Woodpeckers (Picidae)
Baby yellow-bellied sapsuckers: from egg to fledgling
A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker lays 4–5 eggs. They hatch after 10–13 days, and the young leave the nest 25–29 days later — about 35–42 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 4–5 eggs
- Incubation
- 10–13 days
- Time in the nest
- 25–29 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 35–42 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Cavity in live aspen or birch with heart rot
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (10–13 days): 4–5 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (25–29 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season yellow-bellied sapsuckers mainly eat sap and ants.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young yellow-bellied sapsuckers are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When yellow-bellied sapsuckers nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Massachusetts (May) and latest in Alaska (Jun). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alaska | Jun–Jun |
| Alberta | Jun–Jun |
| British Columbia | Jun–Jun |
| Maine | Jun–Jun |
| Manitoba | Jun–Jun |
| Massachusetts | May–Jun |
| Michigan | May–Jun |
| Minnesota | Jun–Jun |
| New Brunswick | Jun–Jun |
| New Hampshire | Jun–Jun |
| New York | May–Jun |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Jun–Jun |
| Northwest Territories | Jun–Jun |
| Nova Scotia | Jun–Jun |
| Ontario | Jun–Jun |
| Pennsylvania | May–Jun |
| Prince Edward Island | Jun–Jun |
| Quebec | Jun–Jun |
| Saskatchewan | Jun–Jun |
| Vermont | Jun–Jun |
| Wisconsin | Jun–Jun |
| Yukon | Jun–Jun |
Found a baby Yellow-bellied Sapsucker?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about yellow-bellied sapsuckers
Frequently asked
How long do baby yellow-bellied sapsuckers stay in the nest?
About 25–29 days after hatching. Eggs take 10–13 days to hatch, so it is roughly 35–42 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker lay?
4–5 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do yellow-bellied sapsuckers nest?
Cavity in live aspen or birch with heart rot.
What should I do if I find a baby Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.