Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted or Red-shafted Flicker)

The Northern Flicker is a large, distinctive woodpecker with brownish plumage barred with black on the back and wings, a white rump patch that is conspicuous in flight, and a black-scalloped white breast. Unlike most woodpeckers, they spend a lot of time on the ground foraging for ants and beetles.

Charcoal grey to brownish-black background with bold, striking white rounded spots and bars across the vane, featuring a sturdy whitish-grey rachis

Pennaceous upper vane with tightly interlocked barbs transitioning to a slightly plumulaceous base; intact and clean condition

Smooth, slightly glossy appearance on the dorsal side with a firm, flexible vane and soft, downy base

Bold white spots and bars arranged symmetrically against a dark grey-brown background on a stiff, rounded contour feather

Open woodlands, forest edges, suburban yards, parks, and agricultural areas with an abundance of trees and dead snags for foraging and nesting

Widespread across North America, extending from Alaska and Canada down through the United States and into Mexico

Key cavity excavator creating nesting sites for numerous secondary cavity nesters such as bluebirds, tree swallows, and smaller owls, while also helping control ant and insect populations

Other woodpecker species such as the Red-bellied Woodpecker or Downy Woodpecker, though their spotting patterns are generally more zebra-striped or linear rather than rounded polka-dots

Northern Flickers are one of the few migratory woodpecker species and are well known for their specialized barbed tongues that can extend up to two inches beyond their bill to lap up ants

Good condition, clean vane with minimal wear, complete barb interlock, and no visible parasitic damage or bleaching