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Tucson Audubon Society
Dastardly Duos
Gilded and Northern Flickers
Text by Larry Liese
Illustrations by George C. West
(Article first appeared in the March 2004 Vermilion Flycatcher
newsletter. To receive the newsletter in the mail, become a member of the Friends
of Tucson Audubon.)
Have you ever watched a flicker perched on a dead snag, waiting for it to finally fly off so you could see its red or gold colors? Though otherwise the appearance of the Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides) and the red-shafted Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) are quite similar, the two can be discerned with careful attention without that patient (or not-so-patient) wait.
These two birds have gone back and forth between being considered separate species, subspecies of Common Flicker, and now back to separate species bearing their present names, with the red-shafted Northern Flicker sharing its name with the yellow-shafted form (not discussed here). Differences between them are apparent in habitat preference and minor plumage details. Vocalizations are similar.
Gilded Flickers are a little smaller, have a cinnamon crown and nape, a larger and more oval black chest patch, more crescent-shaped dark markings below, a paler back with narrower dark bars, a lighter gray to the face and throat, and much more black on the undertail (~half black). Red-shafted Northern Flickers have correspondingly larger size, a browner crown with gray nape, a slightly narrower and more pointed chest patch, more spot-like belly markings, are more brownish above with wider black bars there, have darker gray faces and throats, and show more color on the undertail (~one-third black).
Interestingly, the name flicker does not come from one of their more commonly given calls, as I had thought, but from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning fluttering of birds. More interesting is the fact that the shafts of their feathers contain pigments as well as the vanes. One day on a local Audubon trip, the group came upon a remnant “feather puddle” of a not-so-lucky Northern Flicker. Someone noted how the shafts were red also. A feather-loving birder (not to be named) produced a cardinal feather from her field guide for comparison, which had red vanes but a clear or light colored shaft. Neat!
Hybrids can be quite common between our duo pair in mid-elevation areas such as around Patagonia. Here, resident Gilded Flickers meet with the edge of the Northern’s breeding range. Look for intermediate characteristics in the birds found there. Hybrids of the Red and Yellow-shafted Northern Flickers form a long line along the rain shadow of the Rockies up into Canada and have been extensively studied. To catch one of these that wanders into our area, look for a red nape crescent (normally absent) on an otherwise normally-appearing Red-shafted Northern Flicker.
Gilded Flickers prefer Lower Sonoran cactus forest, nesting in saguaro cacti 90% of the time. They hack their way through the cactus flesh and tough saguaro ribs near the tops of the arms, forming their nest in the pithy cactus interior. Interestingly, the smaller Gila Woodpeckers are not hefty enough for this task, and must make their homes lower down on the saguaro arms, where the cactus flesh is thicker and they don’t have to contend with the ribs. Northern Flickers nest in upland pine-oak woodlands, excavating holes in trees in the conventional “woodpecker” manner. In winter, both can be found together where the mountains rise up sharply from the desert, such as at Catalina State Park just north of Tucson.
So, the next time you hear that flick’-er call, try tracking the bird down and seeing if you can ID it without relying on those red and gold colors. You’ll be a proud birder if you do. Good luck!
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This page was updated on 02/21/06