Red-Breasted Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus ruber
Appearance
Range & Habitat
Reciprocal relationships
They nest in mid-spring by creating a cavity in a dead section of a live aspen or poplar tree. Females lay five or six eggs, which hatch in 12 to 13 days. Young leave the nest 25 to 29 days later. Sapsuckers are unusual woodpeckers in that they migrate south for the winter. While these sapsuckers are not currently threatened, overharvesting in forests has decreased nesting areas and the amount of food available to these birds.