Sapsucker protected under act, cannot be destroyed
The other day when I was sitting having lunch, I heard the call of bird that I haven't heard before. It was a nasal cat-like meow. I couldn't see what was making the sound, as whatever it was, was well hidden by leaves on the trees. Later that same day at supper, I heard it again. This time I made sure to keep my eyes on the trees to see if I could spot any movement. I watched for about 20 minutes, when finally the bird landed on an exposed branch of the closest maple. I grabbed my binoculars, and focused in on the first Yellow-bellied Sapsucker of my life and in my backyard.
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a medium-sized woodpecker that has a red forehead and crown, black and white face, black back with whitish spots, black bib on its chest and a light yellowish belly. The male of has a red chin while the female has a white one.
While the majority of woodpeckers bore holes in dead or diseased trees to dig for insects, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drills holes in live trees for its sap. This woodpecker drills two kinds of holes for harvesting sap. They bore round "wells" to go deep into the tree. They will insert their bill and using their tongue to probe for sap. Rectangular "wells" are much shallower and must be continually maintained to ensure that the holes fill with sap. Since sap comes to the surface and runs down the tree, it will just lick up the accumulated sap.
Even though its name would suggest that it sucks the sap from trees, it actually has a modified tongue for lapping up the liquid. Their tongue is long and at its tip looks like a paintbrush specialized to help it lick up sap.
The sap "wells" are dug in straight horizontal lines. New holes will either be dug at the end of an existing line or a new line will be started directly above the old one. The sapsucker will continually return to the same the feeding tree to feed on the sap collected in its "wells". They will also eat any insects that made their way to the tree attracted to the sap. The insects attracted to these sap "wells" also provide food to other insect eating birds. Sapsuckers will also catch insects on the wing and eat some fruit and berries.
If a sapsucker has drilled a lot of "wells" in one tree it is possible that it could damage the tree or cause a portion of it to die. The many wells will disrupt the natural flow of sap within the trees. The area cut off from the flowing sap will die. This only happens when the tree has many, many wells drilled into it. The wells can also be a point of entry for some damaging insects or fungus that will cause secondary damage to the tree.
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers build their nests in dead or damaged deciduous trees close to their feeding sights. The nest is found in a cavity excavated by the couple and will be lightly lined by wood chips. The nest will contain 3 to 7 eggs that will be incubated for 12 to 13 days.
Since the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker feeds primarily on sap that is only readily available during warmer weather, this bird will migrate in the fall to warmer climates. They will return in the springtime around mid-April.
If you find that a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is causing considerable damage to your trees remember that they are protected by the Migratory Birds Convention Act. This means that under this law the adults, young, nests and/or eggs cannot be destroyed. Instead you can try to place noisemakers close by or wrap burlap around the infected area.
Elizabeth Walsh is a Miramichier and expert on all things natural. She shares her love of Canada's plants, animals and birds in this column.
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