Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker (Common Flicker)

The Northern Flicker is a large, unique woodpecker known for spending much of its time on the ground foraging for ants. It features a brownish body barred with black, a white rump patch visible in flight, and a dotted breast marked with a prominent black crescent

Starkly divided coloration with a rich brownish-black distal portion and a striking, brilliant golden-yellow basal portion and shaft

Tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs with strong hooklets, creating a firm and resilient vane with no afterfeather

Smooth, stiff, and semi-glossy texture designed to withstand the aerodynamic forces of flight

Brilliant golden-yellow rachis and basal vane contrasting sharply with dark brown distal tips, diagnostic of the yellow-shafted subspecies group

Open woodlands, forest edges, clearings, and suburban parks with scattered trees and dead snags for nesting

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

Act as a keystone species by excavating tree cavities used by numerous secondary cavity nesters, while controlling ant populations

Red-shafted Northern Flicker, which features salmon-red wing shafts and underwings instead of golden-yellow

Unlike most woodpeckers that hammer almost exclusively on wood, flickers specialize in eating ants and have an extraordinarily long tongue that can extend nearly two inches beyond the tip of their bill

Good condition with minor wear at the very tip, fully intact barbs, and vivid coloration showing no significant sun bleaching