Meet the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)! This woodpecker has a wide range across North America and is known for its appetite for sap.

The clever bird excavates spots in the surface of trees, known as “sap wells,” where liquid that drips from higher up in the tree gathers for convenient consumption. It doesn’t “set it and forget it” either; this bird works the wells to ensure their sap-collecting efficiency and also protects them from competitors, including fellow sapsuckers.

Photo: Tom Murray, CC BY-NC 2.0, flickr

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