Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted form)

The Northern Flicker is a large, unique woodpecker known for spending much of its time on the ground foraging for ants. Unlike typical tree-climbing woodpeckers, it has a brownish-barred back, a spotted breast, a distinctive black crescent on the chest, and a red or black facial mark depending on the subspecies. The flight feathers, such as this one, feature brilliant yellow (or orange-red in western birds) shafts that flash brightly during flight.

Vibrant yellow central rachis, dark brownish-grey vane with clean white and dark barring or tips, highly diagnostic of the yellow-shafted morph of the Northern Flicker

Tightly interlocked pennaceous structure with strong barbs and barbicels, lacking an afterfeather, completely intact condition

Smooth, stiff, and semi-glossy texture with rigid vanes designed to withstand aerodynamic pressure during flight

Brilliant yellow rachis contrasting sharply against dark brownish-grey and white barred vanes, characteristic of the yellow-shafted Northern Flicker

Open woodlands, forest edges, clearings, suburban parks, and orchards with an abundance of standing dead trees for nesting and foraging

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

Primary cavity nester that creates hollows in dead trees, providing crucial nesting real estate for secondary cavity nesters such as bluebirds, owls, and small mammals, while controlling ground-dwelling insect populations

Red-shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus cafer), whose feathers feature salmon-pink or orange-red shafts instead of yellow, and other North American woodpecker species which lack bright colorful shafts

Unlike most woodpeckers that hammer exclusively on wood to excavate insects, flickers possess a specialized tongue that can extend nearly two inches beyond the bill tip to lap up ants and beetles from underground nests

Good to Excellent condition, fresh and intact with minimal wear, no visible parasite damage or heavy fading