Williamson's Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus thyroideusis)
Member of the Picidae Family: Woodpeckers ... Sapsuckers ... Flickers
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The Williamson's Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus thyroideusis) are species took its common name from Lieutenant Robert Stockton Williamson, who was the leader of a surveying expedition which collected the first male. They were trying to identify the best route west for a railway to the Pacific Ocean.
The adult males are irridescent blank on their head, back, sides and tail. They have a white stripe behind the eye and a lower white stripe across each side of the head, a red chin and a bright yellow belly. They have black wings with large white patches. The female is completely different in appearance: mainly black, with a pale yellow breast, a brownish head with black streaking and fine barring on the back, breast and sides. Originally, the female was considered to be a different species and named the Black-breasted Woodpecker by Cassin.
Distribution / Habitat:
Their breeding habitat is open forested areas, including conifers, in the western part of North America, from British Columbia to northern Mexico. They are permanent residents in some parts of their range; migrating birds form small flocks and may travel as far south as central Mexico.
They excavate a new nesting cavity each year, sometimes reusing the same tree. This species may be declining 
in some parts of its range due to habitat loss.
Diet:
These birds feed on sap, mainly from conifers, but insects are their main food source during the nesting season and they also eat berries outside of the breeding period.
These birds drum to establish territories.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from : Wikipedia.org
Related Websites: USGS... Mangoverde
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