Large woodpecker with a black bib and spotted belly. Males in the East have a red nape, a black whisker, and yellow shafts on the flight and tail feathers.
Males in the West have a red whisker while those in the East have a black whisker. The upperparts are mostly brownish-gray with black barring. White rump sometimes visible while perched.
A large woodpecker with black barring on the back, a spotted belly, and a black band across the breast. Male "Red-shafted" Northern Flicker has a gray face with a red whisker. Frequently seen on the ground.
In flight note the white rump patch. Birds in the East flash yellow shafts on the flight feathers and tail.
In flight, its white rump contrasts with the rest of the plumage. Individuals in the West have red shafts to the flight feathers and tail that are usually obvious in flight.
In spring and summer, rivals may face off with bills pointed upward in a display sometimes called a "fencing duel." The "Yellow-shafted" Northern Flicker has a tan face with a gray crown. Both "Yellow-shafted" and "Red-shafted" females lack males' facial whiskers.
Shows a bold white rump in flight.
The red underside of the tail can be obvious from certain angles on perched birds. Note the red whisker on males in the West.
Male "Yellow-shafted" Northern Flicker has black facial whiskers (as opposed to the red whiskers of male "Red-shafted"). In addition to their terrestrial foraging habits, Northern Flickers also dust bathe and "ant"—intentionally smear ants over their feathers—on the ground.
Regularly forages on the ground.
Found in a wide variety of both open and wooded habitats.
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Flickers are fairly large woodpeckers with a slim, rounded head, slightly downcurved bill, and long, flared tail that tapers to a point.
Larger than a Hairy Woodpecker and smaller than a Pileated Woodpecker.
between robin and crowOrnithologists recognize four Northern Flicker subspecies groups: "Yellow-shafted," "Red-shafted," "Cuban," and "Grand Cayman Island." The "Yellow-shafted" group occurs in the eastern U.S. to Texas and the Great Plains and extends across the boreal forest of Canada to central Alaska. The "Red-shafted" group ranges across western North America from southern Alaska to Oaxaca, Mexico. The key difference between these two groups is the color of the flight-feather shafts, which are either a lemon yellow or a rosy red. "Yellow-shafted" Northern Flicker has a tan face, gray crown, and red crescent on the nape. The male has a black mustache stripe. "Red-shafted" Northern Flicker has a gray face, brown crown, and no nape crescent. The male shows a red mustache stripe. Hybrids look intermediate and are common at the edges of these two groups’ ranges. The "Cuban" and "Grand Cayman Island" groups are restricted to their respective namesake islands. These two groups, both highly arboreal, are similar in appearance to the "Yellow-shafted" group.
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