Red-shafted Flicker (Northern Flicker)

The Northern Flicker is a large, unique woodpecker that spends much of its time on the ground foraging for ants and beetles. Unlike most woodpeckers, they have brownish bodies with barred plumage and a striking crescent on the chest. The Red-shafted form displays brilliant red tones on the undersides of the wings and tail, which are vividly mirrored in their covert and body feathers.

Striking coloration featuring a greyish-brown base with soft barring near the middle, transitioning into a bold jet-black band and terminating in a brilliant, fiery red tip. The central rachis is white at the base and turns pinkish-red towards the distal end.

Mixed structure featuring a fluffy, plumulaceous basal and central portion with unhooked barbules, transitioning to a stiffer, pennaceous, tightly interlocked structure at the vividly colored tip.

Soft and downy at the proximal end, becoming smoother and more rigid towards the brightly colored tip with a matte finish.

Brilliant red distal vane and tip, bordered by a distinct black band, contrasting against a soft greyish-brown plumulaceous base.

Open woodlands, forest edges, clearings, suburban parks, and semi-arid country with scattered trees and snags for nesting.

Western North America, ranging from Alaska down through western Canada and the western United States to central Mexico.

Key cavity excavator in forest ecosystems, creating homes that are subsequently used by dozens of secondary cavity-nesting birds and mammals. They are also primary predators of forest insect pests, especially ants.

Yellow-shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus auratus), which features bright yellow shafts and undertone coloration instead of red.

Northern Flickers have extremely long, barbed tongues that can extend up to two inches beyond the tip of their bill to extract ants directly from underground nests. They also readily hybridize with the Yellow-shafted Flicker where their ranges overlap in the Great Plains.

Good condition, fresh appearance with intact barbs and vivid pigmentation, showing minimal signs of wear or fading.