Flicker Bird Identification

The northern flicker is a large member of the woodpecker family, but rather than spend most of the day knocking on tree trunks it searches for its food on the ground. The state bird of Alabama, the flicker is an easy bird to identify.

  1. Two Types

    • There are two distinct types of flickers but ornithologists consider them the same species. The yellow-shafted flicker is an eastern bird while the red-shafted variety lives in the western U.S.

    White Patch

    • The flicker has a white patch on its rump that is quite conspicuous when the bird flies. Its flight is an up and down motion, like most woodpeckers.

    Differences

    • Under the wings and the feathers of the yellow-shafted flicker there is bright yellow, a feature that gives it the nickname "yellowhammer" in the South. In the West, the red-shafted flicker has red where the eastern cousins have yellow.

    Other Features

    • With a brown body that contains a number of black spots, bars and other markings, the flicker is a handsome bird. It has a black "bib" on its chest in a crescent shape and the head is brown and gray.

    Red Markings

    • The western flickers have a red "mustache" extending from the base of the beak down the side of the face. The yellow-shafted flicker possesses a triangular red marking on the nape of its neck.