Northern Flicker Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Flicker tracks on lower right
Upper left is hole the flicker was probing for ants
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The northern flicker is a type of woodpecker. It can grow to 12.5 inches long and
have a wingspan of 20 inches. Flickers prefer to eat ants. They will open anthills to get at them. In the photo above, the flicker was probing a hole on a dirt road as I approached. This particular area is a popular place for the flickers. I see them frequently. There must be lots of ants or other insects in that particular stretch of road for them to eat. The flicker has a very distinctive plumage. The back has dark bars and the front is spotted. In flight, the rump is white. The bird in the photo at left is a male. The female lacks the red patch on the cheek. The female has a gray face. Tracks are not often found. They can measure 1 3/4 to almost 2 1/2 inches long and about half an inch wide. Flickers will do damage to buildings, often pecking holes into wood siding. Where I live, this is a constant problem. One way to discourage them is to hang up bright reflective tape, which flutters in the wind and scares off the birds. |
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| A nice northern flicker track in mud. This track was in a drying mud puddle on a dirt road. Flickers are commonly seen in my area on dirt roads, where ants are frequently found. I've even found openings to ant nests in the middle of some dirt roads. Flickers love to eat ants. | |
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| Northern flicker track in mud. Flickers often eat ants they find along dirt roads in this area. | |
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| A northern flicker searches for insects on a tree trunk. Northern flickers are also called red shafted flickers. | |
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| The northern flicker used to be called the red shafted flicker. If you look closely at the orangish-red shaft of the wing feather here, you will see why. Red-shafted is a very descriptive name for this species. | |
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| Notice the toes and claws that help the flicker cling to the bark of this tree. The stiff tail feathers also allow this woodpecker to stay upright on the side of the tree. The toes face both forward and backward, which gives the bird a good grip. | |
Find northern flicker posters, greeting cards, postage stamps and more in my new store.
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Now available: "Animals Don't Cover
Their Tracks - An Introduction to Animal Tracking" on CD! (Version 3.0)
New drawings, more species, more photos, more extensive sections on tracking
humans, more detailed directions for plaster casting, mystery tracks section,
tracking stories section, and more. The CD features over 100 species, including
special bonus sections with the tracks of some African and Australian
animals. A large section on tracking lost people for search and rescue is
included, with over four pages of photos showing the details of tracks and
signs people leave. Easy to use format. This web site is limited
by bandwidth, but the CD-ROM is not. The CD is available in my online store at:
www.dirt-time.com
Works with Mac or PC. Happy tracking!!
What else can you find in the nature store? Beartracker's animal tracks coloring book, T-shirts, sweatshirts, journals, book bags, toddler and infant apparel, mouse pads, posters, postcards, coffee mugs, travel mugs, clocks, Frisbees, bumper stickers, hats, stickers, and many more items. All with tracks or paw prints, or nature scenes. Custom products are available. If you don't see the track you want on the product you want, email me and I can probably create it. Proceeds from all sales go to pay the monthly fees for this web site. You can help support this site as well as get great tracking products! Thank you! |
| Find other tracking products: www.zazzle.com/tracker8459* |
| Also visit these fine
stores for more products of interest: NDN Pride shop - For Indian Pride items for all tribes. Custom items available on request. ASL Signs of Love - For anyone who uses or is learning ASL, American Sign Language. Custom name items and more are available here. Sales from all stores give commissions to Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den, which helps keep this site online as a free service. We are celebrating ten years online this year! |
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Looking for a Gift? This site lets you customize a gift card with your own photo. Commissions earned when you buy from this link help
keep Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den online! Thank you! |
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If you wish to help keep this site online, donations are
accepted through PayPal. |
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Got a northern flicker story? E-mail me and tell me about it.You are visitor number:
Copyright © 1997-2008. Text, drawings, and photos by Kim A. Cabrera |
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Page updated: October 1, 2008.
