Northern Flicker (Red-shafted subspecies), Common Flicker

The Northern Flicker is a large, brown woodpecker with a barred back and spotted belly. Unlike most woodpeckers, they frequently forage on the ground for ants. This feather showcases the spectacular under-wing color visible when the bird flies.

Vibrant salmon-red to orange-red on the rachis and inner vane, maturing into a brownish-grey or olive-drab at the tip and outer edge. This 'red-shafted' coloration is a diagnostic trait for western populations.

Mostly pennaceous with tightly interlocked barbs for aerodynamics; the base (calamus area) shows soft, plumulaceous (downy) barbs for insulation. No aftershaft is visible in this specimen.

Smooth and glossy on the upper surface with a firm, plastic-like feel to the rachis. The vane is rigid enough to resist air pressure but feels silky to the touch.

Bright reddish-orange rachis (shaft), asymmetrical flight vane, and the gradient from orange base to brownish-grey tip.

Open woodlands, forest edges, suburban yards, parks, and riparian corridors across North America.

Common across western North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada down through the United States and into Mexico. Red-shafted forms predominate west of the Rocky Mountains.

Primary cavity nester; they create holes in trees that are later used by dozens of other species like bluebirds and owls. They are also major predators of ants and beetles.

Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker (has yellow shafts/inner vanes), Gilded Flicker (found in desert SW; more golden-yellow), and various raptors (though they lack the colorful shaft).

Northern Flickers are one of the few North American woodpeckers that are strongly migratory. They also have a specialized long, barbed tongue for extracting ants from underground tunnels.

Fair to Good. There is some minor separation of the barbs (splits) at the tip and edges, likely due to natural wear or 'ruffling' after being dropped; some downy barbs at the base are intact.