Northern ( Yellow Shafted ) Flicker

Description:

The northern flicker is a large brown woodpecker. It has a white tail with black bars and a black tip, a light brown to the off-white breast with black to brown spots. it has a black "bib" on its upper chest. Males have a black or red "mustache" that runs from its bill down to its cheek.

Habitat:

Open forests, woodlots, groves, towns, semi-open country. With its wide range, from Alaska to Nicaragua, the flicker can be found in almost any habitat with trees. Tends to avoid the dense unbroken forest, requiring some open ground for foraging. May be in very open country with few trees.

Notes:

It is a Male because of the black mustache Feeding Behavior: Forages by hopping on the ground, climbing tree trunks and limbs, occasionally flying out to catch insects in the air. Also, it will perch in outer branches to eat fruits and berries. Has been reported catching young bats leaving their roost in Wyoming. Diet: Mostly ants and other insects. Probably eats ants more frequently than any other North American bird. It also feeds on beetles, termites, caterpillars, and other insects. Eats many fruits and berries, especially in fall and winter, and eats seeds and nuts at times. Eggs: 5-8, sometimes 3-12. White. Incubation is by both sexes (with male incubating at night and part of the day), 11-16 days. Young: Both parents feed young, by regurgitation. Young leave nest about 4 weeks after hatching are fed by parents at first, later following them to good foraging sites. 1 brood per year, or 2 in the south. Young: Both parents feed young, by regurgitation. Young leave nest about 4 weeks after hatching are fed by parents at first, later following them to good foraging sites. 1 brood per year, or 2 in the south.