red-shafted flicker

bird

Also known as: Colaptes cafer

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

The red-shafted flicker is a type of flicker, a New World woodpecker belonging to the genus Colaptes. This bird is found in western North America and is characterized by light red on the underside of its tail and wings. Males also have red markings on their cheeks.

Flickers are known for spending a significant amount of time on the ground, where they feed on ants. Their saliva is alkaline, which may help them counteract the formic acid secreted by ants. The red-shafted flicker is closely related to the yellow-shafted flicker of eastern North America, and many authorities consider them to be the same species due to frequent hybridization.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

flicker
…West (to Alaska) by the red-shafted flicker (C. cafer), considered by many authorities to represent the same species as the yellow-shafted because the two forms hybridize frequently. The campos, or pampas, flicker (C. campestris) and the field flicker (C. campestroides)—sometimes considered to be a single species—are common in east-central South…
Read More
…West (to Alaska) by the red-shafted flicker (C. cafer), considered by many authorities to represent the same species as the yellow-shafted because the two forms hybridize frequently. The campos, or pampas, flicker (C. campestris) and the field flicker (C. campestroides)—sometimes considered to be a single species—are common in east-central South…
Read More