Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

This is a primary flight feather from a medium-sized woodpecker characterized by its 'sap-sucking' behavior. The bird is striking with a black and white mottled back, a red crown (and throat in males), and a pale yellow wash on the belly. They are known for their distinctively quiet, rhythmic drumming compared to other woodpeckers.

Base color of dark brownish-black to charcoal. The trailing edge features distinctive, bold white oval spots/notches. The rachis is dark except toward the base. No iridescence.

Tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs throughout most of the vane; slightly plumulaceous at the very base near the calamus. Condition appears worn with some barb separation.

Stiff, dark-pigmented rachis that is relatively thick for the size of the feather. Barbs are densely packed and angled steeply toward the tip.

Relatively stiff and firm to the touch for flight stability. Matte finish typical of woodpecker feathers, lacking the gloss of some corvids.

Outer wing (Primary). The high degree of asymmetry—where the leading edge is much narrower than the trailing edge—is diagnostic of a flight feather located on the outer wing.

Bold white spotting purely on one side of the vane (trailing edge), stiff rachis, and the specific dark-to-white contrast characteristic of the Picidae family.

Deciduous and mixed coniferous-deciduous forests. Often found in young forests or edges where sap-producing trees like birch, maple, and pine are present.

Breeds across Canada and the northeastern United States. Migrates south to winter in the southeastern US, Mexico, and Central America.

Keystone species; their sap wells provide food for over 40 other species including hummingbirds, butterflies, and squirrels. They are primary cavity nesters.

Hairy Woodpecker (larger, different spot spacing), Downy Woodpecker (much smaller, different spot pattern), and Red-naped Sapsucker (very similar, but overlaps geographically only in the West).

Sapsuckers create 'sap wells'—neatly organized rows of small holes in tree bark. They don't just drink the sap; they also eat the insects that get stuck in the sticky fluid.

Woodpecker feathers have historically been used in indigenous adornments and basketry. In modern times, they are subjects of scientific study regarding high-impact anatomy.

Look for these feathers near trees with fresh sap wells or at the base of nesting cavities in dead birch or aspen trees during late summer molt.

Fair condition. The feather shows significant wear and 'zipper' separation of the barbs (venting), likely a molted feather at the end of its life cycle.