Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) 24 October 2020. Stage Road, Pescadero, San Mateo County, California.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus various)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus various)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus various)


Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus various)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus various)
This is a different bird from the one reported here on 13 October which had much more extensive red on the head and face. However, this bird appears to be the same as the Red-naped Sapsucker reported on eBird 18 & 20 October 2020 from this location. However that bird's photos (see eBird links below) show a mixture of red and white on the throat, more than is visible on my photos (see 2nd photo from the top) perhaps suggesting that they may not be the same bird.

I believe this bird is either a Red-naped or a Yellow-bellied or possibly a hybrid between the two. I agree the back pattern seems to favor Red-naped but the lack of any red on the nape and what I can see of the throat pattern may favor Yellow-bellied. The age of this bird is also equivocal. It has been argued that it is a molting juvenile Red-naped retaining some juvenal plumage. The weak red crown pattern and lack of facial definition supports this idea.

I made two voice recordings which I uploaded to BirdNet. For what it's worth, their algorithm identified both these clips as Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with 100% confidence while Red-naped Sapsucker ranked very low or unlikely. My voice recordings have been uploaded to eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S75357216?view=audio

Note: This bird continues through at least 18 January 2021 and the consensus is that this is an immature male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Canon SX70 HS.

[ Back to Photo Gallery ] [ Home ]