Gilded Flicker Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A fairly large, stout-bodied woodpecker with a long, pointed bill that curves slightly downward.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Gila Woodpecker, slightly smaller than a Northern Flicker.

  between robin and crow

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 11.0 in (28 cm)
    • Weight: 3.3-4.5 oz (92-129 g)
    • Wingspan: 19.7-20.5 in (50-52 cm)

  © David Hollie / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  A pale brown and gray woodpecker with a large black crescent on the chest, bold spots on the breast, finely barred back, and cinnamon crown. The white rump is prominent in flight. Flight feathers and underwing coverts are vivid yellow; males have a red malar (mustache) mark.

• Behavior

  Gilded Flickers forage on the ground extensively, picking up ants and probing in anthills. They nest in giant cacti in the Sonoran Desert, less often in trees.
• Habitat

  Extensive stands of giant cactus, especially saguaro, as well as desert washes with cottonwood and willow.