A Technical Report from The Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus) are species of woodpeckers that feed primarily on the sap of trees and shrubs. The yellow-bellied sapsucker is found in the eastern United States and Canada while the red-breasted, red-naped, and Williamson’s sapsuckers are found in the western United States (Figure 1). Many sapsuckers are migratory, spending summer in the north and winter in the south. Sapsuckers feed on over 1,000 species of trees and shrubs. In the eastern United States, thin-barked species with high sugar content in the sap, such as birch and maple, are preferred hosts.