Male "Red-shafted" Northern Flicker has a gray face with a red whisker. Frequently seen on the ground. In flight note the white rump patch. Birds in the East flash yellow shafts on the flight feathers and tail. In flight, its white rump contrasts with the rest of the plumage.

Red-shafted Flickers often migrate shorter distances, moving southward and from mountains into lowlands; some spread eastward on Great Plains in winter. 12" (30 cm). Brown back with narrow black bars, black chest patch, spots on belly.

To find Northern Flickers, try walking through open woods or forest edges, but scan the ground. You may flush a flicker from a feeding spot up into a nearby tree. Look for the obvious white rump patch in flight. Also, be sure to listen for their loud, ringing call and their piercing yelp.

Two Northern Flicker Varieties. Northern Flickers in the east and west have different colors on the underside of their wings and tail. In the east, you get the “yellow-shafted” variety, and in the west the “red-shafted”.

Mar 12, 2024 · Red-shafted Northern Flickers are one of the loudest spring birds in North America. They look almost like brown woodpeckers, but you’ll be star-struck by the bright red color underneath their wings and tail, primarily visible during the flight.

In the eastern half of the country you get the “yellow-shafted” Northern Flicker. They have bright yellow feathers on the underside of their wings and tail. Their face is a peachy color, with gray along the top of their head and a red patch at the nape. Males mustache stripe is black.

Feb 16, 2024 · The red shafts contrast with its grayish plumage. It has a beige face and a red nape patch in males. The red feathers help differentiate the western Red-shafted Flicker from its eastern cousin. Red-shafted Flickers create nests in cavities just like Yellow-shafted Flickers and have very similar behavior and feeding habits.

In the East and North, it's the Yellow-shafted Flicker, which has a red patch on its neck and yellow feathers on the inside of its wings. The male has a black mustache. In the West, lives the Red-shafted with its red underwings, undertail, and a red mustache.

Mar 9, 2023 · Northern Flickers are brown overall and have a white patch on their rump that is visible in flight and when perched. The tail feathers and undersides of the wings are bright yellow for birds that live in the east or red for birds that live in the west.

Feb 1, 2024 · However, one of the most noticeable characteristics of the Northern Flicker is the red patch found on the back of the male’s head. This bright red patch stands out against the gray and brown plumage of the rest of the bird. The red coloration is found on the nape, which is the back of the neck right below the head.