Northern Flicker
The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a large woodpecker that ranges from 12.75 to 14 inches in length. They have a wingspan from 19 to 21 inches and weigh just under 5 ounces. They have brown backs and wings with dark barring, a black crescent-shaped bib, buff to grayish underparts with heavy spotting, and a white rump patch. Female Northern Flickers look like the males but they lack the black mustache marking. They are typically found in open areas where they feed on the ground searching for ants to eat.
There are two separate geographical groups of these birds and they were considered distinct species until the 1980s. In the East and Northwest you'll find "yellow-shafted" flickers that have yellow under the wings and tail and a black mustache. In the West, you'll find the "red-shafted" form that has red-orange coloration under the wings and tail as well as a red mustache. The red-shafted form also tends to show a different color pattern on its head that is essentially the reverse of the yellow-shafted (gray face and brown forehead, crown, and nape without the red crescent pattern seen on the yellow-shafted form). The yellow-shafted form is common and the red-shafted form is fairly common to common. They are both thought to be declining due to the European Starling that successfully competes for nest sites.
Northern Flickers typically have 1 brood of young per year but they may have a second brood in the south. They nest in snags, posts, buildings, nest boxes, and banks and lay between 3 and 12 white, oval eggs about 1.1" by 0.8." The incubation is between 11 and 16 days and is done by both the male and female.
The call note of the Northern Flicker is a loud "Cl-eear." In breeding season, the song can be heard. It sounds like "wick-er, wick-er, wick-er."
There are two separate geographical groups of these birds and they were considered distinct species until the 1980s. In the East and Northwest you'll find "yellow-shafted" flickers that have yellow under the wings and tail and a black mustache. In the West, you'll find the "red-shafted" form that has red-orange coloration under the wings and tail as well as a red mustache. The red-shafted form also tends to show a different color pattern on its head that is essentially the reverse of the yellow-shafted (gray face and brown forehead, crown, and nape without the red crescent pattern seen on the yellow-shafted form). The yellow-shafted form is common and the red-shafted form is fairly common to common. They are both thought to be declining due to the European Starling that successfully competes for nest sites.
Northern Flickers typically have 1 brood of young per year but they may have a second brood in the south. They nest in snags, posts, buildings, nest boxes, and banks and lay between 3 and 12 white, oval eggs about 1.1" by 0.8." The incubation is between 11 and 16 days and is done by both the male and female.
The call note of the Northern Flicker is a loud "Cl-eear." In breeding season, the song can be heard. It sounds like "wick-er, wick-er, wick-er."
Northern Flicker Song - Mark A. Dunaway
Northern Flicker Call - Mark A. Dunaway