The northern flicker is a common bird that can be found in many areas of North America, Central America, the Cayman Islands, and Cuba. These birds tend to migrate to the southern regions of their range, while some live in the same area year-round. They thrive in open environments near trees, such as woodlands, forest edges, groves, clearings, burnt areas, agricultural lands, yards, and parks. Additionally, northern flickers can also be spotted in wet areas like streamside woods, mangrove vegetation, flooded swamps, and marsh edges. If you live in the western United States, you may even see these birds in mountain forests up to the tree line.
The mature northern flickers have a brown hue with black stripes on their back and wings. Their upper breast has a distinctive necklace-shaped black patch, and their lower breast and belly have black spots on a beige background. You can tell the males apart from the females by looking for a black or red mustache-like stripe at the base of their beak. The tail is dark on top and turns into a white rump that becomes prominent during flight.
