Red-naped Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus nuchalis Baird, SF, 1858

Red-naped Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus nuchalis, breeds in western North America from south-west Canada to south-west USA and spends the non-breeding season in Mexico. It is a woodpecker of the family Picidae, first described by Baird in 1858. Long treated as part of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, it is now recognised as a separate species. It has no subspecies. The name refers to the red mark on the nape, which is one of the features that gives it its common name.

Order

Piciformes

Family

Picidae — Woodpeckers

Breeding range

North America: sw Canada to sw USA

Nonbreeding range

Mexico