Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted or Red-shafted)

The Northern Flicker is a large, distinctive woodpecker with brownish plumage, a barred back, spotted underparts, and a prominent red or black crescent on the nape. This tail feather is adapted for bracing the bird against vertical surfaces while foraging for ants and beetles.

Dark brown or brownish-gray background with distinctive white and buff circular spots and barred patterning arranged symmetrically along the vanes.

Pennaceous vane with tightly interlocked barbs along the upper portion, transitioning to semiplumaceous fluff near the base.

Stiff and relatively rigid texture with a matte finish, designed for durability against rough tree bark.

Distinctive round white or buff spots against a dark brownish-gray background, combined with a stiff, pointed rachis typical of woodpecker tail feathers.

Open woodlands, forest edges, suburban parks, orchards, and clearings with standing dead trees for nesting.

Widespread across North America, extending into parts of Central America and the Caribbean.

Flickers are crucial ecosystem engineers, excavating cavity nests that are subsequently used by dozens of secondary cavity-nesting birds and mammals.

Other woodpecker species such as the Red-bellied Woodpecker or Hairy Woodpecker, though their tail feather patterns generally feature more stark black-and-white barring rather than round spots.

Unlike most woodpeckers, Northern Flickers spend a great deal of time foraging on the ground, primarily eating ants.

Good condition with minor wear and fraying along the edges of the right vane and a slightly blunt tip.