Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)

The Northern Flicker is a large, distinctive woodpecker with a brownish body barred with black, a white rump visible in flight, and a crescent-shaped black breast band. Unlike most woodpeckers, they spend significant time foraging on the ground for ants.

Warm brownish-gray background with bold black transverse barring across the vane, featuring a distinct reddish-orange to salmon-pink tone near the tip and rachis typical of the species.

Pennaceous upper portion with a distinctly soft, plumulaceous base; barbs are moderately interlocked with standard hooklets.

Soft yet resilient texture, with a smooth matte surface finish on the pennaceous tips and a fluffy base.

Distinctive black transverse bars on a brownish-gray background with warm rufous or salmon undertones, diagnostic of the flicker's upperparts.

Open woodlands, forest edges, clearings, and urban parks with scattered trees and dead snags for nesting.

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

Act as a keystone species by excavating tree cavities that are subsequently used by dozens of secondary cavity-nesting birds and mammals.

Red-bellied Woodpecker and Hairy Woodpecker, though neither shares the unique transverse barred back pattern of the Northern Flicker.

Northern Flickers are uniquely adapted to eat ants and beetles, possessing an extremely long tongue that can extend nearly two inches beyond the bill tip to probe into underground nests.

Good condition with intact barbs and minimal fraying at the edges, showing a clean, natural state.