COMMON (YELLOW-SHAFTED) FLICKER
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The flicker with its many aliases is probably our most interesting woodpecker. It is a handsome bird with striking markings that help in identification. Chief among these is the vivid black crescent that slashes across a golden-buff breast. The crown of the bird is adorned with a strip of scarlet; a large patch of white across its lower back is easily seen when the bird flies. The eleven inch bird also sports a narrow black mustache.

Some writers contend that the bird is well known throughout the country by as many as one hundred and twenty names. Some of the more common are: yellow-hammer, yellow shafted woodpecker, golden winged woodpecker, clope, high-hole, yarrup, wake-up, wood pigeon and ant woodpecker.

Unlike other woodpeckers, the flicker spends a great deal of its time on the ground. Here it hunts for ant hills that are probed by a long beak and sticky tongue for thousands of ants and their eggs. Scientific examination of one stomach disclosed 5,000 ants; in two others there were over 3,000 each. Acorns, dogwood seeds and poison ivy seeds are other favorite foods of this bird.

As flickers are not equipped to drill a hole easily for nesting, nests are usually placed in natural crevices. If these are not available, the bird will not hesitate to use one of its relatives' deserted homes.

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