[ohthatgirl2001]

In the midst of a heavy hail storm today... I heard a loud screeching sound. I had no time to run outside but was able to get a shot through the window. From my bird guide - Stokes Western, this appears to be a Northern Flicker. However, the colors aren't quite the same. Do you know if I am correct?

Lisa

[Yve_M]

My guess is female (no moustache) Red-shafted Flicker (Northern Flicker). We have the yellow version up north here but the red is in the south west of Saskatchewan as well. These woodpeckers spend alot of time on the ground looking for ants and taking dust baths. They use squished ants to wash themselves (formic acid kills the parasites in their feathers).

[dennis]

Northern Flicker - Red shafted form. Watch for it to flash it's white rump as it flys away.

dennis

[Terry O'Nolley]

It's head is on backwards.

[Katy Penland]

I agree, probably a female Red-shafted (no red crescent on the nape). But don't forget that Red- and Yellow-shafted flickers interbreed widely throughout the US plains states and western Canada. There's a guy in Washington who has a website of photos of these intergrades; I'll see if I can find it and post.

[cavan wood]

Red tail shafts and lack of red crescent definately say red-shafted, but is the head and nape colour diagnostic at all? Lisa's bird is lacking the brown as seen in this bird.
http://birdingbc.coolnewmedia.com/ga...licker0455.jpg

But then again, this one doesn't have much brown at all, sorta like Lisa's bird.
http://www.birdsasart.com/northern-f...h-Columbia.jpg

Scott

[Garrett Lau]

Originally Posted by cavan wood

Red tail shafts and lack of red crescent definately say red-shafted, but is the head and nape colour diagnostic at all? Lisa's bird is lacking the brown as seen in this bird.
http://birdingbc.coolnewmedia.com/ga...licker0455.jpg

But then again, this one doesn't have much brown at all, sorta like Lisa's bird.
http://www.birdsasart.com/northern-f...h-Columbia.jpg

Scott

I'm not sure what you are saying. Are you suggesting that it is supposed to have a brown face in order to be Red-shafted? The Yellow-shafted flicker is the one with the brown face. I don't see anything on Lisa's bird that would suggest anything besides Red-shafted.

[cavan wood]

Sorry, I was actually asking if brown on the nape and crown was more common in red-shafted, and suggesting that this bird didn't have as much as what some photos show. Clearly it's red-shafted, but I was wondering if colouration on the head in northern flicker gives us any indication of intermixing, or is it just a highly variable trait as suggested by the two photos links.

Scott

[AlexC]

Wow, this is from a long time ago. Btw, just so this isn't a wasted post, I agree, female Red-shafted Northern Flicker.