Yellow-bellied juice tasty
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Yellow-bellied Juice Lick ( Sphyrapicus varius ) |
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| ( Linnaeus , 1766) |
The yellow-bellied sap licker ( Sphyrapicus varius ) is a small North American species of woodpecker from the genus of sap lickers ( Sphyrapicus ) within the woodpecker family (Picidae). The obligatory migratory bird is widespread in northern North America east of the Rocky Mountains . It lives on small insects, primarily ants, as well as tree sap from different tree species, which it gains by creating small holes ( sap wells ). Although these sap sources are guarded and cared for, they still serve as food or nutritional supplements for many other birds and insects. This woodpecker also plays a very important role in its habitat as a supplier of smaller cave-breeding species. The species is monotypical . Together with the fiery sap licker ( Sphyrapicus ruber ) and the red nape sap licker ( Sphyrapicus nuchalis ), it forms the super species Sphyrapicus varius . According to the IUCN , the population is not endangered.
Appearance
With a maximum body length of 21 centimeters and an average weight of 50 grams, the yellow-bellied juice lick is a small woodpecker. In size, it is roughly the same as the domestic middle woodpecker , but is a little lighter than this. He is a strongly contrasting black and white drawn bird and usually has a striking red head markings in both sexes. In the fresh plumage, the later almost pure white parts of the plumage on the neck and on the upper sides of the abdomen are yellowish. The sexual dimorphism in terms of coloration is relatively low and is limited to the different throat coloration. Females are marginally smaller and lighter than males. Young birds differ considerably from colored ones.
The neck and the proximal shoulder area are irregularly banded in black up to the upper back on a white, sometimes airy yellow ground. The inner flags of the feathers on the lower back, the rump up to the upper tail-covers are white, their outer flags are black. The upper wing-coverts are black and have a clear and extensive white band, which results in a clear white wing field when the wing is closed. The wings are spotted white on a black background, creating a white, striped wing pattern. The top of the control springs is black. The inner flags of the central pair are largely white, the outer two to three pairs of feathers show only slight white markings, especially at the tips of the outer flags. The underside is pale yellow from the black breast shield, on the flanks and in the lower abdominal and rump region rather dirty white. The sides of the breast and the under-tail-coverts show a fine, black, arrowhead-like drawing; The shafts of these plumage areas are also mostly black. The under wing-coverts are dirty white, the black wings whitish to light gray banded. The color of the underside of the tail corresponds to that of the upper side.
The feet and four toes are blue-gray to greenish-gray, the relatively short, pointed bill, very broad at the base, is slate-gray to blackish. The iris is deep brown.
In the adult male, the bright red forehead and the red crown are completely framed in black. The over-eye stripe is white; it runs along the sides of the neck to the coat. A black eye stripe extends from the forehead over the eyes, the ear covers, the sides of the neck to the shoulders. It is again clearly delimited by a white band that begins at the base of the beak and runs down the neck to the upper chest. A narrow black stripe of beard delimits this plumage region. It unites with the clear, black, crescent-shaped breast flap, in that it completely encompasses the bright red throat.
The only difference between the female and the male is the lack of a red throat. This region is white with him. In quite a few individuals, the red coloration of the top of the head is also missing or is at least very strongly mixed with black.
Juvenile and immature yellow-bellied juice treats differ significantly from adult ones. The upper side is irregularly light-dark spotted on a dark olive-brown ground. The chest and belly are dirty light brown-gray and irregularly flocked. The white wing band is narrower than that of colored individuals and often has black inclusions. The distinctive face and head drawings are completely absent in young birds.
Mauser
The change to the first juvenile plumage takes place before the flight out. The moulting into the adult plumage takes place in several phases, is completely interrupted during the migration period and is only largely completed in late spring, i.e. when it is ready for breeding. The characteristic head and face markings develop slowly during the first winter. Heavily eroded remnants of the first winter transitional plumage can remain recognizable into the third year of life.
Similar species
The red-naped sap sap is very similar in appearance and behavior to the yellow-bellied sap syrup. Their distribution areas touch or overlap in southwest Alberta , where mixed breeds also occur. The best distinguishing feature is the red neck mark of the red nape juice lick, which is developed in both sexes of this species, but can be greatly reduced in females. In juvenile individuals, it is very difficult to determine in the field. From the other two Sphyrapicus species, it should always be possible to distinguish the yellow-bellied sap-liner without any doubt.
Vocalizations
The vocal characteristics of the species that are acoustically present in the courtship and pre-breeding season are nasal, some calls are reminiscent of mechanical noises, such as suction noises from water pumps or bellows, or have a meowing characteristic that can be similar to the calls of small owls. At the beginning of the courtship season, single or series of whistling-quacking uhii… uhii… uhii are the most common vocalizations ; Often these calls are interrupted by the slow, unmistakable drum signals , which begin with not very fast, accentuated knocking and end after a short drum roll in the middle section with rhythmic knocking. The warning and alarm call is a rather quiet mijuh , which becomes louder, higher, tremolous and pointed with increasing excitement . Tschjek… tschjek… tschjek rows can be heard in intra-species disputes . During the courtship season, noticeable flight noises and clapping of wings can be heard.
distribution and habitat
The distribution area stretches in the west from the southwestern Yukon area in a belt of varying widths slightly southwards to the Atlantic coast in Labrador and southern Newfoundland . In Alaska , the northern limit of the distribution is almost at the Arctic Circle , in eastern Canada at about 55 ° north. The southern border lies in the west in the Canadian border area with the USA, but exceeds this significantly to the east. The southernmost occurrences are in the Appalachian Mountains , West Virginia , Tennessee and eastern North Carolina . The wintering areas adjoin it in the south, but without overlapping with the breeding areas. They reach as far as the Gulf of Mexico , include all of Mexico except Baja California and the extreme northwest as well as all Central American states to Panama , where the species only appears sporadically. Yellow-bellied juice treats overwinter on many of the West Indies . During migration times, the species can occur across the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. There are individual irregular visitor reports from the Isles of Scilly , Ireland and Iceland and, somewhat more frequently, from Greenland .
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In this large distribution area, the species lives in mixed forests and deciduous forests that accompany rivers. It noticeably prefers relatively young forests; in contrast to many other woodpeckers, the presence of dead wood does not matter. Most important trees for food and breeding are the American quivering aspen , as well as birch and hickory . Pure coniferous forest areas are not settled. Occasionally the species lives in sparse red maple forests , it is less common in hardwood stocks of beech , oak or elm .
Even in winter, the yellow-bellied sap- liner avoids pure coniferous forests, but occurs in loose yellow-pine stands. Overall, the winter habitats are very diverse. It inhabits a large number of rather open forest areas with different tree compositions, visits individual trees in agricultural areas and penetrates the outskirts of cities.
The vertical distribution extends in the breeding areas from sea level to about 2000 meters, in the winter quarters the species prefers higher areas and was found in Mexico at altitudes of over 3500 meters.
The species establishes and defends breeding and feeding territories that include the immediate nesting area and some sap trees. Their size is between 0.8 and a little over 3 hectares.
Contact zones
In central southern Alberta the breeding area of the yellow-bellied sap litter overlaps with that of the red-necked sap litter, in northwestern British Columbia with that of the fire head sap litter. The two species are mixed in both areas.
hikes
As far as is known, all populations of this species are short, medium or long distance migrants . Females cover the further distances, leave the breeding areas earlier in late summer and return to them later. In the southernmost wintering areas, around 3.5 times more females are found than males. The move begins at the beginning of September and reaches its peak in the last week of September. Yellow-bellied juices migrate in groups at night, often in large flocks. On April 17, 1909, at least 5,000 woodpeckers rested in Kingston during a hurricane spring storm . The homecoming begins in March. Most yellow-bellied sap lovers reach their breeding grounds in April or early May.
Food and subsistence
Yellow-bellied juice treats feed in roughly equal proportions on plant materials and on insects and spiders. This food composition, which is balanced in the year-round total, varies greatly with the seasons. During the breeding season, the species feeds almost exclusively on insects, the brood is also fed insect food, although this is occasionally dipped in tree sap. The insect food consists mainly of ants of various species, beetles and beetle larvae , stone flies , humpback chirps , grasshoppers , crickets , flies and wasps . In the pre-breeding season, during migration and in winter, yellow-bellied sap-lovers mainly consume tree sap, wood bast, buds, fruits and berries. Wood bast and cambium make up the largest part of the diet in April. Pure tree sap provides around 20 percent of the total annual amount of energy, but seasonally it can be almost the only component of food. The species gets its food on all trunk sections of different tree species and on branches, more rarely on the ground. Insects are also preyed on in flight. The insect food is obtained by searching, poking, drilling, and occasionally by hammering. The species collects berries and fruits, often hanging upside down, from the branches. Many insects are attracted by the emerging tree sap and are preyed there. The tree saps are licked directly from the sap holes.
It has been observed several times that the species hides hickory nuts and acorns in suitable tree crevices.
Juice holes
Altogether, sap holes of the yellow-bellied sap lickers were found on almost 1000 species of woody plants. However, the main tree species are various types of birch , poplar , elm , oak , maple, and hickory. Deciduous trees predominate, but sap holes are also hammered into various types of pine and other conifers , especially in winter . The sugar concentration in these tree saps varies between almost 20% in the yellow birch and up to 10% in hickory trees. Yellow-bellied sap-lovers specifically choose trees with a favorable ratio of sap flow and sugar content, with the sugar content being the determining parameter. The species uses two different methods of juice extraction. After the leaves have sprout, relatively large, mostly approximately rectangular areas are exposed in the bast layer ; after the leaves have fallen until the leaves shoot again, small, often slightly oval holes that extend into the wood layer. The sap holes are usually arranged in radial rings, the rectangular chiseled exit surfaces often in rows one below the other.
behavior
Move
The species hops, clinging to the tree bark, with both legs up and down the trunk. Lateral or helical movements on the trunk are also performed by jumping. The wave-like, fast flight is typical for woodpeckers: after a few quick flaps of the wings in an upward arching, the wings are firmly attached to the body after the culmination point.
Daily activity
Like all real woodpeckers, the yellow-bellied sap-tasty is diurnal. His activity time begins around sunrise and ends a little after sunset. During cave construction, breeding and the early nestling period, the male spends the night in the breeding cave, the female in a protected trunk section nearby. Only in very bad weather does the female go to an old cave. In addition to foraging for food, the species spends a lot of time on feathers and other comfort activities such as sunbathing.
Social and agonistic behavior
The yellow-bellied sap-liner is largely loner outside of the breeding season. Even during the breeding season, the parents are rarely seen close together. Outside the breeding season, approaching young birds also trigger threatening gestures. Larger groups can only gather during the train.
The cave tree and some sap trees are guarded by both birds in a pair and defended against conspecifics and other intruders. Contact fights are rare, but flight attacks on other bird species that use the sap sources, especially ruby- throated hummingbirds , which often nest in the immediate vicinity of the yellow-bellied sap-lickers, have been observed. The intra-species disputes are largely ritualized. Competing woodpeckers sit opposite each other on a branch with their beaks pointing at their opponents. The throat and head feathers are ruffled, the tail feathers are spread. The opponent is intimidated and forced to flee with reciprocal head lifting, wing flapping and aggressive shouts, after which the winner often pursues a long distance with loud shouts.
Breeding biology
Courtship, pairing and cave building
Males and females reach breeding maturity as yearlings. They lead a largely monogamous seasonal marriage. The male appears in the breeding area about a week before the female and immediately begins to demarcate a territory and create new sap holes, mainly by drumming. The breeding location of both sexes is very high, so that re-breeding is common. The courtship ritual consists mainly of various expressive flights, cave shows and showing the sap trees, as well as different calls and instrumental sounds . In older breeding partners, courtship is very secretive.
The cave construction starts in mid-April at the earliest, usually not until May. A new cave is created every year, and it is often cut into the same tree as in previous years. The new cave is not always used later for the brood, sometimes an old cave is used for this. Various deciduous or coniferous trees can be used as nesting trees, the American quivering poplar is by far the most popular. Ideal nesting trees are quivering aspen that are already infested with Phellinus tremulae , the aspen fire sponge. The mycelium of this fungus produces a white rot inside the trunk that wears down the wood , which makes it much easier for the woodpecker to chisel out the brood cavity (see wooden bees ). The caves are on average 11 meters high; they are produced by the male in about three weeks with little help from the female. The entrance hole is circular and the lower edge is often clearly bevelled so that rainwater can drain away better. Its diameter varies between 3.2 and 4.1 centimeters. The mean depth of the cave is 27, the brood chamber diameter a little over 7 centimeters. As with all real woodpeckers, nesting material is not entered.
Clutch and brood
Yellow-bellied Juice Lovers breed once a year; It is probable whether a replacement brood is started when the clutch is lost, but has not yet been documented. The egg-laying begins about a week after completion of the brood cavity, usually in the third week of May. Fresh clutches were observed at the beginning of July, and these were probably replacement clutches. The clutch consists of 4–5 (2–7) pure white eggs with an average size of about 22 × 17 millimeters. They are placed daily on a loose chipboard and firmly incubated from the 3rd or 4th egg. The brood participation seems to differ from pair to pair, the male always breeds at night. The incubation period varies between 10 and 13 days. Both parents provide the young in equal parts primarily with insect food; in addition, buds and fruits are also fed. Occasionally these food components are dipped into sap holes, otherwise tree sap does not seem to be fed. The nestlings leave the nest after an average of 27 days and stay with their parents in the immediate breeding area. The lead time is very short. About a week, at the latest 10 days after leaving, the young are independent and feed primarily on tree sap at the sap holes made by their parents and on insects picked up from them. Loose family groups can be retained until the train era. Only a few data from small series of studies are available on breeding success. In Michigan , 2.72 young woodpeckers left the nest per brood. No information is available on the survival rate of flown out woodpeckers; the maximum age was 6 years and 9 months.
Systematics
The yellow-bellied sap licker is one of only four species in the genus Sphyrapicus that are all found in North America. With S. nuchalis and S. ruber it forms the superspecies Sphyrapicus varius . In the contact zones of the species these hybridize and produce unrestricted fertile offspring. The taxonomic status of the fourth species, the pine sap lickers ( Sphyrapicus thyroideus ), is unclear. Sphyrapicus is a sister genus of Melanerpes . The woodpeckers from the Appalachian Mountains are often smaller and darker than those from more northern areas. They are occasionally a subspecies S. v. appalachiensis , which is not generally recognized.
Persistence and Threat
According to the IUCN, the species’s population is considered safe. With a total distribution area of approximately 4.5 million square kilometers, the population is estimated at around 9 million individuals. However, there are regional fluctuations in stocks and also decreases in stocks. In the Appalachian states as well as in southern Ontario , the species was included in a form of the warning list ( species of concern ). In North Carolina it is considered an extremely rare breeding bird ( significantly rare ).
In addition to many natural enemies, such as various birds of prey and martens , loss of habitat , competition in caves - in particular due to the introduced European star - and collisions with buildings, vehicles or wind turbines are the greatest causes of danger the species is both forest and fruit pests, justified, no longer plays a role today.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Systematics
- ↑ a b BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Sphyrapicus varius
- ↑ Winkler (1995) p. 221
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Measurements
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Appearance
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Distribution
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Behavior ~ Spacing
- ↑ Saftlecker-Hybride pdf engl. ( Memento of the original from June 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Migration
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Migratory Behavior
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Food Habits
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Food Habits ~ Microhabitat For Foraging
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Breeding
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Breeding ~ Incubation - Parental Care
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Demography and Population
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Life Span And Survivorship
- ↑ Brett W. Benz, Mark B. Robbins, A. Townsend Peterson: Evolutionary history of woodpeckers and allies (Aves: Picidae): Placing key taxa on the phylogenetic tree. In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40 (2006): pp. 389-399; P. 394 ff.
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Systematics ~ Geographic Variation; Subspecies
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Management; Conservation status
- ↑ Walters et al. (2002) Conservation and Management Effects Of Human Activity
literature
- Eric L. Walters, Edward H. Miller, and Peter E. Lowther: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) , The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology (2002) [no page numbers]
- Hans Winkler , David A. Christie and David Nurney: Woodpeckers. A Guide to the Woodpeckers, Piculets, and Wrynecks of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge 1995, ISBN 0-395-72043-5 , pp. 68-69 and 220-222.
Web links
- Sphyrapicus varius in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on December 30 of 2008.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings on Sphyrapicus varius in the Internet Bird Collection
- Feathers of the yellow-bellied sap-tick