Northern Flicker – Piciformes Picidae Colaptes auratus

Identification & Description:
• Medium to large woodpecker
• Grayish brown back and wings barred with black
• Barred on top, spotted below.
• Black crescent on upper breast
• Beige breast and belly spotted heavily with black
• White rump, conspicuous in flight.
• Tail dark above
• Two color forms, formerly separate species
• Yellow or red patches in wings obvious in flight.
• Size: 28-31 cm (11-12 in)
• Wingspan: 42-51 cm (17-20 in)
• Weight: 110-160 g (3.88-5.65 ounces)

“Yellow-shafted”
• Breeds in eastern United States and Canada
• Tail and underwings are entirely yellow below, and retricies and primaries have yellow shafts
• Red crescent on nape
• Gray cap and nape
• Tan face, chin, and throat
• Adult male has black whisker

“Red-shafted”
• Breeds in western United States and Canada
• Tail and underwings are entirely red below, and retricies and primaries have red shafts
• Brown crown
• Gray face
• Adult male has red whisker

Similar species:
The Gilded Flicker can be told from the “Red-shafted Flicker” by its yellow underwings and from the “Yellow-shafted Flicker” by its lack of red at the rear of the head, pale brown cap and pale gray face, a paler brown back, and the male sports a red rather than black whisker.

Sex Differences
Male with black or red mustache stripe.
Female without mustache stripe, or with brown one.

Life History Groupings
• Migration Status: Short distance migrant
• Nest Type: Cavity
• Clutch Size: 3-10
• Length of Incubation: 11-14 days
• Days to Fledge: 25-28
• Number of Broods: 1, 2 in south
• Diet:
Mostly: Insects
Lesser Quantities of: Fruit

Facts
• Although it can climb up the trunks of trees and hammer on wood like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to find food on the ground. Ants are its favorite food, and the flicker digs in the dirt to find them. It uses its long barbed tongue to lap up the ants.

• The red-shafted and yellow-shafted forms of the Northern Flicker formerly were considered different species. The two forms hybridize extensively in a wide zone from Alaska to the panhandle of Texas. A hybrid often has some traits from each of the two forms and some traits that are intermediate between them. The Red-shafted Flicker also hybridizes with the Gilded Flicker, but less frequently, and the Gilded Flicker is considered a separate species.

• The Northern Flicker is one of the few North American woodpeckers that is strongly migratory. Flickers in the northern parts of the range move south for the winter, although a few individuals often stay rather far north.

Other Names
Pic flamboyant (French)
Carpintero alirrojo, Pic-palo lombricero (Red-shafted Flicker) (Spanish)

The northern flicker is a member of the woodpecker family, Picidae, in the order Piciformes, and is classified as Colaptes auratus.

Northern Flicker, common name for a woodpecker found throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The northern flicker was once considered to be two distinct species, the red-shafted flicker and the yellow-shafted flicker. These names refer to the feathers beneath the wings that are only truly noticeable when it is flying overhead. Further studies have shown that they are actually two races of the same species. The yellow-shafted race of the northern flicker is the state bird of Alabama.

The northern flicker is a medium-sized woodpecker, measuring about 32 cm (about 12.5 in) from beak to tail. Both sexes are brown on top, with broad black barring, a buff underside with black spots, and a conspicuous white rump visible only in flight. The male has a red or black mustache stripe on the side of his head. The northern flicker flies in a repeating up and down pattern. It feeds primarily on insects, especially ants. Unlike most woodpeckers, the northern flicker obtains much of its food from foraging on the ground.

During courtship, the male northern flicker will flash his wings, drum on various objects, and call in a loud voice, wicka-wicka-wicka-wicka. The male and female hollow out a hole in a tree for the nest. The female lays five to eight white eggs. Both parents take turns incubating, or warming, the eggs by sitting on them for about two weeks until they hatch. They bring food to the young, who first fly three to four weeks after hatching.