasted Sapsucker is part of a "superspecies complex" with the Yellow-bellied and Red-naped Sapsuckers, where they look very similar and their ranges are largely allopatric, but they hybridize where their ranges meet. - It frequently hybridizes with the Red-naped Sapsucker in inland Br...