TROPIC and NEAR-TROPIC BIRD COLLECTION

Sapsucker Holes Yellow-bellied Sapsucker-Sphyrapicus varius Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- Sphyrapicus varius, Order PICIFORMES - Family PICIDAE. This female was spotted in the woods behind my house in Oxford, Ohio. She flew from tree to tree and we watched her make many characteristic sapsucker holes! "Although most non-birders believe that the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a fictitious bird created just for the humorous name, in fact it is a widespread species of small woodpecker. Its habit of making shallow holes in trees to get sap is exploited by other bird species, and the sapsucker can be considered a "keystone" species, one whose existence is vital for the maintenance of a community. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is the only woodpecker in eastern North America that is completely migratory." Photo: Jan 29, 2006, Canon EOS-1D Mark II camera, Canon 500mm IS f/4.0L For more species info: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker.html

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Photos Copyright R. Hays Cummins. Authorization required. For permission, contact hays@environment-education-press.org

Sources of species identification and other amazing info include (1) Cornell Lab of Ornithology--a fantastic site; (2)Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Peterson Field Guide Series, Fifth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company; (3) The National Audubon Society's Sibley Guide to Birds and (4) Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Third Edition, National Geographic, Washington, D.C.