Northern flicker

by Amy Gross

flashy and fabulous

I HAVE A PARTICULAR FONDNESS for woodpeckers, who spend their days drilling tree trunks in a perpetual search for yummy insects. You have to wonder: How on earth do they do it? Most woodpeckers have that wild-eyed look that suggests they’ve maybe banged their head against a few too many trees, but there’s one that defies that convention. With its impressive size, distinctive spots, glorious pink or yellow under feathers, and generally placid demeanor, the Northern flicker breaks the woodpecker mold—a calm and gorgeous, tall drink of (avian) water.

Unlike most woodpeckers, flickers migrate. They’ll start moving back into Northern New Mexico in the fall and remain here throughout the winter months—a welcome flash of color in those sometimes-drab days. Despite the flicker’s size—almost a foot in length—you’ll likely hear one before seeing it. Listen for a very loud, single Reeeep! Then, search nearby trees for a bird sitting calmly on a branch or clinging to a tree trunk. Have your binoculars handy to take in the flicker’s amazing spots, popping dramatically against its light gray body. Both males and females have a distinctive “necklace” on the thr oat, and males also have a red mustache.

But it’s when the flicker takes flight that you know for sure you’ve spotted one. There are two types of Northern flickers, determined by the underside color of their shaft (tail) feathers: yellow-shafted and red-shafted. We have the red-shafted flicker, and that red—more like a salmon pink—extends from the tail to beneath the wings. So, when a flicker passes overhead, you’re treated to a beautiful fan of pink from wing tips to tail feathers. You can’t miss it!

Northern flickers are insect eaters but will gladly come to feeders for seed and suet. Remember, though, that these are very big birds, so a tube feeder won’t allow any way for them to perch. They will eat off the ground beneath feeders, hopping about to pick up dropped morsels. But you can make their snacking easier by hanging a platform feeder, which easily accommodates their size, or by using suet cylinders without a cage. Your flicker friends can perch on top and nibble away at the suet until it’s gone.

I’m hoping for a banner flicker season this year. When lots of these magnificent birds are in town, the winter months are just so much more colorful.