Red-naped Sapsucker Superspecies #26 Sphyrapicus nuchalis Baird       Field Guide IDs: NG-278; PW-pl 40; AW-pl 378; AM(Il)-228 Nest Location Nest Type Eggs & Mating System Dev. & Parental Care Primary & 2ndary Diet.. Foraging Strategy MF I: 12-13 DAYS ALTRICIAL 10 feet - 20 feet (3 feet - 35 feet) MF 4-5 (3-7) MONOG F: 25-29 DAYS MF TREE SAP HAWKS BREEDING: Usu coniferous forest that includes aspen, montane riparian woodland. 1 brood. DISPLAYS: Bill raising (exposing throat patch), crest raising, bowing, wing flicking and drooping; mostly agonistic but bowing more often in courtship. Fluttering or undulating courtship flights; ritual tapping at nest entrance very prominent; male and female perform drumming duets. NEST: Prefers live birch, cottonwood, aspen, often near water. Same tree, but not necessarily same hole, often used perennially. Lined with chips. EGGS: White. 1.0" (24 mm). DIET: Also cambium, fruit, berries. Pine pitch often used instead of sap from deciduous trees. CONSERVATION: Winters s to C.A. NOTES: Often serve "keystone" function in mountainous habitats where it is the only abundant woodpecker: provide tree cavities for smaller nonwoodpecker species that require them for nesting. Male incubates and broods at night. Young taught sapsucking upon fledging, remaining dependent on parents for only short additional period. Guard sap wells from other species, including hummingbirds, juvenile warblers, and chipmunks. STANFORD. NOTES: ESSAYS: Species and Speciation; Nonvocal Sounds; Commensal Feeding. REFERENCES: American Ornithologists' Union, 1985; Crockett and Hadow, 1975; Dobkin and Wilcox, 1986.