Colaptes auratus

(Common Flicker, Northern Flicker, Yellow-Shafted Flicker)

Overview:

Conservation Status

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Population Analysis

For the 56,743 species in the Class Aves (Birds), we average 146.12 observations each in our database; for the Yellow-Shafted Flicker, we have 1,000 observations. Compared to other species in this Class, this species is somewhat common.
A two-sample t-test can be used to determine whether the trend in observations of the Yellow-Shafted Flicker is the same as the trend in observations of Aves. Is this species just as common, as a proportion of all observations, as it once was? The answer is no, changes in observation rate of this species significantly differ from changes in observation rate of its Class. (t=10.814, p<0.001)
How do observation rates of the Yellow-Shafted Flicker differ from those of Aves? To answer this, we examined the percentage of observerations for Aves that were observations of the Yellow-Shafted Flicker each year. We then correlated this percentage with observation year. If observations of the Yellow-Shafted Flicker are becoming more common relative to other species of Aves, the correlation should be positive, but if it is becoming less common, the correlation should be negative. In fact, the correlation is negative (r=-.63), with a negative slope (m = -.001), suggesting that the Yellow-Shafted Flicker may be in decline relative to other species of Aves. This correlation is statistically significant. (F = 74.2, p<.05)
The scatter chart to the right shows the percentage of all observations for Aves each year that were observations of the Yellow-Shafted Flicker.

History:

1988-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004)
1994-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004)
2000-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2000)

Justification

This species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 15,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 16,000,000 individuals (Rich et al. 2003). Global population trends have not been quantified; there is evidence of a population decline (del Hoyo et al. 2002), but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
    - Branch: Deuterostomia Grobben, 1908 - Deuterostomes
      - Infrakingdom: Chordonia (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
        Phylum: Chordata Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
        Subphylum: Vertebrata Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
        Infraphylum: Gnathostomata auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
        Superclass: Tetrapoda Goodrich, 1930 - Tetrapods
        Class: Aves Linnaeus, 1758 - Birds
        Subclass: Neornithes Gadow, 1893
        Infraclass: Neoaves
        Order: Piciformes Meyer & Wolf, 1810 - Woodpeckers
        Infraorder: Picides
        Series: Amniota
        Family: Picidae - Woodpeckers, Wrynecks
        Genus: Colaptes Vigors, 1827 - Flickers
        Specific name: auratus (Linnaeus, 1758)
        Scientific name: Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 27-Dec-2005

Physical Description

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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.

Size/Age/Growth:

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

Images:

Colaptes auratus Colaptes auratus "Red-shafted" male ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 67578

Colaptes auratus Colaptes auratus Adult(s) Photographer: Terry Spivey
Location Taken: United States Copyright: © Terry Spivey. Permissions for Use: see www.ForestryImages.org. ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 173325

Colaptes auratus Colaptes auratus Photographer: Marcus G. Martin Date Taken: 1996
Location Taken: University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, Minnesota Copyright: © 1996 Marcus G. Martin Permissions for Use: see here. ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 103950

Colaptes auratus Colaptes auratus Red-shafted [Northern] Flicker Photographer: Marcus G. Martin Date Taken: 1999
Location Taken: Rio Grande Nature Center Copyright: © 1999 Marcus G. Martin Permissions for Use: see here. ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 103951

Colaptes auratus Colaptes auratus Photographer: David Stang Date Taken: February 05, 2007
Location Taken: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Copyright: © 2007 David Stang ZipcodeZoo Photo ID: 211902

Distribution

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Range and Population

North America

Habitat

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Vegetation: arid lowland scrubs, tropical lowland evergreen forest, pine forests, tropical lowland evergreen forest, pine-oak forests, gallery forests • Minimum Elevation: 0 meters • Maximum Elevation: 3,500 meters • Foraging Strata: Canopy • Center of Abundance: Middle montane: mountains, middle range, 1,600-2,600 m. • Relative Abundance in Tropical America: Fairly common • Sensitivity to Disturbance: Low.

Diet

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Mostly:

Insects Lesser Quantities of: Fruit

Reproduction

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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

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Most do not migrate

Song/Voice

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A Pair of Northern (Red Shafted) Flickers (Colaptes oratus) "dance" with each other in a dead hackberry tree. The male Flicker gives us the loud call, and his wife purrs and coos between calls.
Recordist: Doug Von Gausig Copyright Holder: NatureSongs.com Permissions for Use: Read this

Terrified Flicker being chased by a Merlin.
Recordist: Doug Von Gausig Date Recorded: October 11, 1997 Copyright Holder: NatureSongs.com Permissions for Use: Read this

In the Spring, the male Flickers are heard calling these long, drawn-out "whinnies" from the tops of trees.
Recordist: Doug Von Gausig Date Recorded: April 16, 1998 Copyright Holder: NatureSongs.com Permissions for Use: Read this

Male drumming and whinny.
Recordist: Doug Von Gausig Date Recorded: April 10, 1999 Copyright Holder: NatureSongs.com Permissions for Use: Read this

Whinny.
Recordist: Doug Von Gausig Location of Recording: Central California Copyright Holder: NatureSongs.com Permissions for Use: Read this

Song
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: May 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Note
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: May 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Flick-a, flick-a, ...
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: May 01, 1996 Location of Recording: Long Island

Colaptes auratus
Recordist: John R. Sauer Copyright Holder: John R. Sauer Permissions for Use: See here.

Similar Species

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Gilded Flicker

Members of the genus Colaptes:

Bibliography

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Alsop, Fred J. III. Birds of North America - Eastern Region. First American Edition. Smithsonian Handbooks. DK Publishing, Inc. 2001.
Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K.
Ehrlich, P., Dobkin, D., and Wheye, D. (1988). The Birders Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc. (info on clutch size, length of incubation, days to fledge and number of broods.)
Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc. (Length and wingspan info.)

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Notes

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Contributors:

BirdLife International 2004. Colaptes auratus. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org . Downloaded on 21 October 2006.
Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 3, 2006.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed May 10, 2006. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 12 providers.
Hines, J. E., Gregory Gough, J. R. Sauer, et al. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
NatureServe. 2003. Downloadable animal data sets. NatureServe Central Databases. Accessed February 6, 2005.
Parker III, T.A., D.F. Stotz, and J.W. Fitzpatrick, and quot;Ecological and Distributional Databases for Neotropical Birds, and quot; in Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation, by D.F. Stotz, T.A. Parker III, J.W. Fitzpatrick, and D.K. Moskovits (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). ISBN 0-226-64676-9.
Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2004. Version 2005.2. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD

Identifiers:

Integrated Taxonomic Information System Serial Number: 178154
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 239604
Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABNYF10020
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 13048

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Last Revised: March 01, 2008