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yellow-shafted flicker
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Images
Yellow-shafted flicker (Colaptes auratus) Illustrations of eight bird heads, each showing a different bill shape adapted for feeding: a hooked bill for tearing flesh on a red-tailed hawk, a cone-shaped bill for cracking seeds on a northern cardinal, a flat bill for catching fish on a roseate spoonbill, a spear-like bill for jabbing prey on a great blue heron, a chisel-like bill for digging insects on a northern flicker, a large pouch bill for scooping fish on a brown pelican, a narrow bill with toothlike edges for catching fish on a hoo
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yellow-shafted flicker

bird
Also known as: Colaptes auratus, northern flicker
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Quick Summary

Yellow-shafted flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Yellow-shafted flicker (Colaptes auratus)

The yellow-shafted flicker is a type of woodpecker belonging to the genus Colaptes. These birds are notable for spending a significant amount of time on the ground, where they forage for ants. Their saliva is alkaline, which may help them counteract the formic acid secreted by ants.12

The yellow-shafted flicker (Colaptes auratus) is found in eastern North America and measures about 33 cm (13 inches) in length. It is characterized by golden yellow undersides of its tail and wings, a red mark on its nape, and in males, black streaks on each cheek. This form is replaced in western North America by the red-shafted flicker, with which it frequently hybridizes, leading some authorities to consider them the same species.13

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  4. piciform - Reproduction

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