Northern Flicker

The Northern Flicker is a unique North American woodpecker. They don't spend their time hammering away at tree trunks like their cousins do. Flickers are often found hopping around on the ground. They are quite common around my neighborhood and these photos were taken in a neighbor's yard

This large, brown-toned bird is roughly the size of an American Robin. Here you can see the comparison in size with a downy Woodpecker, which is our smallest woodpecker.

Flickers eat ants and other insects that they find on the ground during the summer, and in the winter are frequent visitors to my feeders. . They especially enjoy the suet blocks I put out.

Flickers have a long, barbed tongue that can extend 2 inches past their beak. They use it to "lap up" ants from underground tunnels. A single Flicker can eat up to 5,000 ants in one sitting!

I love seeing their colorful feathers when they are in flight. When several of them are visiting the feeders together they put on quite a show!