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Northern Flicker - (Colaptes auratus)
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On December 18th and 19th, 2010 the Northern
Flicker stayed longer, enjoying Bark Butter
(from Wild Birds Unlimited in Saratoga, NY). We
had recently drilled holes in several stout
branches (some with useful offshoots) and
stuffed them for our loyal friends and
occasional visitors. The fact that birds take
time to enjoy this treat, while giving us more
camera focusing time is a win/win event.
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December 10 and 11,
2010 - The Northern Flicker was back in our
yard trying out regular feeders instead of
wooden window frames. He struggled to eat a
suet ring from a dinner bell feeder much better
suited to chickadees and nuthatches. He
looked so uncomfortable. This feeder sometimes
seems awkward for even a hairy woodpecker to
manipulate and he ranges 3 to 4.5 inches smaller
than the flicker. If a food is a favorite, most
birds try very hard to adapt to the feeder!
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Northern Flicker on a Dinner Bell Feeder
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October 11, 2010 - We had not seen the Northern
Flicker since
October 2008, when we took some really great
fall pictures of our ant eating friend. Here he
is shown hammering on a back window frame early
in the morning. Sure hope we don't have ants
there. I would have missed even this visit, if
he hadn't knocked as woodpeckers do for bug
treats and not really for attention.
We have never seen more than one of these birds
at a time. It almost seems like a very random
visit and he just happens upon our feeders. I
say "he" because we also have never seen a
female. She is very like him, except like most
females, she doesn't have the black mustache
that the male sports.
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The northern flicker is named
for one of his calls, a repetitive "flick-a,
flick-a". Another theory proposed is flicker
may be referring to the flash and flutter the
white wing spots make as the bird flies fast
from tree to tree.
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"Colaptes" is Greek and means chiseler
(chiseling and pecking wood to find insects, to
excavate nests and to communicate). "Auratus"
is Latin for golden (yellow color of underwings).
The older bird books may have used the names
yellow flicker, yellow-shafted flicker, or
common flicker. Alabama picked the
"yellowhammer" for their state bird.
Ornithologists have changed this bird's name
numerous times from yellow-shafted, to common,
back to yellow-shafted and currently to northern
flicker.
Over one hundred other local names have been
noted for this bird which is non-migratory over
much of continental US and parts of Mexico.
The northern flicker can also be found in Canada
and Alaska in the summer. Birds can be
named for numerous reasons: location,
description, traits in common, first person to
take notice, and as an imitation of the birds'
song or call. Most of the old, odd names
for the northern flicker fall in the latter
category- wake-up, wick-up, yarrup.
The northern flicker differs from other
woodpeckers in areas even beyond not having
"woodpecker" in his name- the flicker migrates,
forages on the ground, eats more vegetation,
more likely to use nest boxes, and excavates in
decaying or dying wood (as opposed to live
trees) due to beak differences and no feathered
nostrils .
Our first sighting of the northern flicker
was on our side maple tree. He was calling and
drumming happily on April 15. Peanut suet
and ant hills were also a draw for him that day.
We saw him return on April 29 and finally on
June 2, 2008 where on those days he searched the
backyard lawn for bug yummies.
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We took some beautiful photos
when the northern flicker returned on October
2nd. He ate peanut suet, and insects in our
trees and on our lawn.
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Size:
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Length:
12.5-14 in
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Weight: 4.6 oz |
Wingspan: 20 in |
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ID:
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Male:
Light brown head with gray cap and red crescent on back
of cap; black mustache; buffy white under parts with numerous,
heavy black spots and chevrons; grayish brown back, wings and
tail with many black bars and dashes; underside of wings and
tail show
yellow (Eastern- yellow shafted-but Western- red shafted shows
pale red); black, crescent bib; white rump seen only in flight;
gray beak long and pointed; gray feet zygodactylous (feet with
two toes forward and two facing back)
Female: Same as male without the mustache
Juvenile: Same as adult of the same
sex
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Habitat:
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Open woodlands, farms, residential areas with mature
deciduous trees
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Diet:
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Forages ground for insects (especially ants); captures flying
insects (unusual in a woodpecker); fruit and berries (mostly in
winter); will eat
suet
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits:Monogamous; solitary nester; drum on trees to
establish breeding territory; 1 brood per year; lost clutches
replaced (indeterminate egg layer)
Local Breeding Period: Late April
Nests:Males select site in tree trunks, posts, poles or nesting
boxes; most of excavation done by male; may reuse nest again;
wood chips used
Eggs: 5-8 plain, glossy white eggs; laid daily; incubation
11-14 days by female during the day and male at night
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless, naked, eyes closed) and
stay in nest 25-28 days; both parents feed by regurgitation
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Social Activities:
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Only woodpecker to regularly feed on the ground instead of
trees
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Range:
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From tree line in Canada and Alaska, across US to gulf
states, Mexico and Cuba; migrates from northern areas
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Vocalization:
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Loud, repetitious, squeaky wik, wik, wik, etc. followed by
drumming on a tree trunk in
breeding season; call is loud klee-yer
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Lifespan: |
9 years |
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