Red-naped Sapsucker ~ Female

Description:

a Great Basin representative of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker comples. Closely resembles the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and hybridize with them. Summers from Northern Arizona up thru Utah, Montana, Colorado Wyoming and lower Alberta.

Habitat:

Aspen parkland, Deciduous groves adjacent to conifer and montane areas; seen here in an Aspen tree

Notes:

These are a pair of mating Sapsuckers. She is distinguished by a white chin and less red in all areas, lighter breast color while male tends to show yellow under belly and strong red, chin no white. Seen here in pic #4 after mating! which i recorded in this digital canon Rbl T3 during an Audubon scheduled birding event today ~ not far from the Stillwater River at Nye.