Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

Closely resembling the Gilded Flicker, we can find Northern Flickers over most of North America and central Mexico. However, they rarely occupy the same territory with its ‘Gilded’ relatives. Eastern Northern Flickers have yellow shafts on their feathers, while western birds have red or orange shafts.

Northern Flickers are woodpeckers that frequently forage on the ground. Ants make up almost half of their diet. There are reports of a slight decline in populations. Observers believe the cause of the decline is because of the invasions of European Starlings, who out-compete most other native birds for nesting cavities.

Science recognises ten living subspecies of Northern Flickers. Some subspecies designations are regionally separated, and some have differing outward features, such as red or yellow feather shafts. One subspecies, the Guadalupe Red-Shafted Flicker (C. a. rufipileus) is now extinct.

Yellow-Shafted group
- C. a. luteus breeds across the high latitudes of North America, from central Alaska east to the Maritime Provinces and south to the northern Great Plains east to the Appalachians.
- C. a. auratus lives in the southeastern USA, north to Virginia, west to east Texas and the eastern Great Plains.
Red-Shafted group
- C. a. cafer lives in the Pacific Northwest, from southern Alaska to northern California.
- C. a. collaris breeds on the Pacific slope from northern California south to Baja California (Mexico).
- C. a. rufipileus is extinct. It was a former resident on Isla Guadalupe (Mexico).
- C. a. canescens breeds throughout the Great Basin and the Rocky Mountains from southwestern Canada south to northern Mexico.
- C. a. mexicanus lives in central Mexico.
- C. a. nanus lives in southwestern Texas (Big Bend) and in northeastern Mexico.
Guatemalan Flicker
- C. a. mexicanoides lives from southern Mexico south into Central America.
Cuban Flicker
- C. a. chrysocaulosus lives on Cuba.
- C. a. gundlachi lives on Grand Cayman Island.

Many of the Northern Flickers I have met have been in western North America. I have seen them as far north as the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. My southern sightings have been from as far south as Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas. Those who have posed the best for me, were in western Montana, Oregon, and Canada.

67 Photos

Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus — **Northern Flicker**
*(Colaptes auratus)*

**Description:**
This bird came to investigate my presence at the Vista Grande site, part of the SDNHM study of the Santa Rosa, San Jacinto Mountains. Riverside County, California USA 2010-06-29.
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**Date Taken:** 2010:06:29 18:09

**Location:**

Vista Grande
Banning, California
United States
5046.18 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500

**File Name:** JCD1846.NorthernFlicker

© 2010 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging

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Pin It — **Northern Flicker**
*(Colaptes auratus)*

**Description:**
This bird came to investigate my presence at the Vista Grande site, part of the SDNHM study of the Santa Rosa, San Jacinto Mountains. Riverside County, California USA 2010-06-29.
Read More

**Date Taken:** 2010:06:29 18:09

**Location:**

Vista Grande
Banning, California
United States
5046.18 ft above sea level

**Camera Information:**
NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500

**File Name:** JCD1846.NorthernFlicker

© 2010 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging

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