Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) by Val Lee
I shot this notable, colorful guy with a dab of red paint on his chin in Idaho. Though this male model with the red mustache is quite distinguished looking, he is simply considered a common ant-eating woodpecker.
Each flight feather on this Red-Shafted Flicker has a scarlet shaft line and the tail underside feathers are covered in beaming, traffic light red. He sports a black bib on his chest and a Valentine red heart or “V” on the back of his head. He is of the old west breed. Females are a tad bit duller, though still lovely in their attire. Male and female both have a bit of delicately painted, pale brown on their heads.
Last week, I actually spotted one in our backyard, on a limb. I was quite surprised and thrilled.
Though the Flicker is considered simply a woodpecker, God manufactured the Northern Flickers with many unique attributes. Plus, He makes them available in tandem, coordinating designs.
The second miraculously designed Flicker is the swanky, Yellow-shafted Flicker, an eastern, high society breed, though not snobbish. He parades a distinguished, black mustache, minus the handlebar, dapper look. ☺️The females display no mustache on either make—imagine that? Both Yellow genders own a black bib on the chest and reveal a bit of pale brown on their heads as do the Reds.
The Yellow-shafted flight feathers display a yellow shaft line and the tail underside feathers are covered in sunshine yellow. Females are a tad bit drabber, though not much. In Alabama, the yellow-shafted is the state bird, referred to as “The Yellow Hammer.” Flickers hammer trees and the ground for their meal morsels. And it is relayed, they can eat 5,000 ants in a dinner’s meal.
Yellow Flickers are common across the eastern and northern parts of North America.
Male Flicker aves are the perfect bird for Valentine’s Day revealing a red heart on the back on their heads, though sometimes a “V.”
You can tell from my photo above, Flickers exhibit a striking, polka dotted body and the cute dots are on both colorations. I guess you might say, the gals wear polka-doted blouses and the males, polka-dotted tuxedo shirts.
Both models look exquisite when you view their colorful, fan-like feathers in flight! It is like three gorgeous fans with two flight wings and one tail wing, on one bird.
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) juvenile
I was quite surprised to see orange on this juvenile, Yellow-shafted Flicker till I researched and learned this orange color variation might be attributed to berries. Well, I should write, this is how these non-conforming Flickers are defined by some ornithologists. God knows if true!
To explain, the two Flicker bird species “ranges meet in the western Great Plains and eastern Rockies, creating a zone of intermediate-hued birds, ranging from orange-y to salmon pink. Jocelyn Hudon, the curator of ornithology at the Royal Alberta Museum, hypothesized that the reddish hue was caused by a pigment found in the berries of two types of invasive shrubs, Tartarian and Morrow’s honeysuckle, originally imported from central Asia and Japan.” Others believe the orange plumage is a result of the two species breeding together. I offer the later as more probable—“ When John James Audubon happened upon a nest hole containing a mix of red-shafted and yellow-shafted Northern Flickers in 1843, he wrote in his journal that he wasn’t sure what to make of it: ‘[it was] the most curious set of five birds that I ever saw, and which I think will puzzle all naturalists in the world.’ ”
“Audubon was traveling along the Missouri River, and little did he know that he was in the hybrid zone where the eastern yellow-shafted forms of the Northern Flicker intermingle and interbreed with the western red-shafted forms. To confuse matters even more, hybrid offspring of the two-forms can show a mix of traits from both parents, resulting in birds with varying shades of orange.”
Flickers are a “medium-sized member of the woodpecker family (approximately 12 inches in length).” They weigh in at under half-a-pound. Their wingspan is 20 inches. “They are native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands. Their heavy, lancinating bills and thick neck muscles equip them” for hammering trees and the ground as stated above. Their rhythmic actions remind me of a sewing machine needle leaving its base and sewing everywhere.
God designed their ears and bodies in such a way as to not be bothered at all with that constant banging.
Their tail feathers when closed resemble a swallow bird’s tail, being bifurcated.
Their sharp claws enable them to adhere to the sides of trees with no fear of slipping as it continually rotates for tasty bits of crawling grub. And it is not unusual to see them hanging upside down on a bird feeder designed for their acrobatic acts.
It is distinguished from other woodpeckers, being they mostly forage on the ground for their feasting banquets. This is where you mostly spot them. Yes, ground hopping and running woodpeckers. When Flickers are stationed on the ground, their beak can dig into the dirt akin to a jackhammer and they sound like jackhammers when hammering on wood.
They possess an intricately created elongated, barbed tongue that rolls out and rolls back up to lap up tasty ants and other insects. When their lengthy tongue retracts, it wraps around their brain. Yes, they know how to wrap something around their brain.
Delectable ants “compose 45% of their diet.” Their tongue can stick to a hundred tasty aunts in one mouth bite. Quite amazingly created! God certainly did not want them appearing gaunt. ☺️
Ants are not only a delectable food for Flickers, they are also applied to their wings as an insecticide. This is referred to as “anting”—the act of birds rubbing insects on their feathers which “secrete liquids containing chemicals such as formic acid forming this insecticide or miticide (eliminates mites, aphids and flies), and fungicide.” There are over 250 species, of the 18,000 bird species, that have been known to engage in “anting” behavior. You must admit, they are quite the work of design.
Fruits, berries, seeds and nuts also appeal to their eager palate.
It is amazing how God manufactured Flickers to maneuver masterfully when airborne. They can actually catch insects on the wing (in flight) with acrobatic navigation. You do not observe man-manufactured aircrafts, maneuvering as aves do, including hummingbirds, though helicopters are designed with them in mind. My child’s book on this subject: https://www.amazon.com/Hey-Little-Hummingbird-Yes-You-ebook/dp/B00P0IPSF4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Hey+little+hummingbird%2C+yes+you&qid=1644196186&s=books&sr=1-1
Flickers are cavity masters who typically nest in trees—designing their own mini tree houses with their powerful beaks; though they will implement posts and birdhouses, and will renovate damaged or abandoned nesting homes.
One to two weeks of home hammering construction is required for the parents (that often mate for life) to create that perfect, homey nest. A typical clutch (the total number of laid eggs) consists of 6 to 8. “The shells are pure white with a smooth surface, topped with a high gloss” that sets off their beauty. Both parents partake in the incubation process, lasting 11 to 12 days. The young are fed “by regurgitation and fledge (fly) 25 to 28 days after hatching.”
Flickers are one of the few woodpeckers that migrate south.
There are over 100 common names for the Northern Flicker and some produce a grin. Here are just a few dubs: “heigh-ho (no ‘off to work we go,’ however) harry-wicket, wake-up, gawker bird, flick-a flicka, clape, gaffer, walk-up, wick-up, and yarrup.” And, as mentioned above, “The Yellow Hammer.” Many of the tags attempt to imitate its calls. I must add my dubs—the valentine bird and polkadot bird.
Flicker lifespan is 6 to 9 years.
Insightful Yellow-shafted Flicker video of observation by GoTrails:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWSEXVTOQAI
You can attract Flickers to your yard using suet and black oil sunflower seeds. Beware, however, they can cause damage to your home and awaken you in the wee morning hours with a drum roll.
God implemented a sense of humor when He created our feathered friends and other creatures as revealed in Job, chapter 39, in the Bible. If you turn to this text in your Bible or read online through a search, you will note God asks many questions to get us to think things through regarding creation and His sovereignty; all the while, putting smiles on our faces through this educational process. He sets forth His own path of apologetics in His reality classroom, implementing various fauna to display creation’s truths. Through this instruction, He clarifies everything formed by Him is unique and marvelous including winged creatures. Every critter is powerfully fashioned and owns a distinguishing personality. Most of us have owned pets and have noticed they all differ in personality. Some creatures actually laugh, but of course, in their own specie way.
Some info gathered from various sources with gratitude.
My letter addressed to the bird enthusiast: https://birdsbyval.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/letter-to-bird-enthusiast/
Birds Through Val Lee's Looking Glass 