Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Length 13 inches; the yellow (salmon in western birds) under
surfaces of the wing and tail, and white rump are characteristic. It
breeds throughout the United States and in forested parts of Canada;
winters in most of the southern United States.
The flicker inhabits open country and delights in parklike regions
where trees are numerous but well-spaced. It is possible to insure
the presence of this useful bird about the home and to increase its
numbers. It nests in any large cavity in a tree and readily
appropriates an artificial nesting box.
The most terrestrial of our woodpeckers, it procures much of its food from the ground. The
largest item of animal food is ants, of which it eats more than any
other common bird. The flicker is more adapted to suburbs than to
the larger cities.