Whoever named the North American woodpeckers was a mad genius. That bird has a distinctive red cap and light belly? Red-bellied. That bird over there sometimes has a red patch on its head and sometimes on its throat? Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I’ve seen these a few times and have yet to see any yellow. Maybe the original discoverer thought they were cowardly in an old-west type way.

Two birds on a tree, the one on the left has varied brown shading, the one on the right has sharply defined black and white coloring with a small red patch on its head.
Two yellow-bellied sapsuckers, Eau Galle Reservoir, WI, 13 July 2024
Small bird with a red patch on its chin, hidden in shadow under a tree branch
Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Bellevue State Park, IA, 13 October 2024
Small black and white bird on the underside of a large tree branch
Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Bellevue State Park, IA, 13 October 2024

 

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