Alexis, the female Northern Flicker
Photography by Norma Beaird
We were so excited when Mrs. Northern Flicker decided to visit Le Rural Day Spa. It is a joy to meet such a fashionable member of the avian community. Woodpeckers definitely have a style that's unique to them!
From the book, Birds of Georgia.
By: Dr. John Parrish, Giff Beaton and Gregory Kennedy
Unlike most woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker species spends much of its time on the ground feeding on ants. It appears almost robinlike as it hops about on anthills and in grassy meadows, fields and along forest clearings.
Georgia has the "yellow-shafted" subspecies of flicker, with only one report of the western U.S. "red-shafted" flicker in the state.
Status: The Northern Flicker is a common permanent breeding resident statewide in Georgia; however, they are more numerous in winter.
Habitat: Open deciduous, mixed and coniferous woodlands and forest edges, fields, meadows, beaver ponds and other wetlands.
Alexis, the Northern Flicker, is trending the latest in a stylish leopard winter coat.
Nesting: Pair excavates a cavity in a dead or dying deciduous tree; either sex chooses the nest site; excavation takes about 2 weeks; may also use a nest box; cavity is lined with wood chips; pair incubates 5 - 8 white eggs for 11 - 16 days; pair feeds the young.
Feeding: Forages on the ground for ants and other terrestrial insects; probes bark; also eats berries and nuts; occasionally flycatches.
Voice: Loud, laughing, rapid kick-kick-kick-kick-kick-kick; woika-woika-woika issued during courtship.
Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird. All rights reserved.
