EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in North Carolina

August 26, 2022

PattiW_DSC02848 (005)

PattiW_IMG_9459 (005)

Photographer: Patti Weeks

Summary Author: Patti Weeks

The Yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) is “one of the
most migratory of woodpeckers,” as stated on the audubon.org
website. Thus, this male sapsucker, whose photo I took February 3,
2022, on a sugar maple tree in an eastern North Carolina arboretum,
departed this spring for a breeding ground somewhere in the
northeastern United States, eastern Alaska or Canada. The range of this
sapsucker’s breeding territory has edged even further northward
however, due to global warming. The Yellow-bellied sapsucker’s
winter territory includes the southern and southeastern United States,
Mexico, Central America and the West Indies. Territories of the other
sapsuckers (Red-napped, Red-breasted and Williamson’s) are further west
in the U.S. and Canada.

The sapsucker perches vertically on the tree trunk, propping itself
with its tail, and drills holes in neat rows (as seen in the second
photo on a pecan tree.) It returns to the “ sapwells” to consume
the sap as it oozes (inset is a close-up photo of oozing sapwells on a
sugar maple). The moniker ‘sapsucker’ is misleading, as the bird
actually sips the sap with hairlike structures on its tongue. Up to
1,000 trees and woody plants have been identified as food sources for
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers, but they prefer maple and birch trees.
They also feed on insects, fruit, berries and nuts. Sapsuckers are
considered a “ keystone” species, providing a crucial role in the
health of their surrounding ecological community. Many other
organisms are drawn to the sap, including bees, wasps, butterflies,
squirrels, bats and other types of birds, particularly hummingbirds. In
some areas, as many as 35 bird species have been reported to feed on
the sap and the insects it attracts.

Patti_inset

The elevation of the Yellow-bellied sapsucker’s range can vary from
10,000 ft. (3200 meters) to sea level. The Pitt County Arboretum here
in Greenville, North Carolina is 56 ft (17 m) above sea level. Perhaps
I will see this fella again, when it returns here to its wintering
territory.


Pitt County Arboretum, Greenville, North Carolina Coordinates: 35.6396,
-77.3606

Frozen Sap of a Yellow Birch Tree

Harvesting Maple Syrup


Categories: _AnimalLinks | Animals | Trees & Shrubs |
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