Northern Flicker

Description:

The Northern Flicker is a common woodpecker found in North America. They come in two different colors--the Yellow Shafted Flicker is found in the northern and eastern regions, while the Red Shafted Flicker is found in the West. This is a medium to large bird, 11-12 inches tall, with a wingspan of 17 to 20 inches. They weigh between 3.88 and 5.65 ounces.

The color of Northern Flickers is grayish-brown with a black crescent shape on the chest. They are barred on top and spotted down below. The yellow or red wing is easy to see in flight. The male bird has a red or black mustache stripe while the female either has none at all or a brown one.

Diet:

Northern Flickers are one of very few woodpeckers that find their food on the ground-- in this case, they eat ants. They will also consider eating seeds and fruits if necessary. They love to eat ants, which are their favorite food and would rather find their food on the ground, and while they will eat fruits or seeds in a pinch, the Flicker is rarely seen feeding at bird feeders. They dig the ants out of the dirt and lap them up with their long tongues.

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Nesting Habits:

Flickers make their nests in dead trees by digging a hole. The different colored Flickers do breed with one another so you might see an offspring that has varying degrees of these two colors. On occasion they will also mate with a Gilded Flicker, with the Gilded Flicker considered to be a species on its own. Northern Flickers have clutches with anywhere from 3 to 12 white eggs.

More Information:

They can be found in open areas, such as woodlands, on the edge of the forest and is also common in urban areas. The species breeds across all of North America from Alaska down through northern Canada and the United States, as far south as Central America and Cuba. The Red Shafted Northern Flicker breeds from Alaska south to the western part of North Dakota and Colorado, and then south into Mexico. They spend winters in areas of southern Canada and southward from there.

Their song sounds like wik-wik-wik or wik-a-wik-a-wik-a with a single "peah" on the end. Although the bird likes to forage on the ground, you still can find them hammering on trunks of trees.

Of particular note is the fact that the Yellow Shafted Flicker is the State Bird of Alabama, although it goes by its local name of Yellowhammer. According to history, in the Civil War, Confederate troops from Huntsville, Alabama joined the war with yellow-trimmed uniforms and were jokingly referred to as yellowhammers.

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Northern Flickers interesting to watch feed on the ground. Unfortunately not everyone gets to see them. If you are fortunate enough to see them in your yard please tell us about them.

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