sapsucker

American  

[sap-suhk-er] / ˈsæpˌsʌk ər /

noun

1. any of several American woodpeckers of the genus Sphyrapicus that drill holes in maple, apple, hemlock, etc., drinking the sap and eating the insects that gather there.

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sapsucker British  

/ ˈsæpˌsʌkə /

noun

1. either of two North American woodpeckers, Sphyrapicus varius or S. thyroideus, that have white wing patches and feed on the sap from trees

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Etymology

Origin of sapsucker

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; sap ¹ + sucker

Example Sentences

On the front wall, a pair of Bullock’s orioles feeds three chicks, and a red-breasted sapsucker feeds two.

From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 2022

The area is home to woodpeckers like the red-breasted sapsucker and songbirds like the black-headed grosbeak, which whistles its warbled song in the shade.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 15, 2021

Their final haul: six downy woodpeckers, one yellow-bellied sapsucker, one northern flicker, one pale-billed woodpecker, and one lineated woodpecker.

From Science Magazine • Feb. 2, 2018

It takes a search to track down the Williamson’s sapsucker, bigger than life, down by the West Side Highway.

From New York Times • Oct. 24, 2017

Sometimes he acted like the original yellow-bellied sapsucker.

From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson