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UPDATE: It is a woodpecker - a yellow shafted flicker. An unusual one in the woodpecker family as it feeds for larvae and insects on the ground rather than in trees. Its tongue is very long and wrapped inside its skull much like a string on a yo-yo allowing it to penetrate holes in ground. The tongue is also very sticky, like flypaper! Unsure what is wrong with this little guy, if anything. H/her eye looks a bit odd but seems plump and well-fed. It also didn't seem like it could fly (or wanted to) and was quite proficient at quickly disappearing via its legs. Uncanny. I wonder if its injured and/or is a fledgling that fell out of its nest. ot something else altogether. Looks like a woodpecker (maybe a downy or a red-headed woodpecker?).
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Unsure what is wrong with this little guy, if anything. H/her eye looks a bit odd but seems plump and well-fed. It also didn't seem like it could fly (or wanted to) and was quite proficient at quickly disappearing via its legs but later noticed it was able to fly, albeit close to the woodland floor. I wonder if its injured and/or is a fledgling that fell out of its nest. ot something else altogether. Looks like a woodpecker (maybe a downy or a red-headed woodpecker?). Waiting on correct ID from a source. UPDATE: it now appears to be a yellow shafted flicker. See description section for further explanation.
Thank you! It actually did fly a little bit but very low to the ground and not for long. We will try to find it tomorrow and get it to the wild life rehab near us. I hope we're not too late in finding him, poor thing. I already told some neighbors to keep their eyes open for it since my gut was telling me something wasn't right about the little guy, so maybe a little bit of good luck will be on our (the birds) side.
ID's are correct. Flickers are commonly found on the ground, poking around for worms (only woodpecker that this is standard behavior) I strongly doubt it's a fledgling- it has adult plumage- female. . I'm thinking it is probably sick or injured- based on the eyes, and the fluffed feathers, and the fact that it ran away instead of flew. :( IF possible, can you catch it and get it to a wildlife rehabber? It will likely die, or be caught by a predator.
Spotted on Mar 31, 2013
Submitted on Apr 3, 2013
