Sphyrapicus varius x nuchalis
Status: Accidental in winter
Record: The only record is of a juvenile at Roscoe, Keith Co 9 Dec 2020 (Mlodinow, eBird.org).
Comments: The single record is of a juvenile-plumaged bird with back plumage resembling Red-naped Sapsucker, but without red feathering on its nape. At this date, Red-naped Sapsucker would possess such red feathering. As described by the observer, Steve Mlodinow: “juv plumage, no red on nape, RNSA back, face more like RNSA” (eBird Checklist – 9 Dec 2020 – Roscoe – 12 species (+3 other taxa).
There are numerous records of this hybrid from the Rocky Mountains westward, but only about 15 from the Great Plains eastward (eBird.org, accessed Feb 2021).
Hybridization occurs where the ranges of the three closely-related sapsuckers meet; at the eastern edge of its range Red-naped Sapsucker hybridizes with Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and at the western edge with Red-breasted Sapsucker (Walters et al 2020).
An unidentified sapsucker showing equivocal characters was at Mercer Woods, Douglas Co 26-30 May 2025. It was a red-throated sapsucker with red feathering on its nape and a small patch of white on its chin, initially identified as a female Red-naped, then by others as a young male Yellow-bellied. Most characters used to separate these age classes/species (for example Mlodinow et al, Birding, Nov-Dec 2006) were equivocal on the Omaha bird based on checklist photos (eBird Checklist – 26 May 2025; eBird Checklist – 26 May 2025; eBird Checklist – 29 May 2025). One possible differentiating feature is molt timing; if correctly discerned, retention of juvenile chest shield (bib) feathering into spring might indicate Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, although since this molt is the last of the post-juvenile molt progression in sapsuckers, extending rather late even in Red-naped Sapsucker, it also is an equivocal feature on the Omaha bird. The possibility of a hybrid remains, but was thought doubtful since an individual hybrid would be unlikely to mix features of both sexes.
Images
Literature Cited
Walters, E. L., E. H. Miller, and P. E. Lowther. 2020. Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rensap.01.
Recommended Citation
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2025. Yellow-bellied x Red-naped Sapsucker (hybrid) (Sphyrapicus varius x nuchalis). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Updated 24 Jun 2025