ML132270141
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Immature Male - X
Media notes
The black malar stripe appears pretty thick and the chin and throat entirely red when the neck isn't stretched.
Observation details
Appeared to be retaining some juvenal plumage which based on the date would eliminate Red-naped Sapsucker (which typically complete their preformative molt by early November at the latest). A "yellow-bellied" sapsucker with a red crown and a bit of red on the throat (including the chin). Lacked the white chin I would expect for a male Red-naped Sapsucker. The crown had not entirely molted in, still showing about 50% brown juvenal feathers. Brown juvenal plumage was also still present in the malar stripes, which appeared to be mostly transitioned. These dark stripes were not quite as thick as I might have expected for a pure Yellow-bellied, but it appeared the bird was in molt, so I am wondering if that is why there appeared to be some "bleeding" of red throat feathers across the malar (a mark consistent with a Ned-naped Sapsucker). The nape appeared to have been entirely replaced (no juvenal feathers) and there was no red visible. The lack of a red nape and the presence of a red throat (and chin) suggests this is a male (first winter). The lack of any discernable red in the nape helps to suggest a pure Yellow-bellied (though it doesn't rule out the possibility of Red-naped genes, many of the few Red-naped X Yellow-bellied hybrids I have knowingly observed showed a hint or limited red in the nape). The back feathers appeared to have been largely replaced (few juvenal feathers present) and so it lacked the "messy" back pattern typical of immature Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (though a few old feathers do seem visible in the photos).
Technical information
- Model
- Canon EOS 40D
- ISO
- 1000
- Focal length
- 400 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/5.6
- Shutter speed
- 1/2000 sec
- Dimensions
- 1939 pixels x 1293 pixels
- Original file size
- 542.23 KB