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Northern Flicker

Northern or Red Shafted Flicker
colaptes aurarus

A larger sized woodpecker found almost everywhere in the continental United States as well as Central America and parts of Cuba. It displays a dark brown-gray back with black ladder type markings, it’s under parts are lighter cream or buff colored, speckled with black dots as well as a striking black chevron shape on its chest, when it flies it flashes a large white section of feathers on its rump. Generally speaking, those Flickers found east of the Mississippi have black cheek streaks and yellow veins on the flight feathers as well as some of their tail feathers and they’re known as “Yellow Shafted Flickers”, those found west of the Mississippi have red cheek streaks as well as red veins on their feathers and are called “Red Shafted Flickers”. Flickers have a loud piercing calls and are as comfortable on the ground looking for food as they are in the trees pecking for insects