Have you ever noticed shallow, little holes lined up in rows on a tree trunk? Your first thought might be that an accurate marksman fired BBs at the tree. But the holes most likely are the handiwork of the yellow-bellied sapsucker.
This handsome, medium-sized bird is the only migratory woodpecker in the eastern U.S. It spends summers north toward Canada but winters in the Southeastern U.S., the West Indies, Mexico and Central America.
Although the sapsucker eats fruit, its main diet is the tree sap that oozes from holes it bores, which in turn attracts tasty insects. Warblers, hummingbirds, bats and squirrels also feed from these holes. WILD Facts is a regular feature written by Linda May, a wildlife interpretive specialist with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division.
This handsome, medium-sized bird is the only migratory woodpecker in the eastern U.S. It spends summers north toward Canada but winters in the Southeastern U.S., the West Indies, Mexico and Central America.
Although the sapsucker eats fruit, its main diet is the tree sap that oozes from holes it bores, which in turn attracts tasty insects. Warblers, hummingbirds, bats and squirrels also feed from these holes. WILD Facts is a regular feature written by Linda May, a wildlife interpretive specialist with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division.