The story of the bird
Of the three sapsucker species, the Red-breasted is the most colourfully dramatic. Sphyrapicus ruber carries red not just on the crown or throat but across the entire head and breast - an unbroken wash of deep crimson that makes the black-and-white barring of the back seem almost restrained by comparison. It is the sapsucker of the Pacific Coast, the one birders encounter in the fir and hemlock forests from Alaska to Baja California.
The field identification is straightforward. The all-red head and breast set it apart from the Red-naped Sapsucker (which shows distinct red patches on forehead and nape with white and black separating them) and from the Yellow-bellied (which has a red crown and throat but white cheeks). The Red-breasted simply has more red - most of the anterior surface of the bird - and it glows in the filtered light of Pacific rainforest in a way that seems disproportionate to the bird’s actual size.
The sap wells it drills are the signature of its presence before the bird itself is found. Rows of small rectangular holes in alder, willow, and fruit trees; the wells glistening with sap; hummingbirds hovering to feed from them. The Rufous Hummingbird, in particular, tracks the Red-breasted Sapsucker’s movements north in spring, timing its migration to the wells the woodpecker opens in the trees ahead.
A bird of the conifer coast, the Red-breasted Sapsucker is a Pacific species that eastern birders travel specifically to find. This print brings it east.
Paper and finish
Available in three sizes on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308gsm - archival cotton, acid-free, matte finish. Printed by Prodigi using pigment inks rated 100+ years under display conditions. Also available as a high-resolution digital download at $9.
| Size | Unframed | Framed |
|---|---|---|
| 8 × 10 in | $39 | $99 |
| 16 × 20 in | $69 | $149 |
| 24 × 30 in | $99 | $199 |
Framed prints are glazed, no mat. Frame colours: black, white or natural.
