Tap, tap, tap!

The bird, a sapsucker,
tapped a hole in a tree,
then licked the
tree sap that oozed out.

Could this be food
for hungry hummingbirds?

A young nonfiction picture book illustrated by Gay W. Holland. This story follows a young hummingbird as it tests out various food sources, sometimes with humorous results. Includes the sapsucker connection.

Special Author Note: Can you see what’s wrong with the bird in my book, The Hungry Hummingbird? We can. We just wish we’d caught the mistake before the book went to press. I intended the book to be about a young Ruby-throated Hummingbird in August of its first year. But the illustrations show how it would look as a grown up. In August of their first year, juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, male or female, have pale throats. Later on, the male hummingbirds develop their red throat feathers. In fact, young Ruby throated Hummingbirds look a lot like adult female Ruby-throated hummingbirds. To find out more about identifying hummingbirds in all stages of life, check a field guide to birds.  In the meantime, look closely at those hummingbirds, even if they’re a blur. You can enjoy the hummingbird’s story, now that you know the facts.