Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted or Red-shafted)

The Northern Flicker is a large, distinctive woodpecker known for its undulating flight pattern and ground-foraging habits. Unlike most woodpeckers, they spend significant time on the ground searching for ants and beetles. They feature brownish-gray plumage barred with black, a white rump patch visible in flight, and colored wing and tail shafts.

Striking pattern of bold black bars alternating with crisp white or pale spots on a dark gray-brown background.

Pennaceous vane with tightly interlocked barbs and barbicels along the shaft, transitioning to a semiplumaceous, fluffy base near the calamus.

Smooth, firm, and matte texture with rigid pennaceous vanes designed for durability during flight and hammering activities.

Bold black-and-white transverse barring on a dark background, sturdy woodpecker rachis, and moderate size.

Open woodlands, forest edges, savannas, woodlots, suburban parks, and semi-open country with scattered trees and snags.

Widely distributed across North America, extending from Alaska and Canada down through the United States and into parts of Central America.

Flickers are primary cavity nesters, creating holes in dead trees that are subsequently used by dozens of other secondary cavity-nesting species, making them a keystone species.

Other woodpecker species such as the Red-bellied Woodpecker or Hairy Woodpecker, though their bar patterns differ in scale and contrast.

Unlike typical woodpeckers that mostly drill into wood, Northern Flickers specialize in eating ants and have barbed tongues that can extend up to two inches beyond their bill tip.

Good condition, with intact barbs and a clean, undamaged rachis showing minimal wear.