For the past month and a half there have been many Northern Flickers and other woodpeckers flying quietly around Hurricane. Mostly I have only noticed them after they have been spooked and are flying away, but the underside of their wings is an unmistakable yellow that is visible even from far away. The Yellow-Shafted Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus is a unique woodpecker because it is actually often found foraging on the ground or perched upright on trees rather than against the trunk like their woodpecker relatives. Unfortunately, we found a beautiful female dead on Hurricane last week, likely from hitting a window.
Learn more about Northern Flickers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
