Flicker WESTERN BIRDS 



GENUS COLAPTES: RED-SHAFTED 

 FLICKER. 



Red-Shafted Flicker: Colaptes cafer colldris, 

 FAMILY— WOODPECKERS. 



The Red-shafted Flicker is a common bird on the 

 Pacific Coast and ranges as far east as western Texas, 

 Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. It differs from the 

 eastern bird, which is commonly known as the Golden- 

 wing, in having under wing and tail shafts a brilliant 

 red, instead of yellow, and in having the mustaches on 

 the side of the head red, instead of black. The red band 

 across the back of the neck is, also, missing in the normal 

 bird, but specimens are often found that have both red 

 mustaches and red neck band, or in some other way 

 grade into the eastern form. The geographical dividing 

 line between these species is not well defined, each bird 

 overlapping the other's range and straggling into its ter- 

 ritor5^ The two forms meet on the Great Plains and 

 along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountain region, 

 and intermingle in all degrees of hybridism. 



These birds are from twelve to fourteen inches long 

 and the prevailing color of head and body is brownish, 

 the back being barred and the under parts spotted, with 

 black; tail, black; rump, which shows conspicuously in 

 flight, is white; chest is marked with a black crescent; 

 mustaches, under sides of wings and tail are red. The 

 female is similar but usually has a buffy or brown stripe 

 at the side of head (malar) and the young are without 

 this or mustaches. 



In its fondness for ants and its habit of staying much 

 on the ground the Red-shafted Flicker resembles its 

 eastern cousin. It seems to have little fear of man, 

 nesting in eucalyptus, sycamore, or other trees about the 



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