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One Of The Most Interesting Things About Flickers

Northern Flicker (male)

Northern Flicker (male) photo by Mark Schmitt

These beautiful Red-shafted Northern Flickers have been abundant around my yard lately.  Flickers are members of the woodpecker family and, as you can see from these photos, they are grayish brown with black bars on the back with spotted underparts and a white rump, conspicuous in flight.  They also have a black, cresent shaped bib.  This red-shafted variety has red patches in their wings that are obvious in flight.  The yellow-shafted variety, commonly found east of the Rockies, has yellow patches.

The male Red-shafted Northern Flicker has a red mustache stripe, the male Yellow-shafted has a black mustache stripe.  The female (below) is without a mustache stripe.

Northern Flicker (female)

Northern Flicker (female) photo by Mark Schmitt

The Northern Flicker is 11 – 12 inches long, has a wingspan of 17 – 20 inches and weighs 3 3/4 to 5 1/2 ounces.  They are common in open woodlands and suburban areas.  They nest in a cavity in a tree or post, which they excavate themselves, but will also nest in manmade birdhouses.  It takes about 1 to 2 weeks for them to build their nest which is built by both parents.  Abandoned flicker nests create habitat for other cavity nesters as well.   To watch this male flicker excavatiing his nest click the arrow below.

To hear the Northern Flicker’s call double click the arrow below.

[audio:http://www.buildyourownbirdhouseplans.com/audio/Flicker.mp3]

So, by now you’re probably wondering what the most interesting thing about these flickers is?  The Northern Flicker is the only woodpecker that frequently feeds on the ground.  As a matter of fact, ants are there favorite food.  They have a long, barbed tongue that they use to lap up the ants that can make up 45% of their diet!

Northern Flickers take part in an interesting behavior called “anting”.  Anting is the act of birds rubbing insects on their feathers (usually ants) which secrete liquids containing chemicals such as formic acid, that can act as an insecticide, miticide, fungicide or bactericide.  They actually do this as part of their preening!

Keep a sharp lookout for those Northern Flickers on the ground and perhaps you can catch them “anting”!

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Sally Strole January 21, 2011, 10:07 am

    I had a flicker land on my finch feeder hanging on my front porch. What a surprise he was eating the finch food.
    I also saw two flickers on an oak tree last summer that were doing some kind of a ritual, they would bob their heads back and forth facing each other and making a strange noise. We live in the city.

  • Steve C April 3, 2011, 8:50 am

    Saw a beautiful Northern Flicker at my water hole.First time I’ve seen this bird in my yard.It had a red patch on the back of it’s neck and the black bib on it’s breast and the rest of the normal markings.What an awesome looking bird!