Northern Flicker

The Northern Flicker is a large, distinctively patterned woodpecker unlike most others in North America, with brown barring across its back rather than the bold black-and-white pattern typical of the group. It is also unusual among woodpeckers for spending much of its time foraging on the ground.

Two regional forms exist across the continent: the "yellow-shafted" form in the east, with bright yellow flight-feather shafts and underwings, and the "red-shafted" form in the west, with salmon-red shafts. These forms intergrade where their ranges meet in the Great Plains.

Its feathers are unmistakable once the shaft color is examined, as no other common North American woodpecker shows such brightly colored feather shafts and underwing linings.

Size and Shape

Large, sturdy flight and tail feathers typical of a large woodpecker.

Color and Pattern

• Back feathers are brown with black barring, unlike the black-and-white pattern of most other woodpeckers.
• Underside feathers are buff with bold black spotting, and a black crescent-shaped bib crosses the upper breast.
• Flight feather shafts and the underwing/undertail linings are brilliant yellow in eastern ("yellow-shafted") birds or salmon-red in western ("red-shafted") birds; this shaft color is the single best feather-level identifier.
• A white rump patch flashes in flight.

Comparisons

No other common North American woodpecker shows brown barring on the back combined with brightly colored feather shafts, making the Northern Flicker's feathers distinctive even from a fragment showing just the shaft color.

Yellow-shafted birds (eastern) have a gray crown, brown face, and a red crescent on the nape; red-shafted birds (western) have a brown crown, gray face, and lack the nape crescent. Males of both forms show a mustache stripe (black in yellow-shafted, red in red-shafted) that females lack. Juveniles resemble adults. One complete molt occurs annually.

Northern Flickers are found across nearly all of North America in open woodland edges, parks, and lawns rather than dense forest. Many populations, especially in the north, are migratory, while others in milder climates are resident year-round.

Unusual among woodpeckers, flickers forage extensively on the ground for ants and other insects. Their flight is undulating, showing a flash of the white rump and colorful underwings. Calls include a loud "wick-wick-wick" and drumming on resonant surfaces. They excavate nest cavities in dead wood or utility poles. A brown-barred feather with a bright yellow or salmon-red shaft is a strong match for this species.