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Bird name:

Williamson's Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus thyroideusOrder: PICIFORMES Family: Woodpeckers (Picidae)

Codes: Common Name: WISA Scientific Name: SPHTHY ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178208

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Williamson's Sapsucker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black back and white rump. Bright red throat, breast is black, belly is yellow, and flanks are barred black-and-white. Black head has two white facial stripes. Black wings have large white shoulder patches. Tail is black, legs and feet are gray.

Range and Habitat

Williamson's Sapsucker: Breeds from southern British Columbia south to southern California, central Arizona, and central New Mexico. Spends winters in the southern part of breeding range and in the southwest. Ponderosa pine forests, open coniferous forests, and subalpine forests in the southwest are preferred habitats.

Topo Map: Tree-clinging-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"churrr"

Interesting Facts

The Williamson's Sapsucker was first described in 1852 by John Cassin, an American ornithologist.

Originally, the female was considered to be a different species and named the Black-breasted Woodpecker by Cassin.

The species took its common name from Lieutenant Robert Stockton Williamson, who was the leader of a surveying expedition which collected the first male.

A group of sapsuckers are collectively known as a "slurp" of sapsuckers.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Williamson's Sapsucker

● Song: "churrr"

● Foraging & Feeding: Williamson's Sapsucker: Feeds on sap, bark cambium, ants, wood-boring larvae, and moths of spruce budworms; drills holes in trees, returning to feed on seeping sap.

● Breeding & nesting: Williamson's Sapsucker: Three to seven white eggs are laid in a cavity in a pine or fir tree; although nesting trees are reused, a new hole is chiseled each time. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Williamson's Sapsucker: Three-toed, Hairy and Downy woodpeckers lack bold, white wing patch, red chin, and yellow wash on belly.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several rapid shallow wing beats with short glides.

Williamson's Sapsucker Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Williamson's Sapsucker: Breeds from southern British Columbia south to southern California, central Arizona, and central New Mexico. Spends winters in the southern part of breeding range and in the southwest. Ponderosa pine forests, open coniferous forests, and subalpine forests in the southwest are preferred habitats.

^BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies

^PopulationFairly common to uncommon

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight1.7 Ounces

Tree-clinging-like Body

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

Shoulder

The short feathers overlying the median secondary coverts on the top of the wing. They are located near the back and can be seen as the “first row” of feathers on the birds wing. They are also called marginal coverts and lesser secondary coverts.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Williamson's Sapsucker

Related Birds

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map: Tree-clinging-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Artist

Williamson's Sapsucker

Flight Pattern