Red- shafted Flicker 239 



Thompson, which he believed, from an examination of the young birds, 

 belonged to the Yellow Flicker. If this be correct it is the first breeding 

 record for the State. 



Red-shafted Flicker. Colaptes cafer collar is. 



A.O.U. CheckUst no 413— Colorado Records— Allen 72, pp. 151, 158, 

 163, 180 (Colaptes mexicanus) ; Aiken 72, p. 207 ; Trippe 74, p. 295 ; 

 Henshaw 75, p. 401 ; Scott 79, p. 95 ; Drew 81, p. 141 ; 85, p. 17 ; 

 Tresz 81, p. 187 ; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 196 ; Beckham 85, p. 143, 

 87, p. 124 ; Morrison 88, p. 115 ; 89, p. 145 ; KeUogg 90, p. 88 ; Goss 

 91, p. 341 ; Lowe 94, p. 268 ; Cooke 97, pp. 85, 162, 208 ; Dille 03, p. 74 ; 

 Henderson 03, p. 235 ; 09, p. 231 ; Warren 06, p. 21 ; 08, p. 21 ; 09, 

 p. 15 ; Gilman 07, p. 154 ; Markman 07, p. 156 ; Richards 08, p. 38 ; 

 RockweU 08, p. 164. 



Description. — Male — ResembUng C. a. luteua in most respects — in its 

 banded back, white rimap and black wings and tail ; differing as follows : 

 fore-part of crown vinaceous shading into grey on the nape, sides of the 

 face and breast ; no red nape band ; moustache spot scarlet, not black ; 

 shafts and linings of the wing and tail-quills orange-red to vermilion ; 

 ground-colour of the upper and lower sides rather more pinkish in 

 shade ; iris dark brown, bill dusky slate, feet dusky horn. Length 

 12-5; wing 6-5; tail 4*75 ; culmen 1-65; tarsus 1'15. 



The female is like the male, but has no red moustache patch ; wing 

 6-25. A young male, kiUed July 23rd, has the whole head and nape 

 cinnamon or vinaceous and the red moustache already distinct, and is 

 otherwise much like the adult (see Plate 7). 



Distribution. — From south-eastern British Columbia to western 

 Texas and perhaps northern Mexico, west to the Pacific in California, 

 to the Cascades from Oregon northwards. 



The Red-shafted Flicker is a very common resident throughout the 

 whole of Colorado, breeding from the plains to about 10,000 feet, and 

 often wandering higher up to 12,000 feet — Boreas Pass at 12,000 feet 

 and at 11,700 near Crested Butte (Warren). It winters in considerable 

 numbers in the foothills along the creeks, though a certain number 

 undoubtedly move further south. Warren met with it even as high as 

 Mosca at 7,560 feet on January 17th, and it is quite a common winter 

 bird about Colorado Springs. 



The following are some notices : Boulder co., resident, breeding 

 5,500 to 9,000 (Gale) ; Idaho Springs, April to October only (Trippe) ; 

 Twin Lakes, breeding (Scott) ; Pikes Peak to timber line in summer 

 (Aiken) ; Ramah, nesting (Aiken) ; Wet Mountains, nesting to 10,000 

 feet (Lowe) ; Mesa co., common, resident, breeding at all altitudes, 

 wintering along streams at lower levels (Rockwell) ; Montrose co., 

 resident, more common in summer (Warren 09) ; San Juan co., 

 summer only (Drew). 



