TROPIC and NEAR-TROPIC BIRD COLLECTION

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Rear View Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- Sphyrapicus varius Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- Sphyrapicus varius, Order PICIFORMES - Family PICIDAE. This bird was spotted in the woods behind my friend Mark McPhail's house in Oxford, Ohio. "Although most non-birders believe that the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a fictitious bird created just for the humorous name, in fact it is a widespread species of small woodpecker. Its habit of making shallow holes in trees to get sap is exploited by other bird species, and the sapsucker can be considered a "keystone" species, one whose existence is vital for the maintenance of a community. The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is the only woodpecker in eastern North America that is completely migratory." (Photo: April 7, 2004, Canon 10D, EF 400mm f/5.6L USM) For more species info: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker.html

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Photos Copyright R. Hays Cummins. Authorization required. For permission, contact bigbendwildlands@gmail.com

Sources of species identification and other amazing info include (1) Cornell Lab of Ornithology--a fantastic site; (2)Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Peterson Field Guide Series, Fifth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company; (3) The National Audubon Society's Sibley Guide to Birds and (4) Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Third Edition, National Geographic, Washington, D.C.