yellow-bellied sapsucker

American  

noun

1. a woodpecker, Sphyrapicus varius, of eastern North America, having a red patch on the forehead and black and white plumage with a pale-yellow abdomen, and feeding on sap from trees.

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Etymology

Origin of yellow-bellied sapsucker

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

Their final haul: six downy woodpeckers, one yellow-bellied sapsucker, one northern flicker, one pale-billed woodpecker, and one lineated woodpecker.

From Science Magazine • Feb. 2, 2018

This white-throated sparrow, yellow-bellied sapsucker, magnolia warbler and their 10 companions are colored by spray paint, not feathers.

From New York Times • Oct. 16, 2015

Up in the frozen tundra of the northern Bronx, some creatures were stirring, yes, but not the yellow-bellied sapsucker that Christopher Lyons was looking for.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2011

Sometimes he acted like the original yellow-bellied sapsucker.

From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson

As the yellow-bellied sapsucker is the only one found east of the Rocky Mountains, we shall speak only of him and his work.

From The Woodpeckers by Eckstorm, Fannie Hardy