Flicka, flicka, flicka! Wic, wic, wic! Those are calls of the familiar northern flicker, a common year round resident of the upper valley, easily found in coniferous forests, city parks, suburban backyards, and even sagebrush flats. This rather large (11-14 inches) member of the local woodpecker family is easily recognized by its conspicuous features which include a white rump patch and salmon-red wing linings seen in flight. The back of the northern flicker is brown with heavy black bars and its underside is light buff with dark spots. The lower part of its neck features a black crescent that separates its spotted breast from its unspotted throat. Males sport a distinctive red “moustache” that goes from the base of the beak across the cheek.

Walking along local mountain paths you may be surprised to flush a northern flicker from the ground in front of you. Flickers tend to spend more time feeding on the ground than their woodpecker cousins. When snow blankets the area, look for flickers at suet feeders and under backyard birdfeeders.

When the male northern flicker claims his territory, he drums on hollow tree trunks, metal roofs, trash cans or anything else that amplifies his message intended to scare off rivals and to seek his mate’s approval of his chosen nesting site. Northern flickers normally drill a nesting cavity in trees. Cottonwoods, pines, telephone poles, fence posts, even nesting boxes (they enlarge the entry hole) attract flickers at nesting time. They can, however, be something of a nuisance because of their fondness for drilling into wood home siding, where they can easily excavate a nesting cavity! Frustrated homeowners resort to a variety of tricks to discourage flickers from defacing their siding!

When trying to locate or identify a northern flicker, listen carefully for a loud flicka flicka flicka or wic wic wic, or sometimes a single kleep, and be sure to watch for a white rump patch and salmon-red flash under its wings as it takes flight!