It was considered to belong to the same species for some time, so differences in behavior have not been studied much until recently. A very close relative of the Yellow-bellied and Red-naped sapsuckers, replacing them on the Pacific slope. Red-breasted Sapsucker … A medium-sized woodpecker, the red-breasted sapsucker was formerly considered the same species as the yellow-bellied sapsucker and the red-naped sapsucker, but all of these birds have now been split into distinct species in the Picidae bird family. Red-naped Sapsuckers are industrious woodpeckers with a taste for sugar. The presence of sap wells is a good indication that they are around, but so are their harsh wailing cries and stuttered drumming. They drill neat little rows of holes in aspen, birch, and willow to lap up the sugary sap that flows out. Red-breasted Sapsucker … The Red-breasted Sapsucker is a denizen of the coniferous forests of the northern Pacific Coast, usually found at middle or lower elevations. The Red-breasted Sapsucker is a denizen of the coniferous forests of the northern Pacific Coast, usually found at middle or lower elevations.