Red-breasted Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus ruber
Silhouette: Nancy Wyman (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPiciformes (Woodpeckers and Allies)
- FamilyPicidae (Woodpeckers)
- GenusSphyrapicus (Sapsuckers)
- SpeciesSphyrapicus ruber (Red-breasted Sapsucker)
About the Red-breasted Sapsucker
The red-breasted sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) is a medium-sized woodpecker of the forests of the west coast of North America. The red-breasted sapsucker was formally described in 1788 by German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the woodpeckers in the genus Picus and coined the binomial name Picus ruber. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "red". Gmelin based his description on the "red-breasted woodpecker" that had been described in 1782 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham mistakenly believed that his specimen had come from Cayenne in French Guiana. The type locality has been designated as Nootka Sound in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The red-breasted sapsucker is now one of four species placed in the genus Sphyrapicus that was introduced in 1858 by the American naturalist Spencer Baird.
The red-breasted sapsucker, the red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis), and the yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) were formerly treated as a single species, the yellow-bellied sapsucker. The red-breasted and red-naped... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Red-breasted Sapsucker in Redwood National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Redwood National Park
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Red-breasted Sapsucker in Redwood National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-breasted Sapsucker sighting in Redwood National Park, based on 81 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Red-breasted Sapsucker in Redwood National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Red-breasted Sapsucker in Redwood National Park in our monthly data.