THE NORTHERN FLICKER OR 

 GOLDEN-WINGED WOODPECKER 



Woodpecker Family — Picidce 



Length: About 12 inches; one of our largest common birds. 



General Appearance: A large brown bird with a red patch 

 on the back of the head, conspicuous white rump 

 and yellow lining of wings, which distinguish it from 

 the brown meadowlark with its white tail-feathers. 



Male: Top of head and neck gray; a crescent of red across 

 nape; cheeks and throat pinkish-brown, separated 

 by black patches; strong bill 1^ inches long; under 

 parts pinkish-brown and white, heavily spotted 

 with black; a black crescent separates throat and 

 breast. Back and upper wing-feathers a grayish- 

 brown, barred with black; large white patch at rump 

 very conspicuous in flight; upper tail-coverts black 

 and white; tail black above, yellow underneath. 



Female: Like male, except for the absence of black patches at 

 the sides of the throat. 



Notes: A loud che-ack'; also a note which Mr. Frank M. Chap- 

 man says "can be closely imitated by the swishing 

 of a willow-wand: weechew, weechew, weechew^ ^ 

 Flickers drum frequently on boughs, also, and give 

 a loud, rapid flick, flick, flick, flick, flick, flick, 

 flick, flick, flicker, — which may be called, by cour- 

 tesy, their song. 



Habitat: Open woods, fields, orchards, and gardens, where 

 trees or ant-hills are to be found. 



Kange: Northern and eastern North America. Breeds in the 

 forested regions of Alaska and Canada; in the United 



1 From "Birds of Eastern North America," by Frank M. Chapman. 



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