Williamson's Sapsucker

Overview
Williamson's Sapsucker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black back and white rump. Bright red throat, breast is black, belly is yellow, and flanks are barred black-and-white. Black head has two white facial stripes. Black wings have large white shoulder patches. Tail is black, legs and feet are gray.

Range and Habitat
Williamson's Sapsucker: Breeds from southern British Columbia south to southern California, central Arizona, and central New Mexico. Spends winters in the southern part of breeding range and in the southwest. Ponderosa pine forests, open coniferous forests, and subalpine forests in the southwest are preferred habitats.

The Williamson's Sapsucker has a large reaching up to around 650,000 square kilometers. This bird can be found in Canada, Mexico and the United States. This species likes forested areas and will be found in temperate, tropical and subtropical forest environments. The global population of this bird is estimated to be around 310,000 individual birds. Currently, it is not believed that the population trends for this species will soon approach the minimum levels that could suggest a potential decline in population. Due to this, population trends for the Williamson's Sapsucker have a present evaluation level of Least Concern.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Williamson's Sapsucker was first described in 1852 by John Cassin, an American ornithologist. Originally, the female was considered to be a different species and named the Black-breasted Woodpecker by Cassin. The species took its common name from Lieutenant Robert Stockton Williamson, who was the leader of a surveying expedition which collected the first male. A group of sapsuckers are collectively known as a "slurp" of sapsuckers.