Main Species
Northern Flicker
Male (Yellow-shafted)
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.
© Warren Lynn | Macaulay LibraryIndiana, January 15, 2014Male (Red-shafted)
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.
© David Wade | Macaulay LibraryColorado, March 14, 2017Female (Yellow-shafted)
Often sits sideways on branches, unlike other woodpeckers. Note yellow underside of tail; "Yellow-shafted" females lack the black mustache mark of males.
© Timothy Barksdale | Macaulay LibraryArkansas, December 07, 2004Male (intergrade)
Intergrade individuals usually have a mixture of the plumage markings of Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted birds.
© Alan Versaw | Macaulay LibraryColorado, May 03, 2017Female (Guatemalan)
Residents in Guatemala have a brown crown and whisker stripe. Red undertail is visible from some angles.
© Alfonso Auerbach | Macaulay LibraryFrancisco Morazán, March 18, 2017Male (Red-shafted)
Main call is a loud, rolling rattle with a piercing tone that lasts 7 or 8 seconds. Male "Red-shafted" form has red mustache stripe.
© DAVID BROWN | Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 15, 2009Female (Yellow-shafted)
Females have a peachy-brown face, a gray crown and nape, and a red spot on the nape. Buffy underparts densely spotted with black.
© David Disher | Macaulay LibraryNorth Carolina, February 13, 2015Male (Yellow-shafted)
In flight note the white rump patch. Birds in the East flash yellow shafts on the flight feathers and tail.
© Chris Wood | Macaulay LibraryColorado, October 03, 2015Female (Red-shafted)
A main food source is ants, and flickers often forage on the ground for them. Female "Red-shafted" form has a gray face and lacks both a red crescent on the nape and a mustache stripe. This video has no audio.
© Timothy Barksdale | Macaulay LibraryMontana, April 01, 2000Female (Red-shafted)
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.
© Kathleen Kent | Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, May 09, 2017Male (Red-shafted)
The red underside of the tail can be obvious from certain angles on perched birds. Note the red whisker on males in the West.
© Matt Davis | Macaulay LibraryNevada, October 08, 2015Male (Red-shafted)
"Red-shafted" form has pink-red in tail and wing feathers. Males have red mustache stripe. May feed vertically on tree trunks like other woodpeckers; often feeds from the ground on ants.
© Timothy Barksdale | Macaulay LibraryMontana, January 01, 2000Male (Yellow-shafted)
Regularly forages on the ground.
© Ian Davies | Macaulay LibraryIowa, October 12, 2016Female (Red-shafted)
Found in a wide variety of both open and wooded habitats.
© abbi gomersall | Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, December 11, 2016