Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber), Tucson, McCormick Park, Pima County

This Red-breasted Sapsucker was discovered by Molly Pollock on 18 October 2009 and was photographed by Mark Stevenson and Ken Kertell the same day.

Red-breasted Sapsucker is a casual transient and winter visitor in southeastern Arizona. Many more birds are seen that are intergrades between Red-breasted and Red-naped.

Helping to separate this bird from a hybrid is the long extent of the red color down the breast and red tips on all the feathers of the breast. Most of the head is also covered with red-tipped feathers though there are limited areas where the feathers are black- or white-tipped. In hybrids, the red is less extensive, more areas lack the red-tipped feathers and the red feathers of the breast are usually bordered by a necklace of black-tipped feathers.

18 October 2009, photos by Mark Stevenson

18 October 2009, photos by Ken Kertell

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