Related to both woodpeckers and sapsuckers, the Northern Flicker could be mistaken for just a large brown woodpecker. This species shows different colorations in the eastern part of the continent (Yellow-shafted Flicker) and the west (Red-shafted Flicker), each distinguished by a flash of color in the wings when it takes to flight; both have a patch of white on the rump. Nonetheless, since these birds interbreed where their ranges overlap, they are considered the same species (Northern Flicker). Hybrid coloring is common in these areas.
Description of the Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker
The Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker, known in the Eastern U.S., has completely yellow tail and underwings, with both retricies and primary feathers having yellow shafts. Both sexes are distinctly identified by the red crescent on the nape of the neck, not present on the western (red-shafted) variety. The head and neck are gray, and the face, chin, and throat are brown, with the male also having a broad black patch starting on each side of the lower beak and down along the side of the throat. In juveniles, the contrast of the brown and black on the face is less distinct.
All varieties of these large birds may have a body length from 10-13 inches and a wingspan from 18-21 inches. The Flicker sports a brown back and wings with black bars. They have a broad black necklace-shaped crescent across the beige upper chest, and the beige belly is heavily spotted with black. The white rump can be seen in flight, and the tail is dark above. The eastern and western varieties differ by the yellow or red wing shafts.
Feeding Behavior and Diet
Unusual for woodpeckers, Flickers are primarily ground feeders, but also feed in trees. When they visit backyard bird feeders, their brown and black scalloped coloring may be mistaken for the ubiquitous Mourning Dove. But the head shape and coloring sets them apart. They are most often seen alone, where doves routinely feed in pairs.
Single Flickers are usually spotted in open areas bordered by woods, occasionally lunching on berries and fruit, but primarily eating beetles or emptying lawns of ant nests. The insect diet of Flickers is crucial to the control of many insect pests, especially ants, wood borers, beetles, grasshoppers, and aphids that plague humans as well as their favored hardwoods. Ants make up nearly half of their diets and their “ant acid” is used in preening to kill and prevent bird mites.
Flicker Calls
A Flicker’s call sounds almost like a horse whinnying, a cackle in fast succession of loud eey, eey, eey, eey. In humid weather, they also blurt out loud screeches periodically, sounding like “klee-yer”, and may drum on trees to declare their territory.
Mating and Nesting
Flickers compete for nesting areas, and may excavate dead tree cavities up to 100 feet in the air. Their populations are dwindling due to loss of habitat and because they are often driven out of their newly made nests by the aggressive European starlings. Starlings bear considerable responsibility for the decline in Flicker populations, and that of many other woodpeckers in the U.S.
If able to successfully nest, Flickers lay 3 to 12 white eggs. Both parents incubate and raise the young, which hatch in about 10-12 days. They develop quickly and fledge in about 26 days. In late summer, a nest may sometimes be pinpointed by the incessant squawking of the hungry nestlings.
Migration Between Canada and the U.S.
One of the few woodpeckers that migrate, Northern Flickers are native to most of North America, some areas of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands. Both varieties may migrate from Canada to the lower 48 states in the winter, while some remain as year-round residents in southern areas. It is the state bird of Alabama under one of its many other names, the Yellowhammer. Banding research indicates this species lives up to 12 years in the wild.
References:
Birds of North America
All About Birds Cornell University Web Site
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Marie Thomas - Marie Thomas (RieT) is an author in multiple genres, with 18 years in technical writing, and freelance work in science, biographical, and ...
