Colorful flickers favor ants but take suet, seeds in winter
Look near the ground for this large type of woodpecker
The northern flicker is one of North America’s largest woodpeckers, averaging 12½ inches long.
The Western variety commonly seen in New Mexico is called the red-shafted flicker. This striking woodpecker has a brownish back, spotted belly, gray head, black breast-band and long bill. The most noticeable features are its white rump and red feathers under the wings, which are mostly seen in flight.
The Eastern version, the yellow-shafted flicker, is similar but has yellow under the wings. The males of both flickers are identified by the red on their heads. The Western red-shafted has red cheeks, while the eastern yellow-shafted has red on the back of its head.
In New Mexico, the red-shafted flicker needs tree cavities for nesting, so it is often seen in heavily wooded habitat in the mountains or river valleys during the summer nesting season. The male flicker is known for making loud calls and other noises to attract a female and establish a nesting territory. In the spring, I have seen and heard male flickers using their sturdy bill to bang repetitively on everything from telephone poles, houses to metal trash bins trying to catch a female’s attention.
After nesting, in fall and winter this woodpecker expands its territory to include more open habitats like city parks and backyards. Like most woodpeckers, the flicker can forage for food by climbing tree trunks, using its long tongue to probe for insects in the bark. What makes flickers different from other woodpeckers is that they prefer to feed on the ground, because their food of choice is ants. Flickers use their long, barbed tongues to lap up or “snag” the ants underground. A flicker’s tongue extends up to 2” beyond the end of its bill.
Year-round, especially in winter, when ants are in short supply, flickers can be lured to backyards by feeding suet, bark butter (a spreadable suet) and seed/nut cylinders. Providing an ice-free birdbath is also a sure way to attract red-shafted flickers to your yard.
In the colder weather, flickers search for warmth and protection by finding dead tree cavities to roost in at night. In cities and suburbs, where dead tree cavities are difficult to find, flickers often improvise. It is not uncommon to find a flicker clinging to the side of a stucco house under eaves or a porch overhang trying to stay warm.
This large woodpecker is hard to miss. This time of year, listen for its loud, high-pitched call, and remember to look on the ground for this large woodpecker when out hiking or taking a stroll in your neighborhood.