Red-breasted Sapsucker
Red-breasted Sapsucker has surged: up 817% on the route-weighted index since 1970.
About the Red-breasted Sapsucker
The Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) is a North American member of the Woodpeckers (Picidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 6–19.5 in long (15–50 cm) — a chisel-billed climber (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 269 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 7 states, most concentrated in the Northern Pacific Rainforest.
- Family
- Picidae · Forest birds
Notable Red-breasted Sapsucker Trends
No notable trend signals for Red-breasted Sapsucker. See the full index history below.
Red-breasted Sapsucker Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Red-breasted Sapsucker is projected to rise about 18% by 2029 — from 0.14 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.17 (95% range 0.11–0.22). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±22.2%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.16 | 0.10 | 0.21 |
| 2026 | 0.16 | 0.11 | 0.21 |
| 2027 | 0.16 | 0.11 | 0.21 |
| 2028 | 0.16 | 0.11 | 0.21 |
| 2029 | 0.17 | 0.11 | 0.22 |
Where the Red-breasted Sapsucker Is Detected
BBS routes recording Red-breasted Sapsucker, sized by most recent count.
Red-breasted Sapsucker Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +3% | 1984 | 24 |
| California | +150% | 1970 | 113 |
| Idaho | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Montana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Oregon | +106% | 1970 | 75 |
| Washington | +257% | 1971 | 53 |
Red-breasted Sapsucker Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | +425% | 1970 | 143 |
| Great Basin | +442% | 1971 | 57 |
| Sierra Nevada | +52% | 1970 | 37 |
| Coastal California | -56% | 1971 | 27 |
Red-breasted Sapsucker Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 817% since 1970.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.