Red-breasted Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus ruber
The Red-breasted Sapsucker is the Pacific Coast representative of a trio of closely related woodpeckers formerly considered a single species, the other two being the Red-naped (Mountain and southwest) and Yellow-bellied (Eastern North America) Sapsuckers. Hybrids between birds of these three species are common, and both Red-naped and Yellow-bellied are present and only moderately rare in our area. My pictures of these beautiful birds come from my summer visits to the Yuba Pass area in the Sierras, where they are regular nesters, and from my home base in the SF Bay Area, where they are regular winterers.
One of a pair bringing food to the nest, possibly for the mate if incubation
is still going on, or perhaps feed nestlings and changover at the nest. Both
sexes incubate in this species.
Another adult at a nest in the Yuba Pass area.
And another carrying bringing food to a nest; I believe this is one of the
pair shown two images up.
A wintering Red-breasted Sapsucker in the Bay Area.
Above and below, pictures of another cooperative wintering bird in the Bay
Area.
