Red-naped Sapsucker

Male Red-naped Sapsucker on an alder.

NPS Photo / Rachel Ames

Size: 7.5-8.5”
Description: Black and white overall with a red cap, nape and throat. Both sexes have a long white bar on the folded wing that is best seen in flight. Females have a small white patch under the beak. Juveniles have a brown cap and an overall brown wash on the belly and head.
Migratory Status: Summer residents of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Habitat: Prefer aspen forests, willow and alder thickets, and mixed coniferous forests to 10,000 feet and occasionally 12,000 feet.
Diet: Drill sap wells in tree bark and eat sap as well as insects that collect in the sap.

 

• Red-naped Sapsucker (drum)

  
  

  Red-naped Sapsucker drum recorded in Horseshoe Park in Rocky Mountain National Park. Note that a Northern Flicker, Chipping Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow and American Crow can also be heard in the recording.

  Credit / Author:

  J. Job

  Date created:

  05/19/2016

  Audio Transcript

  Transcript due 4/1/2025

 

• Red-naped Sapsucker (

  
  

  The sounds of a Red-naped Sapsucker drilling sap wells recorded on the Cub Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. Note that various other birds, including a Black-billed Magpie, can also be heard in the recording.

  Credit / Author:

  J. Job

  Date created:

  05/29/2017

  Audio Transcript

  Transcript due 4/1/2025