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Sphyrapicus nuchalis

(Red-Naped Sapsucker)

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Nuchal Woodpecker, Red-Naped Sapsucker

Common Names in French:

Pic à Nuque Rouge

Common Names in German:

Rotnacken-Saftlecker

Common Names in Japanese:

アカエリシルスイキツツキ

Common Names in Spanish:

Chupasavia Nuca Roja

Common Names in unspecified:

Red-Naped Sapsucker

Description

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Physical Description

Size/Age/Growth

Length: 7.75 inches

Habitat

Vegetation: tropical lowland evergreen forest, pine forests, tropical lowland evergreen forest, pine-oak forests, gallery forests • Maximum Elevation: 3,300 meters • Sensitivity to Disturbancet: Low

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,632 meters (0 to 11,916 feet).Mean = 1,483.360 meters (4,866.667 feet), Standard Deviation = 665.920 based on 3,201 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Ecology:
List of Habitats :1.1Forest - Boreal 1.4Forest - Temperate 1.9Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane

Biology

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Diet

Mostly:

Plant Matter

Lesser Quantities of: Insects Fruit

Reproduction

Migration

Short distance migrant

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Sphyrapicus nuchalis Baird, 1858
  2. Sphyrapicus varius subsp. appalachiensis Ganier, 1954
  3. Sphyrapicus varius subsp. varius (Linnaeus, 1766)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 27-Dec-2005.

Similar Species

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White patch on wing coverts sets sapsuckers apart from all other woodpeckers. Red-naped can hybridize with Red-breasted, so attention should be paid in zone of overlap for birds showing unusually large amounts of red about the head or breast. Males are distinguished from male Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers only by the red nape spot and incomplete frame to red throat of Red-naped Sapsucker. Females are somewhat easier to distinguish, as they differ in these characters, as well as having quite different throat patterns (white in Yellow-bellied, red and white in Red- naped). It is worth noting that any sapsucker in juvenal plumage after late fall must be a Yellow-bellied. Beware of rare hybrid Yellow-bellied x Red-naped Sapsuckers, and the occasional Yellow- bellied Sapsucker which may show a red nape spot.

Members of the genus Sphyrapicus

There are approximately 19 species in this genus:

S. nuchalis (Red-Naped Sapsucker) · S. nuchalis nuchalis · S. ruber (Red-Breasted Sapsucker) · S. ruber daggetti · S. ruber ruber · S. ruber x · S. ruberx · S. ruberx nuchalis · S. ruberx or · S. thyriodeus · S. thyroideus (Williamson's Sapsucker) · S. thyroideus nataliae (Rocky Mountain Williamson's Sapsucker) · S. thyroideus thyroideus (Western Williamson's Sapsucker) · S. varius (Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker) · S. varius appalachiensis (Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker) · S. varius daggetti (Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker) · S. varius nuchalis (Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker) · S. varius ruber (Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker) · S. varius varius (Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker)

Bibliography

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More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 05, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

Last Revised: 2008-08-09