Cavity nesters at work: the yellow-bellied sapsucker

A friend who lives down the road from me called me up and said he had found a pair of yellow-bellied sapsuckers on his property burrowing into a tree. Alerted by the mewing sound of their calls, and the distinctive drumming, he was able to spot the nest cavity which was being constructed.

On a late April morning, I went to the location, found a good spot and waited. Sure enough, the male came to the cavity and started to stick his head down toward the floor and proceeded to excavate. He would do this a few minutes at a time before flying off for a rest. Maybe 10 minutes later, he would return and resume work. Twice during my visit, the female would appear; she would just cling to the trunk near the cavity and after a half a minute, the male would vocalize as if to say “no, it’s not ready yet.” A moment later, the female would fly off and not appear again for a long time. The male would then resume his excavation.

The yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) is a medium-sized woodpecker, with a wingspan of about 15 inches and a cavity nester. It feeds on insects and, yes, it does feeds on sap from trees. It bores small holes in the tree, drilling into the cambium layer or inner bark in order to feed on the sap that flows out of the hole. Sapsuckers also feed on insects that are drawn to the sap. A tree that is frequently used for feeding activity may have many vertical arrays of holes present.

When construction is complete, the yellow-bellied sapsucker will lay three to seven eggs in the cavity, and the young will fledge a month and a half later. Our region is at the southern limit of its breeding range, so this nest cavity was a good find indeed.