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SPECIES

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus Scientific name definitions

Karen L. Wiebe and William S. Moore
Version: 2.0 — Published July 7, 2023

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Distribution of the Northern Flicker - Northern Flicker -
Distribution of the Northern Flicker
Figure 1. Annual cycle of breeding, molt, and migration for the Northern Flicker. - Northern Flicker -
Figure 1. Annual cycle of breeding, molt, and migration for the Northern Flicker.

Thick lines show peak migration, thin lines off-peak for the Yellow-shafted Flicker.

Figure 2. Breeding distributions of the four main subspecies groups of the Northern Flicker. - Northern Flicker -
Figure 2. Breeding distributions of the four main subspecies groups of the Northern Flicker.

Hybrid zone boundaries are the 20% and 80% transition contours from Yellow-shafted Flickers in the east to Red-shafted Flickers in the west.

Figure 3. Contour map of the hybrid zone between Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted Flickers. - Northern Flicker -
Figure 3. Contour map of the hybrid zone between Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted Flickers.

Information in this map is based on a hybrid index of plumage patterns (from Moore and Price 1993).

Figure 4. Vocalizations of the Northern Flicker - Northern Flicker -
Figure 4. Vocalizations of the Northern Flicker

A: Long Call by male Red-shafted Flicker (Rio Grande River, Bernardo, NM, 12 May 1992). B: Peah by female Yellow-shafted Flicker (12.8 km west of Lamar, CO, in eastern edge of hybrid zone, 11 Jun 1992). C: Wicka by male Red-shafted Flicker (Rio Grande River, Bernardo, NM, 12 May 1992; background is wind noise). D: Whurdle by female Yellow-shafted Flicker (3.2 km west of Great Bend, KS, 6 May 1992; background is wind noise). Prepared by the staff of the Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics, Ohio State University.

Figure 5. Sonogram of drumming of a male Red-shafted Flicker - Northern Flicker -
Figure 5. Sonogram of drumming of a male Red-shafted Flicker

Location: Rio Grande River, Bernardo, NM, 12 May 1992. Prepared by the staff of the Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics, Ohio State University.

Figure 6. Northern Flickers performing the highly ritualized <em>Wicka</em>&nbsp;Bout. - Northern Flicker -
Figure 6. Northern Flickers performing the highly ritualized Wicka Bout.

Usually two birds of the same sex face one another in an agonistic display, often while a member of the opposite sex looks on. Drawing by J. Zickefoose.

Figure 7. Growth of nestling Northern Flickers. - Northern Flicker -
Figure 7. Growth of nestling Northern Flickers.

Growth (body mass [g]; mean ± SE) of nestling Northern Flickers (both sexes pooled) at Riske Creek, British Columbia. Data are from 1998–2005 and are based on 2,714 nestling measures from 602 broods (KLW).

Figure 8. Regional trends in Northern Flicker breeding populations. - Northern Flicker -
Figure 8. Regional trends in Northern Flicker breeding populations.

Based on data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey, 1966–2015 (Sauer et al. 2017). Data show estimates of annual population change over the range of the survey; areas of increase are shown in blue and declines are shown in red. See Sauer et al. (2017) for details.

Recommended Citation

Wiebe, K. L. and W. S. Moore (2023). Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus), version 2.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.norfli.02