136 BIRDS OF FIELD, FOREST AND PARK 



The Flicker is a bird of the open, and, conse- 

 quently, is the best known of his family. As they 

 feed upon ants, like the Pileated, they are often 

 seen on the ground about decayinsr logs and 

 stumps, where they find a generous supply of 

 these insects. Sometimes Flickers visit the 

 fields in search of grain and berries; they also 

 feed upon nearly all insects within reach. Con- 

 sequently they are less given to drilling for 

 grubs than most Woodpeckers. 



Their flight is deeply scalloped, a sort of 

 bounding process. They are great talkers and 

 their voluble conversations are very familiar 

 sounds in spring. When several birds meet, with 

 much bowing and scraping, a common note is a 

 low, melodious ^'wtck, wick, zvick.^^ Another 

 call is a rapidly repeated ^'chu, chu, chu, chu, 

 chu, chu/^ and a shrill ^'kee-yer, kee-yer,^^ is 

 more often heard in the fall. There are other 

 notes, all characteristic of this interesting sum- 

 mer visitor. 



In plumage the Flicker is one of our hand- 

 somest birds, presenting a variety of beautiful 

 colors. The head and neck of the male are 

 bluish gray with a scarlet patch on the nape. 

 The back and wings are brownish with black 

 bars, the rump white. The under surface of the 

 wings and tail is yellow, the belly and sides light, 

 thickly spotted with black. There is a black 

 stripe on either side of the throat and a black 

 crescent on the breast. The female lacks the 

 black patch on the throat, but otherwise has 

 the same coloring. When at rest, the Flicker is 

 best known by the scarlet nape and black cres- 



