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Common Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

Dr. Lloyd Glenn Ingles © 2000 California Academy of Sciences

Length: 10-13 in.
Habitat: deserts, farmlands, suburbs, parks, open forests.

This unusual woodpecker is ofetn seen on the ground, searching for ants and licking them up with its long tongue. It does, however, nests in holes in trees—or tree substitutes such as telephone poles. Flickers are conspicuous in fall, when they often travel in loose flocks. In spring their arrival is announced by noisy calls—wick-a, wick-a, wick-a.

Animal Calendars