Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

✨ Shiny — winter rarity
Winter only — roughly November through March✨ Shiny — winter rarity

The take

Look for the neat rows of sap holes ringing the trunk — the driller winters in Charlotte.

How to ID it

  • Black-and-white woodpecker with a long vertical white wing stripe
  • Red forehead on both sexes; males also have a red throat
  • Drills neat rows of shallow sapwells in bark and drums in a stuttering rhythm

Field marks at a glance

Size
medium
Head
boldly striped black-and-white with red forehead
Call
irregular stuttering drum; nasal mew

Where & when

Winter only — roughly November through March

Learn more

Sources