Calls
- Kyeer calls, wick-a call, "pileated" call, drum
Recorded by William W. H. Gunn, Arthur A. Allen, David S. Herr
- Rolling rattle call (territorial): wik-wik wik
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller
Oregon April 2002
- Kyeer call
Recorded by Curtis A. Marantz
California June 2005
- Wicka call
Recorded by Thomas G. Sander
California April 1988
Courtesy of Macaulay Library
© Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Northern Flickers make a loud, rolling rattle with a piercing tone that rises and falls in volume several times. The call lasts 7 or 8 seconds and is quite similar to the call of the Pileated Woodpecker. You’ll hear it in the spring and early summer, while pairs are forming and birds are establishing their territories. Flickers also make a loud single-note call, often sounding like kyeer, about a half-second long. When birds are close together and displaying they may make a quiet, rhythmic wick-a, wick-a call.
Other
Male and female Northern Flickers make a loud, evenly spaced, rapid drumming sound by hammering against trees or metal objects. You can often see a drumming bird pause, move its head just an inch or so away, and then begin drumming again with a very different quality of sound. Flicker drumming lasts about a second, during which the bird strikes the tree around 25 times. Drumming in woodpeckers takes the place of singing in songbirds.
Backyard Tips
Northern Flickers don’t habitually visit bird feeders, but you can find them in backyards and at bird baths. If your backyard has a mixture of trees and open ground, or if it’s near woods, you may find Northern Flickers simply by walking around the wooded edges.
Find This Bird
To find Northern Flickers, try walking through open woods or forest edges, but scan the ground. You may flush a flicker from a feeding spot up into a nearby tree. Look for the obvious white rump patch in flight. Also, be sure to listen for their loud, ringing call and their piercing yelp. In late summer, listen for the incessant yammering of hungry nestlings to find a nest.
Get Involved
Watch your feeders in winter and report your counts of birds to Project FeederWatch
Report your Northern Flicker sightings to eBird
Are you watching Northern Flickers in a city? Participate in art, cultural, and science activities through Celebrate Urban Birds!