Bird guide · Sphyrapicus varius
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
What the yellow-bellied sapsucker eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Migrant
- Size
- 7.9 in (20 cm)
- Eats
- suet, fruit
- Feeds
- suet cage
- Most common
- Vermont, New Hampshire, South Carolina
Food
What do yellow-bellied sapsuckers eat?
At feeders, yellow-bellied sapsuckers take suet, fruit.
Drills rows of small holes in bark and returns to feed on the sap.
Feeder that suits it
A suet cage on a tree trunk or pole; peanuts and sunflower hearts work too.
Range
Where do yellow-bellied sapsuckers live?
Breeds in the north and east; winters in the southeastern US south to Central America and the West Indies. By share of all bird sightings, yellow-bellied sapsuckers are most common in Vermont (0.7%).
States where yellow-bellied sapsuckers are most common
- Vermont0.7%
- New Hampshire0.6%
- South Carolina0.5%
- North Carolina0.5%
- Maine0.4%
- New York0.4%
- Georgia0.4%
- Virginia0.4%
- Connecticut0.4%
- Alabama0.4%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are yellow-bellied sapsuckers, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the yellow-bellied sapsucker migrate?
Migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in December.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are yellow-bellied sapsuckers, by month.
Identification
How to identify the yellow-bellied sapsucker
Adults: Black-and-white face, red forehead cap, red throat, white wing stripe and a pale yellow wash on the belly.
Young birds: Brownish and dusky overall.
Size: 7.9 in (20 cm)
On camera
Getting the yellow-bellied sapsucker on a feeder camera
Pick a camera feeder that takes a suet cage, or mount a separate camera next to a suet feeder on the trunk – woodpeckers cling to the bark while they feed.
Questions
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: questions
What do yellow-bellied sapsuckers eat?
At feeders, suet, fruit.
Do yellow-bellied sapsuckers migrate?
Migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in December.
Where do yellow-bellied sapsuckers live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Vermont, New Hampshire, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maine. They are rare or absent in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho.
What does a female yellow-bellied sapsucker look like?
Similar, but with a white throat.