Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has surged: up 101% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) 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 608 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 25 states, most concentrated in the Atlantic Northern Forest.
- Family
- Picidae · Forest birds
Notable Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Trends
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has surged in surveyed states: up 101% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is projected to rise about 14% by 2029 — from 0.58 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.66 (95% range 0.49–0.83). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±19%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.63 | 0.47 | 0.80 |
| 2026 | 0.64 | 0.47 | 0.81 |
| 2027 | 0.65 | 0.48 | 0.81 |
| 2028 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 0.82 |
| 2029 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 0.83 |
Where the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Is Detected
BBS routes recording Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, sized by most recent count.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Population Trend by State
| Alaska | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Connecticut | +426% | 1974 | 16 |
| Illinois | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Iowa | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Maine | -19% | 1968 | 75 |
| Maryland | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
| Massachusetts | +566% | 1969 | 16 |
| Michigan | +739% | 1968 | 70 |
| Minnesota | +392% | 1970 | 78 |
| New Hampshire | +138% | 1968 | 25 |
| New Jersey | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New Mexico | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New York | +269% | 1968 | 107 |
| North Carolina | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| North Dakota | 13× | 1979 | 11 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Pennsylvania | 44× | 1968 | 60 |
| Rhode Island | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| South Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Tennessee | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Utah | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Vermont | +156% | 1968 | 26 |
| Virginia | +362% | 1997 | 5 |
| West Virginia | 11× | 1999 | 13 |
| Wisconsin | +330% | 1968 | 78 |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Prairie Potholes | +570% | 1974 | 32 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +339% | 1968 | 125 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | 16× | 1968 | 62 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | +75% | 1968 | 155 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +52% | 2004 | 8 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +726% | 1968 | 79 |
| Appalachian Mountains | 23× | 1968 | 115 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | 14× | 1968 | 27 |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 101% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.