male of yellow-shafted race; black moustache (Michigan, USA; 2010-08-26)


Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus

Native Range: North America and Middle America

Notes: a rather large woodpecker that often feeds on the ground as well as in trees, with ants being an important component of its diet; two distinctive races: an eastern yellow-shafted form and a western red-shafted form; these races meet and hybridize in the Central Plains region of the USA, yielding offspring with orange (rather than red or yellow) on central shafts of the major flight feathers of the wings and tail.


male of yellow-shafted race; side view (Michigan, USA; 2012-08-26)
male of yellow-shafted race; frontal view (Michigan, USA; 2012-08-26)

female of yellow-shafted race; no moustache (Michigan, USA; 2010-08-28)
male of red-shafted race; red moustache (Colorado, USA; 2009-02-13)

dorsal view; horizontal barring on back (Colorado, USA; 2009-02-13)
heavily spotted underneath (California, USA; 2006-03-19)

large strong bill (California, USA; 2006-10-08)
black patch on chest; red shafts on tail (California, USA; 2007-03-03)