Systematics

Systematics in the Colaptes auratus complex are unsettled, as are phylogenetic relationships among subspecies. Colaptes auratus forms a superspecies with Colaptes chrysoides, with these taxa sometimes considered conspecific. During much of the 1900s, three Colaptes species were recognized in North America, based largely on plumage differences: Colaptes chrysoides (Gilded Flicker), Colaptes cafer (Red-shafted Flicker), and Colaptes auratus (Yellow-shafted Flicker). However, because all three “species” could hybridize and produce fertile offspring, they were lumped into one species, Colaptes auratus (the Northern Flicker), by the American Ornithologists’ Union in 1982 (37 American Ornithologists' Union (1982). Thirty-fourth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union's Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 99:1–16. Close ). Subsequently, Colaptes chrysoides was split off again in 1995 (38 American Ornithologists' Union (1995). Fortieth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 112:819–830. Close ), based on its limited hybridization and its unique habitat and life history. The most detailed genetic analysis of these three groups to date revealed that Colaptes chrysoides was indeed more differentiated from both the “yellow-auratus” and “red-cafer” forms, which are sister taxa with relatively few differences (39 Aguillon, S. M., L. Campagna, R. G. Harrison, and I. J. Lovette (2018). A flicker of hope: Genomic data distinguish Northern Flicker taxa despite low levels of divergence. Auk: Ornithological Advances 135:748–766. Close ). While most taxonomic authorities currently treat the Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted groups as part of a larger, inclusive Colaptes auratus (e.g., 40 Dickinson, E. C., and J. V. Remsen Jr., Editors (2013). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Fourth edition. Volume 1. Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK. Close , 41 Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood (2022). The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. Close , 42 Gill, F., D. Donsker, and P. Rasmussen, Editors (2023). IOC World Bird List (v13.1). Close ) on account of the fairly broad hybrid zone and the few genetic differences identified by Aguillon et al. (39 Aguillon, S. M., L. Campagna, R. G. Harrison, and I. J. Lovette (2018). A flicker of hope: Genomic data distinguish Northern Flicker taxa despite low levels of divergence. Auk: Ornithological Advances 135:748–766. Close ), del Hoyo and Collar (43 del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2014). HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ) treat the two groups as separate species, largely based on the plumage differences. The mexicanoides group (see Subspecies below) is also sometimes accorded species status (44 Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York, New York, USA. Close , 43 del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2014). HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ).

Geographic variation has been described mainly by differentiating subspecies, so it is difficult to tease apart potential ecological patterns of morphology and plumage versus variation arising from phylogenetic history per se. Widespread variation in the predominant color of remiges, forming either “yellow-shafted” or “red-shafted” populations, is well known. Yellow-shafted populations occur in far northern and eastern North America and some of the Caribbean; whereas, red-shafted forms occupy western North America and mainland Mexico south through northern Central America. In general, body size increases northward. As with many other North American bird species (see 45 Zink, R. M., and J. V. Remsen Jr. (1986). Evolutionary processes and patterns of geographic variation in birds. Current Ornithology 4:1–69. Close ), the darkest, most heavily saturated populations occur in the Pacific Northwest, and the grayest in the Great Basin region of central North America. In both yellow-shafted and red-shafted groups, subspecies with the heaviest dorsal barring and roundest wings occur to the south (West Indies or Middle America).

The Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted flickers within Colaptes auratus hybridize (or intergrade) extensively where their geographic ranges meet (1 Short, L. L. (1965). Hybridization in the flickers (Colaptes) of North America. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 129:307–428. Close ). This hybrid zone is one of the most familiar and best studied among birds. It extends in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains from the Texas panhandle to southeastern Alaska (Figure 2, Figure 3) but varies in width, being narrow at its southern limit, broadest in the northern Great Plains, and narrowest along the Alberta–British Columbia provincial line (there are too few specimens to allow accurate mapping in northern British Columbia and Alaska). The hybrid zone is estimated to be 4,000–7,500 years old and probably older (46 Moore, W. S., and D. B. Buchanan (1985). Stability of the Northern Flicker hybrid zone. Evolution 39:135–151. Close , 3 Moore, W. S., and J. T. Price (1993). The nature of selection in the Northern Flicker hybrid zone and its implications for speciation theory. In Hybrid Zones and the Evolutionary Process (R. G. Harrison, Editor). Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom. pp. 196–225. Close ). An early study based on specimens collected up to the 1980s indicated that the zone was stable in position and width since the late 1800s (46 Moore, W. S., and D. B. Buchanan (1985). Stability of the Northern Flicker hybrid zone. Evolution 39:135–151. Close ), but a later study which included specimens sampled up to 2018 indicated the zone in the Great Plains had shifted 73 km west since the 1950s, though it had not changed in width (47 Aguillon, S. M., and V. G. Rohwer (2022). Revisting a classic hybrid zone: Movement of the northern flicker hybrid zone in contemporary times. Evolution 76:1082–1090. Close ). The position and width of the zone is correlated with several ecological variables, especially a biotic transition from ecological communities characteristic of the wetter East to the drier West (3 Moore, W. S., and J. T. Price (1993). The nature of selection in the Northern Flicker hybrid zone and its implications for speciation theory. In Hybrid Zones and the Evolutionary Process (R. G. Harrison, Editor). Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom. pp. 196–225. Close ). In the North, where populations are migratory, one study also suggested the hybrid zone was moving (48 McGillivray, W. B., and G. C. Biermann (1987). Expansion of the zone of hybridization of Northern Flickers in Alberta. Wilson Bulletin 99(4):690–692. Close ). The structure of this part of the zone in Canada may be influenced more by weather and by the migratory pattern of the subspecies than by gradual ecological gradients (49 Wiebe, K. L., and G. R. Bortolotti (2001). Variation in colour within a population of Northern Flickers: a new perspective on an old hybrid zone. Canadian Journal of Zoology 79(6):1046–1052. Close , 50 Flockhart, D. T. T., and K. L. Wiebe (2007). The role of weather and migration in assortative pairing within the northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) hybrid zone. Evolutionary Ecology Research 9:887–903. Close , 51 Flockhart, D. T. T., and K. L. Wiebe (2008). Variable weather patterns affect annual survival of Northern Flickers more than phenotype in the hybrid zone. Condor 110:701–708. Close ).

Intergrade specimens have been known since the earliest naturalists (see 52 McDermott, J. F. (1951). Up the Missouri with Audubon: the Journal of Edward Harris. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK, USA. Close ). Intergrades exhibit highly variable combinations of parental traits or intermediate conditions for single traits; e.g., a male might have a gray throat and brown crown (Red-shafted traits), black malar stripe and tan auriculars (Yellow-shafted traits), and pumpkin gold shafts and a partially developed nuchal patch (intermediate traits). Early studies based on nuclear genes (allozymes) revealed no allelic differences among Yellow-shafted, Red-shafted, and Gilded flickers (53 Grudzien, T. A., and W. S. Moore (1986). Genetic differentiation between the Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted subspecies of the Northern Flicker. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 14(4):451–453. Close , 54 Grudzien, T. A., W. S. Moore, J. R. Cook, and D. Tagle (1987). Genetic population structure of the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) hybrid zone. Auk 104:654–664. Close , 55 Fletcher, S. D., and W. S. Moore (1992). Further analysis of allozyme variation in the Northern Flicker, in comparison with mitochondrial DNA variation. Condor 94:988–991. Close ), but more extensive genomic analysis could differentiate among the three groups (39 Aguillon, S. M., L. Campagna, R. G. Harrison, and I. J. Lovette (2018). A flicker of hope: Genomic data distinguish Northern Flicker taxa despite low levels of divergence. Auk: Ornithological Advances 135:748–766. Close ). In addition, several loci associated with the red versus yellow remiges have been uncovered (29 Aguillon, S. M., J. Walsh, and I. J. Lovette (2021). Extensive hybridization reveals multiple coloration genes underlying a complex plumage phenotype. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 288:20201805. Close ). Geographic variation in mitochondrial DNA was not associated with the ranges of the subspecies groups (56 Moore, W. S., J. H. Graham, and J. T. Price (1991). Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus, Aves). Molecular Biology and Evolution 8:327–344. Close ).

There is no indication of active mate choice according to remex color or intergrade traits (57 Bock, C. E. (1971). Pairing in hybrid flicker populations in eastern Colorado. Auk 88:921–924. Close , 58 Moore, W. S. (1987). Random mating in the Northern Flicker hybrid zone: implications for the evolution of bright and contrasting plumage patterns in birds. Evolution 41:539–546. Close ); however, a passive and weak assortative pairing into subspecies groups in the northern part of the hybrid zone (59 Wiebe, K. L. (2000). Assortative mating by color in a population of hybrid northern flickers. Auk 117(2):525–529. Close may be a result of large-scale weather patterns influencing migratory timing and possibly migratory routes via a “migratory divide” (50 Flockhart, D. T. T., and K. L. Wiebe (2007). The role of weather and migration in assortative pairing within the northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) hybrid zone. Evolutionary Ecology Research 9:887–903. Close ). While there is no evidence of assortative mating in the Great Plains, Aguillon and Rohwer (47 Aguillon, S. M., and V. G. Rohwer (2022). Revisting a classic hybrid zone: Movement of the northern flicker hybrid zone in contemporary times. Evolution 76:1082–1090. Close ) found that the width of the hybrid zone remained stable over a nearly 60-year period, suggesting strong selection is keeping the two groups separate. In the hybrid zone in central British Columbia, there was no indication that reproductive success (e.g., clutch size or fledging success) depended on the intergrade phenotype of the individual or the difference in phenotype of each parent (4 Flockhart, T. D., and K. L. Wiebe (2009). Absence of reproductive consequences of hybridization in the northern portion of the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) hybrid zone. Auk 126:351–358. Close ).

Ten subspecies recognized here (41 Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood (2022). The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. Close ), with one now extinct (Colaptes auratus rufipileus), formerly on Guadalupe Island, Mexico. These subspecies belong to five groups: (1) auratus, the yellow-shafted group in Alaska, across Canada, and the eastern United States, (2) cafer, the red-shafted group in western North America, (3) mexicanoides, a heavily barred red-shafted group in southern Middle America, and two monotypic groups (4) chrysocaulosus in Cuba, and (5) gundlachi on Grand Cayman Island. On the basis of plumage similarity, the chrysocaulosus and gundlachi groups appear to have shared a common ancestor with a North American taxon of the auratus group. Affinity of the mexicanoides group is uncertain. Because it is red-shafted, it was classified as a subspecies of Colaptes cafer when that taxon was accorded species status, but Colaptes auratus mexicanoides resembles the chrysocaulosus group in some characters (rounded wings, spotted rump, bar-shaped ventral markings), and both share with Colaptes chrysoides a deeper, less crescentic breast patch (2 Short, L. L. (1967). Variation in Central American flickers. Wilson Bulletin 79(1):5–21. Close ). The mexicanoides group is highly variable in several plumage traits: individuals may show predominantly cafer traits with varying mixtures of auratus or chrysocaulosus traits. It is plausible that this highly variable plumage has vestiges of polymorphisms in the common ancestor of the Colaptes auratus complex; alternatively, it may be a relict of ancient hybridization between cafer and auratus or chrysocaulosus or an ancestor of these two that presumably occurred during the late Pleistocene when biota of eastern North America plausibly extended to the highlands of southern Mexico and Guatemala (60 Sharp, A. J. (1948). Some fungi common to the highlands of Mexico, Guatemala and eastern United States. Mycologia 40:499–502. Close , 61 Miranda, F. (1950). Characteristics of the vegetation in certain temperate regions of eastern Mexico. Ecology 31:313–333. Close , 62 Steyermark, J. A. (1950). Flora of Guatemala. Ecology 31:368–372. Close ). Analysis of mtDNA indicated that mexicanoides was the most genetically distinct of subspecies groups, and even appeared to be sister to the entire Colaptes auratus complex, including Colaptes chrysoides (63 Manthey, J. D., M. Geiger, and R. G. Moyle (2017). Relationships of morphological groups in the northern flicker superspecies complex (Colaptes auratus & C. chrysoides). Systematics and Biodiversity 15:183–191. Close ).

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EBIRD GROUP (MONOTYPIC)

Northern Flicker (Cuban) Colaptes auratus chrysocaulosus Scientific name definitions

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• 201 photos
• 6 recordings

Systematics History

Colaptes chrysocaulosus Gundlach, 1858, Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York 6:273.—Type locality given as "Cuba" (64 Gundlach, J. (1858). Notes on some Cuban birds, 23. Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York 6:267–277. Close ); restricted to Guantánamo, Oriente Province, Cuba, by Short (65 Short, L. L. (1965). Variation in West Indian Flickers (Aves, Colaptes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum Biological Sciences 10(1):1–42. Close ).

Short (65 Short, L. L. (1965). Variation in West Indian Flickers (Aves, Colaptes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum Biological Sciences 10(1):1–42. Close ) reported that Gundlach sent several specimens of the Cuban bird and the paper describing chrysocaulosus to George Lawrence at the American Museum of Natural History, New York; two specimens from Gundlach are still present there, a female (AMNH 44214) and a male (AMNH 44215) (66 Greenway, J. C. (1978). Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Part 2. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 161(1):1‒305. Close ), of which the former, from eastern Cuba (probably near Santiago de Cuba or Guantánamo), was nominated as the neotype by Short (65 Short, L. L. (1965). Variation in West Indian Flickers (Aves, Colaptes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum Biological Sciences 10(1):1–42. Close ), though there seems to be no great need to have nominated such a specimen (67 Kirkconnell, A., G. M. Kirwan, O. H. Garrido, A. D. Mitchell, and J. W. Wiley (2020). The Birds of Cuba: an annotated checklist. BOC Checklist Series 26. British Ornithologists’ Club, Tring, United Kingdom. Close ). Short (65 Short, L. L. (1965). Variation in West Indian Flickers (Aves, Colaptes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum Biological Sciences 10(1):1–42. Close ) did not believe that AMNH 44214 and AMNH 44215 necessarily formed part of the original series supplied to Lawrence by Gundlach, although they were effectively treated as syntypes by Greenway (66 Greenway, J. C. (1978). Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Part 2. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 161(1):1‒305. Close ; repeated by Kirkconnell et al. [67 Kirkconnell, A., G. M. Kirwan, O. H. Garrido, A. D. Mitchell, and J. W. Wiley (2020). The Birds of Cuba: an annotated checklist. BOC Checklist Series 26. British Ornithologists’ Club, Tring, United Kingdom. Close ]).

Distribution

Cuba.

Identification Summary

Yellow-shafted (tinged golden); cheeks and throat tan contrasting with gray crown. Dorsal color with a slightly more greenish cast than birds of the auratus subspecies, rump spotted; and tail heavily barred, long (> 95 mm); ventral markings more bars than spots; wings rounded, long (> 133 mm) (65 Short, L. L. (1965). Variation in West Indian Flickers (Aves, Colaptes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum Biological Sciences 10(1):1–42. Close ). In male, malar black and nape crescent red.

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EBIRD GROUP (MONOTYPIC)

Northern Flicker (Grand Cayman I.) Colaptes auratus gundlachi Scientific name definitions

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• 31 photos
• 2 recordings

Systematics History

Colaptes gundlachi Cory, 1886, Auk 3:498.—Type locality Grand Cayman Island, Cayman Islands (68 Cory, C. B. (1886) Descriptions of thirteen new species of birds from the island of Grand Cayman, West Indies. Auk 3:497–501. Close ).

As related by Short (65 Short, L. L. (1965). Variation in West Indian Flickers (Aves, Colaptes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum Biological Sciences 10(1):1–42. Close ), Cory designated no type specimen, but he evidently based his description on a single male and four females collected in August 1886, held at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago; the adult male, collected by William B. Richardson on 17 August 1886, was therefore nominated as the taxon’s lectotype (FMNH 39443) by Short (65 Short, L. L. (1965). Variation in West Indian Flickers (Aves, Colaptes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum Biological Sciences 10(1):1–42. Close ). The other four specimens, also taken by Richardson during July and August 1886, therefore become paralectotypes (FMNH 42215, FMNH 42216, FMNH 42217, and FMNH 42219).

Distribution

Grand Cayman Island, Cayman Islands.

Identification Summary

Like C. a. chrysocaulosus, but smaller overall (wing < 133 mm, tail < 91 mm; 8 Ridgway, R. (1914). The birds of North and Middle America. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 50, part VI. Close ), with tail proportionately shorter (1 Short, L. L. (1965). Hybridization in the flickers (Colaptes) of North America. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 129:307–428. Close ).

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EBIRD GROUP (POLYTYPIC)

Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) Colaptes auratus auratus/luteus

Available illustrations of subspecies in this group

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• 25,204 photos
• 990 recordings

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SUBSPECIES

Colaptes auratus luteus Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs, 1898, Auk 15:177.—Type locality Watertown, Massachusetts, USA (69 Bangs, O. (1898). Some new races of birds from eastern North America. Auk 15(2):173–183. Close ).

The holotype, an adult male collected on 2 May 1879 by Edward Bangs and, his son, Outram Bangs (1863–1932), is held at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (MCZ 100830) (70 Bangs, O. (1930). Types of birds in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 70(4):145–426. Close ).

Synonym:
Colaptes auratus borealis Ridgway, 1911, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 24:31.—Type locality Nulato, lower Yukon River, Alaska, USA (71 Ridgway, R. (1911). The birds of North and Middle America. Part V. United States National Museum Bulletin 50. Close ). The holotype is an adult male collected on 23 June 1867 by William Healey Dall (1845–1927), and held at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA (USNM 49922) (71 Ridgway, R. (1911). The birds of North and Middle America. Part V. United States National Museum Bulletin 50. Close , 72 Deignan, H. G. (1961). Type specimens of birds in the United States National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 221:1–718. Close )

Distribution

From central Alaska east across Canada to southern Labrador and Newfoundland, and south to Montana and the northeastern United States.

Identification Summary

Cheeks and throat tan, contrasting with gray crown and nape; wings pointed, wing chord generally > 150 mm (16 Pyle, P. (1997). Identification Guide to North American Birds. Part I. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA, USA. Close ); on the male, malar black and nape crescent red. See Plumages.

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SUBSPECIES

Colaptes auratus auratus Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Cuculus auratus Linnaeus, 1758, Systema Naturae, Tenth edition, Tome 1, p. 112. Type locality given as "Carolina" [= South Carolina, USA] (73 Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per Regna tria Naturae, secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Volume 1. 10th edition. Laurentius Salvius, Holmia [Stockholm], Sweden. Close ).

This name is based on the Gold-winged Wood-pecker of Catesby The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands, p. 18, Plate 18; as such there is no known extant specimen associated with it.

Distribution

Southeastern United States from eastern Texas east to Virginia and Florida.

Identification Summary

Like C. a. luteus, but smaller overall (wing chord < 153 mm; 8 Ridgway, R. (1914). The birds of North and Middle America. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 50, part VI. Close , 16 Pyle, P. (1997). Identification Guide to North American Birds. Part I. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA, USA. Close ). See also Plumages.

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EBIRD GROUP (POLYTYPIC)

Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) Colaptes auratus [cafer Group]

Available illustrations of subspecies in this group

• eBird map
• 19,894 photos
• 663 recordings

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SUBSPECIES

Colaptes auratus cafer Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Picus cafer J. F. Gmelin, 1788, Systema Naturae, Thirteenth edition, Tome 1, p. 431.—Type locality given as “Cape of Good Hope” [= error; Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, selected by Palmer (74 Palmer, T. S. (1916). The type-locality of Colaptes cafer. Auk 33(3):322–324. Close )].

Gmelin’s descriptions were not made from specimens but were typically compiled from the works of previous authors, in this case Latham’s General Synopsis of Birds, who based his description of the relevant woodpecker from two specimens in the Leverian Museum, of which at least one was brought from Nootka Sound by Captain James Cook (1728–1779); extant material from Ashton Lever’s museum is limited and well scattered, but no material pertaining to this name has been identified in collections in Cambridge, Massachusetts (70 Bangs, O. (1930). Types of birds in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 70(4):145–426. Close ), Leiden (75 van der Mije, S., P. Kamminga, and R. W. R. J. Dekker (2023). Type specimens of non-passerines in Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Animalia, Aves). ZooKeys 1155:1–311. Close ), and Tring (76 Warren, R. L. M. (1966). Type-specimens of Birds in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume 1. Non-Passerines. British Museum (Natural History), London, UK. Close ).

Synonyms:
Picus Lathamii Wagler, 1827, Systema Avium, Part 1, p. 43 (77 Wagler, J. G. (1827). Systema Avium. J. G. Cotta, Stuttgart and Tübingen, Germany. Close ).—No type locality designated. A proposed replacement for Gmelin’s (78 Gmelin, J. F. (1788). Caroli a Linné Systema Naturae. Thirteenth edition, Volume 1. George Emanuel Beer, Leipzig, Germany. Close ) name that Wagler deemed inappropriate (74 Palmer, T. S. (1916). The type-locality of Colaptes cafer. Auk 33(3):322–324. Close ).

Picus rubicatus Wagler, 1829, Isis von Oken 22:516.—No type locality designated. The name seems to have been based on male and female syntypes; they should be searched for in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB).

Colaptes mexicanus saturatior Ridgway, 1884, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 2:90.—Type locality given as “Neah Bay and Simiahmoo, Washington Territory” [= Neah Bay and Semiahmoo, Washington, USA] (79 Ridgway, R. (1884). Descriptions of some new North American birds. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 2:89–95 Close ). This name was based on two syntypes, an adult male collected at Neah Bay sometime prior to 18 November 1865 by James Gilchrist Swan (1818–1900), and an adult female taken at Semiahmoo by Caleb Burwell Rowan Kennerly (1830–1861) on 8 April 1859, both held at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA (USNM 40063 and USNM 13516, respectively) (79 Ridgway, R. (1884). Descriptions of some new North American birds. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 2:89–95 Close , 72 Deignan, H. G. (1961). Type specimens of birds in the United States National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 221:1–718. Close ).

Distribution

Southern Alaska and British Columbia south to northern California; vagrant in winter to southeastern California and east to Great Basin (80 Patten, M. A., G. McCaskie, and P. Unitt (2003). Birds of the Salton Sea: Status, Biogeography, and Ecology. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, USA. Close ).

Identification Summary

Shape of C. a. auratus group birds; size of C. a. luteus. Dark and heavily saturated; dorsum a rich beige to tawny brown. In male, malar red, and nape crescent absent. See also Plumages.

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SUBSPECIES

Colaptes auratus collaris Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Colaptes collaris Vigors, 1829, Zoological Journal 4:354.—Type locality Monterey, California, USA (81 Vigors, N. A. (1829). On some birds from the north-west coast of North America. Zoological Journal 4:352–358. Close ).

Vigors described this new species from a specimen collected by Frederick William Beechey (1796–1856), but its whereabouts is unknown, not being in Cambridge, United Kingdom (82 Benson, C. W. (1999). Type specimens of bird skins in the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, UK. British Ornithologists’ Club Occasional Publications No. 4. Close ) and Tring (76 Warren, R. L. M. (1966). Type-specimens of Birds in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume 1. Non-Passerines. British Museum (Natural History), London, UK. Close ).

Synonyms:
Colaptes cafer martirensis Grinnell, 1927, Auk 44:67.—Type locality given as “La Grulla, 7,200 ft., Sierra San Pedro Martir, Lower California” [= Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, Baja California, Mexico] (83 Grinnell, J. (1927). Six new subspecies of birds from Lower California. Auk 44(1):67–72 Close ). The holotype is an adult male collected by Chester C. Lamb on 8 October 1925 and held at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley, California (MVZ 46253) (83 Grinnell, J. (1927). Six new subspecies of birds from Lower California. Auk 44(1):67–72 Close ).

Colaptes cafer canescens Brodkorb, 1935, Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 314:1.—Type locality Bear Lake Outlet, 5,900 ft., four miles southwest of Montpelier, Bear Lake County, Idaho (84 Brodkorb, P. (1935). Two new subspecies of the Red-shafted Flicker. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 314:1–3 Close ). The holotype is a male collected on 30 August 1934 by William Pierce Brodkorb (1908–1992) and held at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor, Michigan (UMMZ 75626) (84 Brodkorb, P. (1935). Two new subspecies of the Red-shafted Flicker. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 314:1–3 Close , 85 Storer, R. W. (1988). Type specimens of birds in the collections of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 174:1–69. Close ).

Colaptes cafer chihuahuae Brodkorb, 1935, Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 314:2.—Type locality 30 miles west of Miñaca, western Chihuahua, Mexico (84 Brodkorb, P. (1935). Two new subspecies of the Red-shafted Flicker. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 314:1–3 Close ). The holotype is an adult male collected by George F. Breninger on 24 January 1902 and held at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (FMNH 11857) (84 Brodkorb, P. (1935). Two new subspecies of the Red-shafted Flicker. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 314:1–3 Close ).

Colaptes cafer sedentarius van Rossem, 1944, Condor 46(5):245.—Type locality Prisoners’ Harbor, Santa Cruz Island, California, USA (86 van Rossem, A. J. (1944). The Santa Cruz Island Flicker. Condor 46(5):245–246 Close ). The holotype is a male (presumed adult) collected on 23 March 1920 by Adriaan Joseph van Rossem (1892–1949) and held at the University of California Los Angeles Donald R. Dickey Bird and Mammal Collection (UCLA 3707) (86 van Rossem, A. J. (1944). The Santa Cruz Island Flicker. Condor 46(5):245–246 Close ).

Distribution

Southwestern United States south to northwestern Baja California and western Mexico (south to about Durango).

Identification Summary

General pattern of C. a. cafer, but paler, with nape, crown, and back dark brown (lacking contrast).

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SUBSPECIES

Colaptes auratus rufipileus Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Colaptes mexicanus rufipileus Ridgway, 1876, Bulletin of the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories 2:191.—Type locality Guadeloupe Island, Mexico (87 Ridgway, R. (1876). Ornithology of Guadeloupe Island, based on notes and collections made by Dr. Edward Palmer. Bulletin of the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories 2:183–195. Close ).

This name is based on three syntypes, all adult females collected by Edward Palmer (1831‒1911) on 20 February 1874, held at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA (USNM 70000, USNM 70001, and USNM 70002) (87 Ridgway, R. (1876). Ornithology of Guadeloupe Island, based on notes and collections made by Dr. Edward Palmer. Bulletin of the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories 2:183–195. Close , 72 Deignan, H. G. (1961). Type specimens of birds in the United States National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 221:1–718. Close )

Distribution

Extinct. Formerly on Guadalupe Island (off western Baja California).

Identification Summary

Like C. a. collaris, but crown rich rufous.

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SUBSPECIES

Colaptes auratus mexicanus Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Colaptes Mexicanus Swainson, 1827, Philosophical Magazine (2)1:440.—Type locality Real del Monte, Hidalgo, Mexico (88 Swainson, W. (1827). On several groups and forms in Ornithology, not hitherto defined. Zoological Journal 3:343–363, 433–442. Close ).

It is unclear how many species of this taxon Swainson had before him when describing mexicanus, but he had at least one male (and presumably a female); Swainson’s type specimens are generally held in Cambridge, United Kingdom (82 Benson, C. W. (1999). Type specimens of bird skins in the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, UK. British Ornithologists’ Club Occasional Publications No. 4. Close ) and Tring (76 Warren, R. L. M. (1966). Type-specimens of Birds in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume 1. Non-Passerines. British Museum (Natural History), London, UK. Close ), but material pertaining to this subspecies do not appear to be among them.

Part of the range of chihuahuae, which is here listed in the synonymy of subspecies collaris, also encompasses part of the range of mexicanus, and so could also be considered a synonym of the present subspecies as well. The original description of chihuahuae is listed under collaris because the type locality of chihuahuae falls within the range of that subspecies.

Distribution

Durango east across Mexican Plateau to San Luis Potosí and south to Oaxaca.

Identification Summary

Similar to C. a. collaris, but browner, averages smaller (11 Short, L. L. (1982). Woodpeckers of the World. Monograph Series 4, Delaware Museum of Natural History, Greenville, DE, USA. Close ).

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SUBSPECIES

Colaptes auratus nanus Scientific name definitions

Systematics History

Colaptes cafer nanus Griscom, 1934, Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 75:381.—Type locality Ipina, San Luis Potosí, Mexico (89 Griscom, L. (1934). The ornithology of Guerrero, Mexico. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 75:367–422. Close ).

The holotype, an adult male collected by Wilmot W. Brown (1870?–1953) on 30 November 1924, is held at the Museum of Comparative Zoology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (MCZ 98788) (89 Griscom, L. (1934). The ornithology of Guerrero, Mexico. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 75:367–422. Close ).

Distribution

Southwestern United States (Chisos Mountains, Texas) and northeastern Mexico (Coahuila to Tamaulipas, south to San Luis Potosí).

Identification Summary

Similar to C. a. mexicanus, but smaller (size of C. a. auratus) and decidedly grayer.

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EBIRD GROUP (MONOTYPIC)

Northern Flicker (Guatemalan) Colaptes auratus mexicanoides Scientific name definitions

• eBird map
• 436 photos
• 60 recordings

Systematics History

Colaptes mexicanoides Lafresnaye, 1844, Revue Zoologique, par la Société Cuvierienne 7:42.—Type locality Mexico (90 de Lafresnaye, M. (1844). Oiseaux nouveaux du Mexique. Revue Zoologique par La Société Cuvierienne 7:41–43. Close ).

This name is based on two syntypes, a male and female supplied by one or other of the natural history dealers Charles Parzudaki (1806–1889) and his stepson Emile Parzudaki (1829–1899), and held in the Museum for Comparative Zoology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (MCZ 76213 and MCZ 76214) (70 Bangs, O. (1930). Types of birds in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 70(4):145–426. Close ).

Synonyms:
Picus submexicanus Sundevall, 1866, Conspectum Avium Picinarum, p. 72.—Type locality “Guatimala” [= Guatemala] (91 Sundevall, C. J. (1866). Conspectum Avium Picinarum. Samson and Wallin, Stockholm Close ). The name seems to have been based on a single specimen; it should be searched for in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB).

Colaptes mexicanoides pinicolus Dickey and van Rossem, 1928, Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 41:131.—Type locality Los Esesmiles, Dept. Chalatenango, El Salvador (92 Dickey, D. R., and A. J. van Rossem (1928). Further descriptions of new birds from El Salvador. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 41:129–132 Close ). The holotype is an adult male collected on 22 February 1927 by Adriaan Joseph van Rossem (1892–1949) and was originally held in what is now the University of California Los Angeles Donald R. Dickey Bird and Mammal Collection (UCLA), but its current whereabouts appear to be unknown.

Distribution

Highlands from southern Mexico (Chiapas) to north-central Nicaragua.

Identification Summary

Red-shafted (tinged orange); dorsal bars dense, broad; nape and crown rich cinnamon; rump spotted; ventral marking more bars than spots; breast patch splotchy, less crescent shaped; wings rounded. In male, malar mixed black and red, nape crescent absent.

Colaptes auratus forms a superspecies with Colaptes chrysoides, with these taxa sometimes considered conspecific. The genus Colaptes is closely related to Piculus, a genus of Neotropical woodpeckers (93 Benz, B. W., M. B. Robbins, and A. T. Peterson (2006). Evolutionary history of woodpeckers and allies (Aves: Picidae): Placing key taxa on the phylogenetic tree. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40:389–399. Close , 94 Moore, W. S., L. C. Overton, and K. J. Miglia (2011). Mitochondrial DNA based phylogeny of the woodpecker genera Colaptes and Piculus, and implications for the history of woodpecker diversification in South America. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 58(1):76–84. Close , 95 Dufort, M. J. (2016) An augmented supermatrix phylogeny of the avian family Picidae reveals uncertainty deep in the family tree. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 94:313–326. Close , 96 Shakya, S. B., J. Fuchs, J.-M. Pons, and F. H. Sheldon (2017). Tapping the woodpecker tree for evolutionary insight. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 116:182–191. Close ). Apart from Colaptes chrysoides, among the eleven other species in the genus Colaptes, which occur in South America and Cuba, Short (97 Short, L. L. (1972). Systematics and behavior of South American flickers (Aves, Colaptes). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 149:1–109. Close ) suggested that Spot-breasted Woodpecker (Colaptes punctigula) and Black-necked Woodpecker (Colaptes atricollis) may be the closest relatives of Colaptes auratus, although molecular phylogenetic analyses have not found support for this (95 Dufort, M. J. (2016) An augmented supermatrix phylogeny of the avian family Picidae reveals uncertainty deep in the family tree. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 94:313–326. Close , 96 Shakya, S. B., J. Fuchs, J.-M. Pons, and F. H. Sheldon (2017). Tapping the woodpecker tree for evolutionary insight. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 116:182–191. Close ). Instead, Shakya et al. (96 Shakya, S. B., J. Fuchs, J.-M. Pons, and F. H. Sheldon (2017). Tapping the woodpecker tree for evolutionary insight. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 116:182–191. Close ), using DNA sequence data, found that Colaptes auratus and Colaptes chrysoides together appeared to be sister to the rest of the genus Colaptes with strong support.

Information on interbreeding between red-shafted and yellow-shafted subspecies is included in Geographic Variation. Hybridization occurs between Colaptes auratus and Colaptes chrysoides, but it appears to be minimal, and is limited to riparian zones in river valleys in Arizona and Baja California (11 Short, L. L. (1982). Woodpeckers of the World. Monograph Series 4, Delaware Museum of Natural History, Greenville, DE, USA. Close ). It may have been more extensive prior to European colonization when riparian woodlands were not fragmented (1 Short, L. L. (1965). Hybridization in the flickers (Colaptes) of North America. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 129:307–428. Close ); regardless, hybridization is far more limited than the interbreeding that occurs between the red-shafted and yellow-shafted subspecies of Colaptes auratus. Hybrids between Colaptes chrysoides mearnsi and Colaptes auratus collaris occur in riparian woodlands flowing out of “sky islands” in the Sonoran Desert of central and southern Arizona (98 Cockrum, E. L. (1952). A checklist and bibliography of hybrid birds in North America north of Mexico. Wilson Bulletin 64:140–159. Close ), and they tend to be phenotypically more like Colaptes chrysoides than Colaptes auratus. However, a lack of information on subspecies groups in Arizona makes the degree of hybridization based on phenotypes murky.

• Northern x Gilded Flicker (hybrid) Colaptes auratus x chrysoides

Several fossil specimens are known from Pleistocene deposits in Florida (99 Brodkorb, P. (1956). Pleistocene birds from Eichelberger Cave, Florida. Auk 73:136–137. Close , 100 Brodkorb, P. (1957). New passerine birds from the Pleistocene of Reddick, Florida. Journal of Paleontology 31:129–138. Close , 101 McCoy, J. J. (1963). The fossil avifauna of the Ichtucknee River, Florida. Auk 80:335–351. Close ) and California (summarized by 102 Miller, L., and I. DeMay (1942). The fossil birds of California: an avifauna and bibliography with annotations. University of California Publications in Zoology 47:47–142. Close ), and there is a single specimen of unspecified age from an Ohio deposit (103 Goslin, R. M. (1955). Animal remains from Ohio rock shelters. Ohio Journal of Science 55:358–362. Close ). The Florida specimens were identified as Colaptes auratus and the California specimens as C. a. cafer; the Ohio specimen was listed as a “flicker.” Brodkorb (100 Brodkorb, P. (1957). New passerine birds from the Pleistocene of Reddick, Florida. Journal of Paleontology 31:129–138. Close ) thought the Reddick, Florida, deposit to be of mid-Illinoian age (approximately 800,000 years before present), and McCoy (101 McCoy, J. J. (1963). The fossil avifauna of the Ichtucknee River, Florida. Auk 80:335–351. Close ) thought the Ichtucknee, Florida deposit to be of mid-Wisconsin age (approximately 28,000 years before present).