Bird Guide

Red-breasted Sapsucker vs Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber)

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus ruber

Small55 gWoodland

Adults have a red head and upper chest, with a white lower belly and rump. They are black on the back and wings with bars and have a large white wing patch. The northern birds, subspecies S. r. ruber, have yellow bars on the back and yellow upper belly. The southern birds, subspecies S. r. daggetti, have white bars on the back and a pale belly. The wing barring is white in both variants. These birds make various noises; their vocalizations include a variety of chatter, squeals, and scream-like calls, and they also drum with their bills on various surfaces.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Kevin Cole from Pacific Coast, USA (en:User:Kevinlcole) · CC BY 2.0
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Small50 gWoodland

The yellow-bellied sapsucker has a length of around 19 to 21 centimetres (7+1⁄2 to 8+1⁄4 in), and an average weight of 50.3 grams (1.77 oz), although this can range anywhere from 35 to 62 grams (1.2 to 2.2 oz). The yellow-bellied sapsucker has a wingspan that ranges from 34 to 40 centimetres (13+1⁄2 to 15+3⁄4 in). The forehead is coloured bright red in the male (and very occasionally yellow), and a lighter shade of red in the female.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: steve · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: (c) scaup, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in BeakBrain

Photo and call practice, free in any browser.

Play BeakBrain

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Red-breasted Sapsucker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.