Yellow-bellied sapsuckers nest in a large cavity excavated in a live deciduous tree, often choosing one that has rotten heartwood; a suitable tree may be reused. It especially prefers "Populus tremuloides" trees that have conks of "Fomes fomentarius" var. "populinus". Other trees in the genus "Populus" and those in the genus "Betula" are popular choices. A study in northern Canada found that the yellow-bellied sapsucker nested in trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ranging anywhere from , with an average DBH of about for nestling trees, compared to the average DBH in the area of about . A study in the northeastern United States, however, concluded that this sapsucker has a search image for trees with the ideal attributes; one of these attributes was having a DBH of . The study also concluded that a deviance from this search image can be caused by the rarity of the trees that fulfill such criteria.