Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Raising Young

If ever there was a species which defied the notion that males don’t participate enough in raising their offspring, it would be yellow-bellied sapsuckers.  Without fail, the male parent keeps up with his mate in numbers of visits to their nesting hole, as well as the amount of food  he collects and brings to the nest. He also partakes in nest cleansing.  Often, when the male and female of a species’ plumage is similar, as in woodpeckers, you will find that that they share rearing responsibilities.  The young of cavity nesters mature more slowly than open-nesters because their nest site is safer.  They also leave the nest at a relatively later stage of development, when they can fly well, even though they have no room to practice flapping their wings.

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