{"id":7843,"date":"2020-04-04T05:42:12","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T10:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.halmoran.com\/?p=7843"},"modified":"2020-04-04T05:42:19","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T10:42:19","slug":"northern-flicker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.halmoran.com\/?p=7843","title":{"rendered":"Northern flicker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Basic Description<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Photos by me – text by allaboutbirds.org<\/a>.
Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage. On walks, don\u2019t be surprised if you scare one up from the ground. It\u2019s not where you\u2019d expect to find a woodpecker, but flickers eat mainly ants and beetles, digging for them with their unusual, slightly curved bill. When they fly you\u2019ll see a flash of color in the wings \u2013 yellow if you\u2019re in the East (Missouri), red if you\u2019re in the West \u2013 and a bright white flash on the rump.
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Backyard Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Consider putting up a nest box to attract a breeding pair. Make sure you put it up well before breeding season. Attach a guard to keep predators from raiding eggs and young. Find out more about nest boxes on our Attract Birds pages<\/a>. You’ll find plans for building a nest box of the appropriate size<\/a> on our All About Birdhouses<\/a> site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northern Flickers don\u2019t habitually visit bird feeders (they frequent mine), but you can find them in backyards and at bird baths. If your backyard has a mixture of trees and open ground, or if it\u2019s near woods, you may find Northern Flickers simply by walking around the wooded edges.

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Cool Facts<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n