Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted or Red-shafted)

A medium-sized woodpecker with a brown-barred back, black crescent on the chest, and spotted belly. This feather captures the species' signature 'barred' look seen when the wings are closed.

Bold dark brown to blackish-brown base with distinctive, regularly spaced off-white to buffy horizontal spotting/notching along the outer vane. The rachis (shaft) shows the diagnostic yellowish or reddish undertone common to the species.

Tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs for flight efficiency; the base shows a small amount of plumulaceous (fluffy) down for insulation.

Smooth, stiff, and slightly glossy on the upper surface; the feather feels rigid to support the bird's heavy, undulating flight pattern.

Bold horizontal white-to-buff notches on a dark primary vane; stiff, slightly curved rachis; asymmetrical shape typical of lower primaries.

Open woodlands, forest edges, yards, and parks; uniquely for a woodpecker, they are frequently found foraging on the ground for ants.

Widespread across North America, from the treeline in Alaska and Canada south throughout the United States and into Mexico and Central America.

Primary cavity nester; they excavate holes that are later utilized by dozens of other species including bluebirds, owls, and squirrels.

Gila Woodpecker (different barring density) or Black-backed Woodpecker (lacks the colorful shaft and specific notch shape).

Unlike most woodpeckers that hammer wood for larvae, Northern Flickers use their long, sticky tongues to lap up ants from the ground, eating thousands in a single day.

Good condition; slight wear at the tip and edges suggests it may have been molted naturally rather than lost to predation.