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.

Male | Robert Shantz

Female | Jim Burns



Fir forest

Mesquite bosque

Oak-pine woodland

Riparian / River forest
Download Sound
Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
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Download Sound
Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
Sonogram Large:
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You may need to edit author's name to meet the style formats, which are in most cases "Last name, First name."

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: September 28, 2023
  • 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 September 28, 2023 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

For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/04/

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Red-naped Sapsucker". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 28 Sep 2023. 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/
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