XLI 



Flicker; Northern Flicker; Golden-Winged Wood- 

 pecker; High Hole; YblloW-Hammer 

 412. Colaptes auratus luteus (Bangs.) 



The Flicker and its sub-species are found over most 

 of the United States ; it is migratory and, like most insect 

 eating birds, is governed by climate and food supply. 



This Woodpecker is about twelve inches long. Its 

 wings have black bars on a brownish background ; white, 

 on its rump, is especially noticeable while the bird is in 

 flight; the tail and wings have a beautiful lining of 

 freshly-burnished, old golden-yellow. There is a black 

 crescent across the breast of the male and a black stripe 

 from the upper mandible, likened to a moustache. On 

 the nape is a scarlet spot. As these birds fly they open 

 and close their wings, making undulating sweeps. 



Flickers nest in holes of their own making or in 

 natural cavities in trees, selecting dead trees or decayed 

 wood to excavate for nest-sites. The eggs — from four to 

 six in number — are pure white. The birds carry no nest- 

 ing material into the excavated cavities. Although 

 Flickers are wild birds, nesting in seclusion, they often 

 invade large cities and carve their nest holes in large 

 trees along the sidewalks and in the parks. 



As it likes the open fields and grassy pastures for 

 feeding grounds, the Flicker prefers to live near the 

 habitation of man. It is fond of man's Flicker houses, 

 when they are constructed along its own architectural 

 lines, although it is a good carpenter and chisels the 

 deepest nest of any of its family. There, however, its 

 wood-carvings cease, as it does not, like the rest of its 

 kind, dig into trees in search of food but is a ground 

 feeder. Nothing suits the Flickerish taste more than a 

 meal of big, black ground ants. 



These birds are a common sight on golf courses and 

 cattle pastures, digging away at ant Mils. A Flicker 

 soon starts a commotion in an ant colony, and, of course, 



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