Tree Clinging

Red-naped Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus nuchalis
Red-naped Sapsucker thumbnail
Length: 9 in. (22 cm )
Both in winter broad-leafed forests and in summer coniferous forests, this woodpecker makes rows of small holes in a tree trunk and then returns often to eat the oozing sap as well as insects attracted to the sap. The cavity nest is placed in a soft-wood tree such as a cottonwood or aspen near water. Fruits are used in late summer and fall as a supplemental food.

The four-digit banding code is RNSA.

Female | Jim Burns


Fir forest

Mesquite bosque

Oak-pine woodland

Riparian / River forest
Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
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Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
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Bibliographic details:

  • Article: Red-naped Sapsucker
  • Author(s): Dr. Biology
  • Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
  • Date published: July 13, 2017
  • Date accessed: March 7, 2024
  • Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/red-naped-sapsucker

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (2017, July 13). Red-naped Sapsucker. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved March 7, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/red-naped-sapsucker

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Red-naped Sapsucker". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 July, 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/red-naped-sapsucker

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Red-naped Sapsucker". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 7 Mar 2024. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/red-naped-sapsucker

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
A variety of fruits
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