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Colaptes auratus

(Yellow-shafted woodpecker)

Overview

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The Northern flicker, also known as the redshafted flicker, yellow-shafted flicker, or gilded-shafted flicker, is a foot-long bird. You can see its white rump and its red markings under its wings and tail when it flies. It has a unique way, when disturbed , of bowing and swinging its body back and forth on an elevated perch.[1]

Flickers have a black crescent across the chest and many round black patches on their feathers . The male has a red “mustache;” the female a brown one. These birds often feed on the ground and hop awkwardly. In flight they are slow and erratic.[1]

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Dutch:

Goudspecht

Common Names in English:

boreal flicker, Clape, common flicker, gilded woodpecker, Golden Winged Woodpecker, golden-winged woodpecker, Guadalupe flicker, High Hole, high-holder, High-hole, Malherbe's flicker, Mearns' flicker, Northern Flicker, northwestern flicker, Pigeon Woodpecker, red-hammer, red-shafted flicker, red-shafted woodpecker, San Fernando flicker, San Pedro flicker, southern flicker, Wake up, wake-up, wick-up, Yarup, Yellow Hammer, Yellow-shafted flicker, Yellow-shafted woodpecker, Yucker

Common Names in French:

pic flamboyant

Common Names in German:

Goldspecht

Common Names in Japanese:

ハシボソキツツキ

Common Names in Spanish:

Carpintero de pechera, Carpintero Dorado

Common Names in Swedish:

Guldspett

Description

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Physical Description

Adult : Head : Crown: gray patch ; red crescent on back Face : tan Forehead: gray Mustachial Stripe : black Neck: Nape: gray Body: Back: brown with black barring Underparts: buff-white with heavy black spotting.

Color:

Two color forms, formerly separate species:

"Yellow-shafted" Breeds in eastern United States and Canada · Tail and underwings are entirely yellow below, and retricies and primaries have yellow shafts · Red crescent on nape · Gray cap and nape · Tan face , chin, and throat · Adult male has black whisker ·

"Red-shafted" Breeds in western United States and Canada · Tail and underwings are entirely red below, and retricies and primaries have red shafts · Brown crown · Gray face · Adult male has red whisker

Size/Age/Growth

About 12.75 to 14 inches long, with a wingspan of 19 to 21 inches. Adults weigh about 4.8 ounces .

Habitat

Vegetation: arid lowland scrubs, tropical lowland evergreen forest, pine forests, tropical lowland evergreen forest, pine-oak forests, gallery forests • Maximum Elevation: 3,500 meters • Foraging Strata: Canopy • Center of Abundance: Middle montane: mountains, middle range, 1,600-2,600 m. • Sensitivity to Disturbance: Low

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,793 meters (0 to 12,444 feet).[2]

Ecology: List of Habitats :

Biology

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Diet

Mostly insects, with some fruit. Ants comprise at least 50 percent of a flicker’s diet .

Reproduction

A clutch of five to 10 white eggs is laid in a tree excavation or a hole made in a pole or building (humans may consider them a nuisance when that occurs). Nests can be found from low elevations up to timberline. The clutch is relatively large.[1]

Nests from early April to late July in marginal habitats of woods , fields , and suburban areas.

Nest Type: Cavity Clutch Size: 3-10 Length of Incubation : 11-14? days Days to Fledge : 25-28 Number of Broods: 1, 2 in south

Migration

Most do not migrate

Behavior

Predators:

Flickers are prey for goshawks, Cooper’s hawks, and prairie falcons. [1]

You may hear a bird singing, “Wick, wick, wick,” or sounding a squeaky “Flicka, flicka.”

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 27-Dec-2005

Similar Species

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Gilded Flicker

Members of the genus Colaptes

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 30 species and subspecies in this genus:

C. atricollis (Black-Necked Woodpecker) · C. atricollis atricollis (Black-Necked Woodpecker) · C. auratus (Yellow-Shafted Woodpecker) · C. auratus auratus (Northern Flicker) · C. auratus borealis (Northern Flicker) · C. auratus brunnescens (Northern Flicker) · C. auratus cafer (Northern Flicker) · C. auratus chrysoides (Northern Flicker) · C. auratus collaris (Northern Flicker) · C. auratus luteus (Northern Flicker) · C. auratus mearnsi (Northern Flicker) · C. auratus nanus (Northern Flicker) · C. auratus rufipileus (Northern Flicker) · C. auricularis (Gray-Crowned Woodpecker) · C. cafer (Wallacean Cuckoo Shrike) · C. campestris (Campo Flicker) · C. campestris campestris (Campo Flicker) · C. campestroides (Field Flicker) · C. chrysoides (Gilded Flicker) · C. fernandinae (Cuban Flicker) · C. melanochloros (Green Barred Woodpecker) · C. melanochloros melanochloros (Green Barred Woodpecker) · C. pitius (Chilean Flicker) · C. pitius pitius (Chilean Flicker) · C. punctigula (Spot-Breasted Woodpecker) · C. punctigula punctigula (Spot-Breasted Woodpecker) · C. rivolii (Crimson-Mantled Woodpecker) · C. rubiginosus (Golden-Olive Woodpecker) · C. rupicola (Andean Flicker) · C. rupicola rupicola (Andean Flicker)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 06, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. New Mexico Wildlife. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Version of April 24, 2009. [back]
  2. Mean = 2,023.480 meters (6,638.714 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,649.010 based on 19,958 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 2012-07-23