Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)

The Northern Flicker is a unique, medium-sized woodpecker known for spending much of its time on the ground foraging for ants. It has a brownish body barred with black, a white rump patch visible in flight, and a distinctive crescent on the chest. The yellow-shafted form features bright yellow undersides to the wings and tail, which are vividly displayed during flight.

Bright yellow-orange central rachis with dark brownish-black barring and spotting against a pale yellowish-white and grayish background

Pennaceous vane along the upper portion with tightly interlocked barbs and barbicels, transitioning to a semiplume-like fluffy base

Smooth, firm, and slightly glossy on the upper pennaceous surface, with a softer, flexible base

Brilliant golden-yellow rachis contrasting with dark brown and black barring, distinctive of the yellow-shafted subspecies of the Northern Flicker

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

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

Acts as a primary cavity nester, creating holes in dead trees that are subsequently used by dozens of other secondary cavity-nesting birds and mammals

Red-shafted Northern Flicker, which features reddish-pink rachises instead of yellow, and other woodpecker species which typically lack the bright golden shaft coloration

Unlike most woodpeckers that hammer on wood to find insects, Northern Flickers specialize in eating ants and beetles, using their barbed tongue to extract insects from underground colonies

Good condition with intact barbs and a clean, vibrant rachis showing minimal wear or fading