Rare to Ivvavik ⁴

This species is rare to Ivvavik National Park. If you see this species and manage to take a photo, please upload it to iNaturalist and/or send it to us directly at yukoncdc@gov.yk.ca. You will be helping us expand the scientific knowledge of this bird.

Morphology ⁵

Northern Flickers are 30-35cm/12-14in in length. Their wingspan is 54.1cm/21in, tail length is 12.2cm/5in, and bill length is 4.2cm/2in. They are the only woodpecker to have a gray-brown barred back and white rump. The male has a tan head, gray crown, red nape (back of the head and neck), black moustache, and a black cresent on the breast. Underneath, the male is light tan with heavy black spotting. The tail is black on top. In the Eastern forms, called Yellow-shafted Flickers, males have yellow underwings, while the Western forms, called Red-shafted Flickers, have reddish underwings. Females are similar in appearance but somewhat less colorful.

Behaviour ⁶

Aggressive displays such as "bill directing" or "bill poking" are used by flickers. That is, a flicker may point his bill at a rival with his head tilted forward, or actually peck at an opponent. A more aggressive display is "head swinging," whereby a flicker will use side-to-side movements of his head and body against an opponent. There is also a "head bobbing" display that may be used. Sometimes tail spreading accompanies head swinging or bobbing displays. Flickers sing during flight. Their song is a loud "wick wick wick wick wick," while individual notes sound like a loud "klee-yer" and a squeaky "flick-a flick-a flick-a."

Habitat ⁷

These woodpeckers are found in wooded areas that have stands of dead trees (Palmer and Fowler 1975). They are also found in open areas, forest edges, clear-cut areas, burnt areas, agricultural lands, and residential areas (Winkler et al. 1995).

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Syd Phillips, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7032/6498754657_9d3ef0d7e0_o.jpg
2. (c) Minette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3320/3182556337_b4d6870980_o.jpg
3. (c) BJ Stacey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8521/8492973720_11ab683d08_o.jpg
4. (c) Yukon Conservation Data Centre, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
5. Adapted by Yukon Conservation Data Centre from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25064213
6. Adapted by Yukon Conservation Data Centre from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31386933
7. Adapted by Yukon Conservation Data Centre from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31386929

More Info

• iNaturalist.ca taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CalPhotos
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas
• VertNet
• Xeno-canto

Range Map

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