Fifty Birds of Town and City
Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Length 13 inches; the yellow (salmon in western birds) under surfaces of the wing
and tail, and white rump are characteristic. It breeds throughout the United States
and in forested parts of Canada; winters in most of the southern United States.
The flicker inhabits open country and delights in parklike regions where trees are
numerous but well-spaced. It is possible to insure the presence of this useful bird
about the home and to increase its numbers. It nests in any large cavity in a tree
and readily appropriates an artificial nesting box. The most terrestrial of our
woodpeckers, it procures much of its food from the ground. The largest item of
animal food is ants, of which it eats more than any other common bird. The flicker
is more adapted to suburbs than to the larger cities.
Visit our Yankee Gardener Bird Lover's Paradise for a comprehensive section of bird houses, feeders, bird books and resources.
|
