Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted form), Common Flicker, Yellow-shafted Woodpecker

The Northern Flicker is a medium-sized woodpecker with a brownish body barred with black, a white rump patch visible in flight, and a distinct black crescent across the breast. Unlike many woodpeckers, they spend significant time foraging on the ground for ants and beetles.

Striking coloration featuring a warm brown base with intricate black barring or scalloping (chevron patterns), transitioning abruptly at the tip into a vibrant reddish-pink or salmon-orange color with a pale rachis

Pennaceous at the distal tip transitioning into loose, plumulaceous barbs toward the base with a soft, somewhat frayed appearance

Soft and relatively flexible texture with a matte appearance, lacking any high gloss or oiliness

Distinctive black chevron and barring pattern on a brownish background combined with a brightly colored pinkish-red or yellowish tip and pale shaft

Open woodlands, forest edges, clearings, urban parks, suburban yards, and orchards with scattered trees and snags

Widespread across North America, extending into parts of Central America and the Caribbean; migratory in northern parts of its range

Key cavity excavator that creates nesting homes used subsequently by many secondary cavity nesters, and a major predator of ant populations

Red-bellied Woodpecker or Downy Woodpecker, though neither exhibits the exact combination of chevron-barred body feathers ending in a solid bright color patch

Unlike typical woodpeckers that hammer loudly into hard wood to excavate, flickers specialize in eating ants and have an extraordinarily long tongue that can extend nearly two inches beyond the tip of their bill

Good condition with minor wear and slightly separated barbs near the base, but overall intact structure and vibrant color preservation