Northern Flicker: how to recognise it
A bird of North America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Jared Manninen · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Colaptes auratus
- Family
- Woodpeckers
- Size
- About 30 cm
- Habitat
- Woods, fields and suburbs
- Found in
- North America
The key marks
A brown, barred back with black spots on a cream belly, a black bib and a white rump in flight. Red-bellied Woodpecker has a black-and-white barred back and a red cap.
Voice
A loud 'wick-a wick-a wick-a'.
Good to know
It feeds on ants on the ground.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Red-bellied Woodpecker. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in woods, fields and suburbs. It is especially common in Canada. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.