female
male
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
SUMMER
| Size: | 7-8" (18-20 cm) |
| Male: | A plump black-and-white bird with a large, triangular rose patch in the center of chest. Wing linings are rosy red. Large ivory bill. |
| Female: | heavily streaked brown and white bird, large white eyebrows, orange yellow wing linings |
| Juvenile: | similar to female |
| Nest: | cup; female and male construct; 1-2 broods per year |
| Eggs: | 3-5; blue green with brown markings |
| Incubation: | 13-14 days; female and male incubate |
| Fledging: | 9-12 days; female and male feed young |
| Migration: | complete, to Mexico, Central America and South America |
| Food: | insects, seeds, fruit; comes to seed feeders |
| Compare: | Male is very distinctive with no look-alikes. |
Stan’s Notes: Seen in small groups throughout New Hampshire and Vermont during spring and migration. Often prefers a mature deciduous forest for nesting. Both sexes sing, but the male sings much louder and clearer. Sings a rich, robin-like song. Common name “Grosbeak” refers to its large bill, used to crush seeds. Rose breast patch varies in size and shape in each male. Males have white wing patches that flash in flight. Males arrive at their destinations first, joined by the females several days later. Several will come to seed feeders at the same time during spring. When the females arrive, males become territorial and reduce their visits to feeders. Young grosbeaks visit feeders with the adults after fledging.
female
male
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
MIGRATION
SUMMER
| Size: | 8-9" (20-22.5 cm) |
| Male: | Medium-sized woodpecker with a checkered back. Red forehead, crown and chin. Tan-to-yellow breast and belly. White wing patches flash while flying. |
| Female: | similar to male, white chin |
| Juvenile: | similar to female, dull brown and lacks any red marking |
| Nest: | cavity; female and male excavate; 1 brood per year |
| Eggs: | 5-6; white without markings |
| Incubation: | 12-13 days; female and male incubate, female incubates during the day, male at night |
| Fledging: | 25-29 days; female and male feed young |
| Migration: | complete, to southern states, Mexico and Central America |
| Food: | insects, tree sap; comes to suet feeders |
| Compare: | Similar to other woodpeckers, but the male is the only woodpecker in New Hampshire and Vermont with a red chin. Female Yellow-bellied has a white chin. |
Stan’s Notes: Drills holes in a pattern of horizontal rows in small- to medium-sized trees to bleed tree sap. Many birds drink from the sapsucker taps. Oozing sap also attracts insects, which sapsuckers eat. Sapsuckers will defend their sapping sites from the other birds. They don’t suck sap; rather, they lap it with their long tongues. A quiet bird with few vocalizations, but will mew like a cat. Unlike other woodpeckers, drumming rhythm is irregular.
female
male
Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus
YEAR-ROUND
| Size: | 9" (22.5 cm) |
| Male: | A black-and-white woodpecker with a white belly. Black wings with rows of white spots. White stripe down the back. Long black bill. Red mark on back of head. |
| Female: | same as male, but lacks a red mark on head |
| Juvenile: | grayer version of female |
| Nest: | cavity; female and male excavate; 1 brood per year |
| Eggs: | 3-6; white without markings |
| Incubation: | 11-15 days; female and male incubate, female incubates during the day, male at night |
| Fledging: | 28-30 days; male and female feed young |
| Migration: | non-migrator |
| Food: | insects, nuts, seeds; will come to seed and suet feeders |
| Compare: | Larger than the Downy Woodpecker and has a longer bill that is nearly the width of its head. |
Stan’s Notes: A common woodpecker of wooded backyards that announces its arrival with a sharp chirp before landing on feeders. This bird is responsible for eating many destructive forest insects. Has a barbed tongue, which helps it extract insects from trees. Tiny bristle-like feathers at the base of bill protect the nostrils from wood dust. Drums on hollow logs, branches or stovepipes in spring to announce its territory. Often prefers to excavate nest cavities in live aspen trees. Has a larger, more oval-shaped cavity entrance than that of the Downy Woodpecker.
female
male
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
YEAR-ROUND
