Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)

The Northern Flicker is a large, brownish woodpecker with a black bib and spotted belly. In flight, the brilliant yellow under-wing and under-tail surfaces (in Eastern birds) or red surfaces (in Western birds) are conspicuous. It has a white rump patch that is highly visible when it flies away.

Distinctive bright yellow to golden-orange rachis (shaft). The vane is primarily dark brownish-grey to blackish towards the tip and leading edge, with a lighter yellowish wash visible on the underside of the barbs.

Densely interlocked pennaceous barbs on the majority of the vane for flight rigidity; some plumulaceous (downy) barbs visible at the very base near the calamus.

Smooth, stiff, and somewhat glossy on the dorsal surface. The quill is rigid and high-strength to support the bird's powerful, undulating flight.

The most diagnostic feature is the bright yellow rachis (shaft), which separates it from all other North American birds except the closely related 'Red-shafted' variant.

Open woodlands, forest edges, yards, parks, and agricultural lands. Unlike many woodpeckers, they are frequently seen on the ground foraging for ants.

Common across North America; the Yellow-shafted form is primarily found in the Eastern and Northern regions, from the Atlantic coast to the Great Plains and up through Canada and Alaska.

Primary cavity nester that creates homes for many other 'secondary' cavity users (like bluebirds and owls). They are major predators of ants and wood-boring larvae.

Red-shafted Northern Flicker (has a red/salmon rachis), Gilded Flicker (found in desert southwest, similar yellow but different wing patterns).

Northern Flickers are one of the few North American woodpeckers that are strongly migratory. They also have a specialized long, barbed tongue that can extend 2 inches past the beak to lap up ants.

The feather appears to be in Good condition with some light wear (fringing) along the trailing edge, suggesting it may have been naturally molted at the end of a breeding season.