Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus 
Woodpecker family (Picidae)

Medium-sized woodpecker, 10 ½” long. White rump and yellow shafts of feathers under wings conspicuous in flight. Undulating (wavelike) flight pattern. Brown- and black-barred back and wings, whitish breast with black spots, wide black “necklace”, red patch on nape, gray crown. Male (shown in image) – black “mustache”. Female (not shown) – no mustache.

Habitat:
Open woodlands, forest edges.

Nesting:
Cavity nester. Excavates nest cavity in tree or post. Eggs are white. Clutch size – 6 to 7 eggs.

Voice:

Loud series of “kek” notes, “kek kek kek kek”.  Call is similar to Pileated Woodpecker but Flicker’s notes are monotonic and all on one pitch whereas Pileated notes are richer and vary in pitch.  Also a descending “kee-oo”. 

Name Origin:

“Flicker”, Anglo-Saxon, flicerian, for “fluttering of birds”. Colaptes, Greek, kolapto, “to peck with the bill”; auratus, Latin for “golden”.

In the Nature Park:
Year-round resident. Occurs in open areas more than in the deep woods.

Photos: