General Description: Red-breasted Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus ruber) are small woodpeckers with a red head and mostly black back. Shoulder and rump with bold white patches. Entire head red. Sexes alike, but juvenile plumage is brown.

Favored Habitat: Coniferous and mixed forests.

Where to Find: Don't look for Red-breasted Sapsuckers around Las Vegas; rather, look for them in the mountains of California and in mountain ranges along the Pacific Coast. For hikers, watch for this species in Sequoia and Yosemite national parks.

Comments: Sapsuckers drill shallow holes in tree trunks that are lined up in orderly rows. The tree tries to sap over the hole, and insects are attracted to the sap. Later, the sapsucker comes back, eats the bugs, and tops off the meal with a drink of sweet sap.