Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesYellow-bellied Sapsucker
Male
Woodpecker with a stout bill and vertical white wing patches. Males have a red crown and throat.
© Monique Maynard / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, April 23, 2019Female
Sapsuckers have vertical white wing patches along the side of the folded wing. Underparts vary from whitish to pale yellow. Females have a red crown and a white throat.
© Simon Boivin / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, May 09, 2020Male
Males typically drill holes in dead hardwood trees for nesting spaces.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 12, 2015Not all videos have sound
Juvenile
Juveniles have a brownish wash over their bodies and a finely spotted crown. Like adults they have vertical white wing patches.
© Rob Fowler / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, December 21, 2020Male
Hitches up and down trees in typical woodpecker fashion. Note the vertical white wing patches and red forehead and throat.
© David Turgeon / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, May 22, 2017Male
Drills neat rows of shallow holes to access tree sap.
© Frank King / Macaulay LibraryNewfoundland and Labrador, April 29, 2017Male
Found in mixed evergreen and deciduous forests with aspen and birch trees.
© Lois Stacey / Macaulay LibraryGeorgia, February 12, 2017Similar SpeciesDowny Woodpecker
Male (Eastern)
Downy Woodpeckers are smaller than Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. They have a white stripe down the middle of the back, whereas Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have a white wing patch. Downy lacks the Yellow-bellied's red crown and throat.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryRhode Island, February 02, 2017Similar SpeciesHairy Woodpecker
Male (Eastern)
Hairy Woodpeckers lack the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker's white wing patch and red crown and throat.
© Jean-Sébastien Guénette / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, February 26, 2016Similar SpeciesRed-naped Sapsucker
Male
In a narrow zone along the western edge of its range, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker meets the very similar Red-naped Sapsucker. Look for the Red-naped Sapsucker’s small red patch on the nape.
© Mark Chavez / Macaulay LibraryColorado, June 30, 2017Similar SpeciesWilliamson's Sapsucker
Male
Williamson’s Sapsuckers rarely overlap with Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Males have unbarred black backs, whereas Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have barred backs.
© Chris Wood / Macaulay LibraryColorado, July 02, 2011Similar SpeciesWilliamson's Sapsucker
Female
Williamson’s Sapsuckers rarely overlap with Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Females lack the facial stripes seen on female and juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryColorado, May 24, 2016Similar SpeciesRed-breasted Sapsucker
Adult
Rarely seen alongside Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Red-breasted Sapsuckers of the Pacific Coast have a mostly red head and upper breast.
© Grace Oliver / Macaulay LibraryWashington, April 27, 2017Similar SpeciesRed-breasted Sapsucker
Juvenile
Juvenile Red-breasted Sapsuckers have darker brown heads than juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
© Jody Wells / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, July 07, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Woodpeckers(Order: Piciformes, Family: Picidae)
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