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Northern Flicker
Lisa W

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

What an added bonus this was. Went looking for owls today and managed to get a decent shot of a Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker. I have seen plenty of the red-shafted flickers in the area but never a yellow-shafted. This little guy even turned around and posed for a second before he took off.
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Habitat
Northern Flickers can be found in parks, suburbs, and woodlands throughout most of the US. Flickers feed on the ground, probing for ants which make up to 45% of their diet. They can also catch insects in the air, and will eat fruits and berries.
Location
San Pedro River, Hereford, Arizona
Date taken
November 11, 2006
Scientific name
Colaptes auratus
Equipment used
Canon 20D with Sigma 5--500mm lens
hansbertil
Excellent image of a bird I never heard of, but which looks like some kind of Woodpecker. Well done to get a decent exposure against the sky.
 
Lisa W
Staff member
Supporter
Thanks for the comments, he was a nice catch.
Hans, the flicker is a type of woodpecker. It is one of the larger woodpeckers in the US - only the pileated is bigger (and of course the Ivory bill if you are a believer). Flickers eat more ants than any other woodpecker, and spend much time on the ground in pursuit of this food source, a very un-woodpecker-like behavior. They also have a wider vocal repertoire than other woodpeckers.
Hope that's not to much info. ;)
 
hansbertil
Thanks for "Flicker info", Lisa. Can never be too much info about birds. Sometimes I am considering to start collecting the expensive "Handbook of the Birds of the World" - but at around $230 for each book in a series of 12, it is something I have resisted so far :smile:
 
Lisa W
Staff member
Supporter
Thanks again everyone for the comments. Hans, I also would like to have the Handbook, but must agree with you that 230 each is something I can resist - for now.
 

Media information

Category
North America
Added by
Lisa W
Date added
View count
151
Comment count
9

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