BRN 9-3 - Flipbook - Page 74
179. Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker
On 10 March 2026, a female Yellowbellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
showed up at a yard in Hillsboro,
species number 179 on the yard list,
and was a regular visitor until later in
the month.
This individual often visited a bird
bath where a bird cam has been
installed. Images from the bird cam
are shown in the right column.
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a
member of the Sapsucker superspecies in the genus Sphyrapicus. The
Yellow-bellied, the Red-breasted (S.
ruber), and the Red-naped Sapsucker
(S. nuchalis) species are very closely
related. Where the ranges of these
species overlap they hybridize freely
and the hybrids are often fertile.
The typical species of this area is the
Red-naped Sapsucker (the photo at
the top center is from 1 November
2016 in Hillsboro). Compare it to the
center photo which is a Red-breasted
Sapsucker photographed (video
framegrab) north of Hyder, Alaska in
July 2003.
When a sighting of a Red-breasted or
a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is
reported in New Mexico ßags are
immediately raised and the
observation is subject to a certain
amount of scrutiny. Although the
Yellow-bellied SapsuckerÕs range is
sometimes shown as extending up
the Rio Grande to about Las Cruces,
several sources do not believe that
the speciesÕ permanent range
extends into New Mexico. There are
research grade observations of
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker from Las
Cruces (see Gordon BermanÕs report
from October 30, 2024, for instance).
WilliamsonÕs Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus
thyroideus), shown at the bottom of
the center column, is a closely related
species - but is not a member of the
superspecies. This individual was
photographed in Rabb Park on the
western slope of the Black Range on
17 November 2020.
Bay Nature's 7 January 2025 article
on the superspecies process and
species identiÞcation issues, by
Stephen Shunk, is an excellent
resource if you would like to
investigate further.
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