General Description: Red-naped Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) are small woodpeckers with black-and-white on the back, but not clearly barred like a Ladder-back Woodpecker. Shoulder with a bold white patch. Top of head, throat, and nape with red. Female has a white chin (less red on throat than male). Faint wash of yellow on the breast and belly.

Juvenile plumage is lost during the first fall, so they go into their first winter looking like a scruffy adult.

Favored Habitat: Canyons with oak, cottonwood, and other trees. Also mountains and occasionally suburban yards with fruit trees.

Where to Find: Around Las Vegas, Red-naped Sapsuckers can be found in the mountains and in desert areas with trees. The easiest places to see them are Red Rock Canyon NCA (Calico Basin Picnic Area, Willow Springs Picnic Area, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, Blue Diamond town) and Floyd Lamb Park on the northwest edge of town.

Comments: Sapsuckers drill orderly rows of shallow holes on tree trunks. Trees respond to the bark injury by extruding sap, which attracts and traps insects. When the sapsucker returns, it can eat the bugs and some of the sap.