Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)

The Northern Flicker is a large, unique woodpecker that spends much of its time on the ground foraging for ants. Unlike typical tree-climbing woodpeckers, flickers have a slightly curved bill and a colorful plumage featuring a barred brown back, a spotted breast with a distinct black crescent necklace, and vibrant yellow or red underwings and shaft linings.

Rich brownish-black bars and spots on a tan background, highlighted by a striking, bright golden-yellow rachis (central shaft) which is characteristic of the yellow-shafted subspecies of the Northern Flicker.

Pennaceous vane with tightly interlocked barbs along most of the length, transitioning to plumulaceous (fluffy) downy barbs near the base of the rachis.

Smooth, slightly glossy vane with a sturdy and resilient texture typical of woodpecker flight or wing feathers.

The most diagnostic feature is the brilliant yellow-orange color of the rachis (shaft), combined with the bold black-and-tan barring on a rounded vane.

Open woodlands, forest edges, parklands, urban parks, and areas with scattered trees and snags for nesting.

Widespread across North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada down through the United States and into parts of Central America.

Flickers are crucial keystone species; as primary cavity excavators, the hollows they abandon provide essential nesting sites for dozens of secondary cavity-nesting birds and mammals.

Red-shafted Northern Flicker, which features salmon-red rachises instead of yellow; other woodpecker species typically lack the brightly colored yellow shafts.

Northern Flickers are one of the few North American woodpeckers that are strongly migratory. They have exceptionally long tongues—up to two inches past the tip of their bill—which are coated in sticky saliva to efficiently catch ants and beetles.

Good condition with intact barbs and a minor break or wear at the very tip, showing typical weathering for a naturally molted feather.

Found in revelstoke in a park