Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Trend justification
This species has disappeared from parts of its former range, possibly owing to loss of suitable feeding and nesting trees (del Hoyo et al. 2002).
Text account compilers
Ekstrom, J., Butchart, S.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/yellow-bellied-sapsucker-sphyrapicus-varius on 18/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 18/12/2024.