If someone took a stroll through the forest, they might spot rows of shallow holes in tree bark.What could possibly have caused this? This is the work of the Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, an uncommon yet interesting species of woodpecker. The Yellow Bellied Sapsucker has one of the strongest beaks of all the woodpeckers (Wesley R. Jones.) With its specialized, brush-tipped tongue it laps up any insects or leaking sap (Cornell lab of Ornithology.) The Yellow Bellied Sapsucker truly shows God’s handiwork through its physical features, habits, and characteristics.
The Yellow Bellied Sapsucker’s scientific name is Picidae. They are a part of the Woodpecker family. “Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are black and white with boldly patterned faces. “Both…show more content… They also eat ants, spiders, and other insects. During the spring and summer, they usually migrate to the forests and the “edge” habitat. During the cold seasons, such as winter and fall, they typically go down to the warm climates (Cornell Ornithology lab). They prefer to usually be in forests, but they sometimes fly around cities or parks but are usually found in trees.
If you hear a Sapsucker hammering away at a tree, It may be a call for communication to the opposite sex. “Courtship often begins with drumming, display flights, and calls”(Wesley R. Jones.) Woodpeckers mate for life and if they see competition for a male to steal their mate, they will take no precautionary measures and pounce! They tend to mate for life. The construction of the nest is usually done by the male and female. It is tended to be weaved into a somewhat circle shape using birch twigs (Cornell Ornithology Lab.) Eggs typically come in groups of 6-8, and incubation time is somewhere between 18-35
