• Northern flickers have a long, slightly curved bill that helps them catch ants from the soil.
• They hammer along the soil the same way other woodpeckers hammer on trees in search of insects.
• They can use their curved bill to dig for ants and beetles.
• They also have a long, barbed tongue that can extend two inches beyond the tip of the bill to help them consume ants.
• Ants also produce an acid that helps the northern flickers eliminate parasites (a living thing that lives in or on another living thing and harms it). When a northern flicker cleans itself with its bill, the acid is deposited onto their feathers, providing it with protection.

• Birds have feathers on their wings rather than hair like humans. Feathers are light, waterproof, and are adjustable for flight control.
• Birds have lightweight beaks instead of heavy jaws and teeth like humans.
• Most bones in their bodies are hollow or honeycombed, making them very lightweight. Some of their bones are fused for increased efficiency and lighter weight.
• Birds have a larger and more efficient respiratory system than humans do since flight is a physically-demanding activity.

• Birds do not have teeth and are not able to chew food. Because of this, they have a specialized part of their stomach, called a gizzard, that helps with digestion by grinding food.
• The small stones, sand, and grit that birds pick up while they are eating are stored in the gizzard.
• Once food is swallowed and makes its way to the gizzard, it is pulverized by the grit and stomach muscles.
• Some birds like chickens, ducks, and turkeys have thick, muscular gizzards. Other birds that eat food items that are easy to digest, such as nectar and soft-bodied insects, have thin-walled gizzards.

• They are active during the day (diurnal).

• Northern flickers defend their territories and mates through a type of "dance" with another northern flicker.
• Two northern flickers of the same gender participate in "fencing duels" by facing each other and tilting their heads upward.
• They swing their heads in a circular or figure 8 pattern and sometimes make a rhythmic call.
• If a bird of the opposite gender looks on, the motions and sounds become more intense.
• Eventually, the birds may peck and claw at each other.

• Northern flickers communicate with one another by hammering on objects using their bill.
• They drum on solid objects as a way of deterring threats from an area to protect their territory.

• Nest in cavities, or holes, in old, dead trees.
• Males and females work together to excavate a cavity.
• They use wood chips to line the bottom of the cavity.
• The entrance is about 3 inches wide while the hole reaches 13-16 inches deep.
• The bottom portion is wider to allow room for the eggs and parent.

Northern Flicker Adult and
Juvenile Near Nest
flickr – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Northeast Region (Bob Hailey)
Click image to enlarge it

• Females lay 5 – 8 eggs per brood.
• Each egg is shiny white and can reach up to 1.4 inches long.
• They have 1 brood of young each year.

• Babies hatch from the eggs after 11 – 13 days.
• When they hatch, they do not have any feathers.
• They remain in the nest for 24 – 27 days while they grow in their first set of feathers.

• Can live up to 9 years

• Adult northern flickers are eaten by a variety of hawks including Coopers hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, broad-winged hawks, and red-shouldered hawks.
• Northern flicker eggs are often eaten by crows, snakes, and small mammals like squirrels and raccoons.

• Northern flickers have an effect on the populations of the insects that they use as a food source.

• Northern flickers excavate (dig out) cavities to use as nest sites.
• Any of these abandoned holes can be used as a refuge or shelter for other animals including songbirds, squirrels, and other small mammals.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Birds of the World