Perch Supply
Diet

What do yellow-bellied sapsuckers eat?

Tree sap from neat rows of wells, plus insects caught at the wells.

Woodpeckers (Picidae)Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius

Spring and summer diet

  • Sap and ants

Fall and winter diet

  • Sap and fruit on wintering grounds

Best feeder foods

  • Suet

Sapsucker wells feed hummingbirds too; Ruby-throats often follow them north in spring.

Which feeder works best for yellow-bellied sapsuckers →

Where yellow-bellied sapsuckers need winter food

Regions where yellow-bellied sapsuckers are present in the cold months:

AlabamaArkansasConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIndianaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMarylandMississippiMissouriNew JerseyNorth CarolinaOhioOklahomaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVirginiaWest Virginia

Frequently asked

What do yellow-bellied sapsuckers eat?

Tree sap from neat rows of wells, plus insects caught at the wells.

What is the best food to feed yellow-bellied sapsuckers?

Suet.

What do yellow-bellied sapsuckers eat in winter?

Sap and fruit on wintering grounds.

Sources

  1. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  2. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  3. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker — Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.