Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius



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Field Marks
  • Medium-sized woodpecker
  • Black head traversed by white stripe behind eye extending down neck
  • Red forehead
  • Black back with faint white bars
  • Black wings, with white barring on flight feathers and bold white patch on wing coverts
  • Yellow breast fades to whitish lower belly and vent, and is streaked sparsely about the flanks
  • White rump

Habitat

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

Status

A common winter resident in the metro Atlanta area.