Meet the Red-naped Sapsucker

It is spring, and with the turning of the seasons comes longer days, fragrant blossoms, and, of course, migratory birds. Mixed in with the Southwest’s hummingbirds, warblers, and flycatchers is a handsome woodpecker named for its dashing plumage: the Red-naped Sapsucker.

Red-naped Sapsuckers (males and females alike) usually have a distinctive red patch on the back of their heads. This important feature distinguishes them from Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, of which the Red-naped Sapsucker was long considered a subspecies. The sapsuckers (red-naped and otherwise) are an anomaly among woodpeckers. The females of three of North America’s four species have red markings on their heads, a field mark usually reserved for male woodpeckers. In the case of the red-naped sapsucker, the female has a distinctive white chin between her beak and red throat, which makes distinguishing between the sexes relatively easy.…