The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a medium-sized woodpecker found widely distributed across much of North America. They are brownish-gray in color with black scalloping and bars on their back and wings. Northern Flickers have a bright red patch on the nape of their neck and black crescent-shaped bibs. The males have a distinct black “mustache”.
Northern Flickers are somewhat unique among North American woodpeckers in that a considerable amount of their diet consists of ants and other insects found on the ground. They use their long barbed tongue to lap up ants from ant hills. This is why Northern Flickers can often be spotted foraging on lawns, meadows, and open fields.
In addition to ants, Northern Flickers will eat a wide variety of other insects including beetles, flies, moths, caterpillars, and grasshoppers. They will also eat seeds, wild fruits and berries, and occasionally visit bird feeders.
Do Northern Flickers Eat Peanuts?
Peanuts are not a natural food source for wild Northern Flickers. However, there have been some observations of Northern Flickers at bird feeders that offer peanuts. This indicates that some Northern Flickers are willing to sample and eat peanuts when readily available. Here are some key points regarding Northern Flickers and peanuts:
– Peanuts have a high fat and protein content which does make them a suitable supplemental food source for birds like Northern Flickers. The fat provides energy while the protein supports muscle development and feather growth.
– Northern Flickers have been documented eating shelled, unshelled, chopped, and whole peanuts at bird feeders. They swallow smaller bits of peanuts and then crush and digest the larger pieces within their muscular gizzard.
– While certain individual Northern Flickers may eat peanuts, most observations indicate they do not seem to show a strong preference or appetite for peanuts compared to other birds like woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, and titmice that more regularly visit feeders with peanuts.
– When visiting peanut feeders, Northern Flickers typically grab a peanut or two and then fly off to consume it rather than remaining at the feeder for an extended period like other peanut-loving species.
– Northern Flickers likely obtain most of their nutritional needs from their natural ant, insect, and wild plant diet. Samples of peanuts at feeders provide supplemental variety but are not a dietary staple.
So in summary, while Northern Flickers are capable of eating and benefiting from peanuts in small quantities, they do not exhibit the same level of attraction or appetite for them as other common feeder birds. Peanuts alone are unlikely to consistently draw or sustain Northern Flickers at a feeder.
Why Do Some Northern Flickers Eat Peanuts?
The reason that at least some Northern Flickers are willing to sample peanuts at bird feeders likely comes down to a combination of their natural diet and adaptability.
Northern Flickers predominantly eat ants, digging into ant mounds with their long tongue to lap them up. Ants contain fat and protein from their prey which offers nutrition to the flickers. Peanuts are also high in fat and protein. So the nutritional composition of peanuts may be somewhat recognizable to flickers that encounter them.
Additionally, Northern Flickers are adaptable generalist feeders rather than specialist feeders. This means they can take advantage of diverse food sources depending on availability. While ants might be their food of choice, they will opportunistically eat seeds, fruits, and other insects as viable protein sources. This adaptability helps them sample new potential foods like peanuts.
Between the nutritional familiarity and their flexible diet, some Northern Flickers find peanuts to be an acceptable supplemental food when they come across it in bird feeders alongside their normal diet. While not a staple food, peanuts can provide an occasional source of fat and calories for visiting flickers.
When Are Northern Flickers Most Likely to Eat Peanuts?
Northern Flickers are most likely to sample peanuts from bird feeders during certain seasons and conditions when their natural food may be harder to come by:
– Winter – Frigid temperatures freeze the ground making ants and other insects more difficult to access. Peanuts can offer calories.
– Dry Summers – Drought dries out ant mounds and reduces insect numbers. Peanuts may substitute missing food.
– Migration – Long migrations require high fat fuel. Peanuts can provide fat and protein for migrating flickers stopping over.
– Nesting Season – Raising young is nutritionally demanding. Peanuts can supplement the diet of nesting parent flickers.
– High Population Density – More flickers competing over the same natural food supplies may motivate some to try alternate foods.
By strategically offering peanuts during those periods of highest nutritional demand, one may have the best chance of attracting visiting Northern Flickers.
Northern Flicker Feeding Habits and Preferences
To better understand if and when Northern Flickers might be inclined to eat peanuts, it is helpful to look at some of their general feeding habits and food preferences:
Foraging Habits
– Feed primarily on the ground turning over leaves, branches, and bark to uncover insects and ants.
– Probe into the ground and tunnel with their beak to reach underground ant colonies.
– Use their long, barbed tongue to lap and stick to ants and termites within mounds.
– Occasionally drill into trees in search of beetle larvae and other burrowing insects.
– Make short flights from the ground to capture flying insects like moths and grasshoppers.
– Visit berry bushes and fruit trees to consume ripe wild berries and fruit when in season.
– Male flickers defend feeding territories, chasing away other competing males.
Favorite Foods
– Ants – #1 food choice. Consume mainly Carpenter ants and Harvester ants.
– Beetles – Especially favor wood-boring beetle larvae.
– Grasshoppers
– Caterpillars
– Wild berries such as elderberries, blackberries, and serviceberries.
– Seeds and acorns
– Tree sap
Feeders and Feed
– Ground feeders – Prefer platform feeders at ground level.
– Suet feeders – Attracted to suet cages, logs, and plugs.
– Enjoy mealworms – Live or dried at feeders.
– Sunflower seeds – Black oil seeds are favorite at feeders.
– Fruit – Dried raisins, currants, apple pieces.
– Peanuts – Most flickers eat only sparingly if at all.
– Finely chopped nuts and fruit help meet nutritional needs.
– Will perch on open feeders but prefer ground access.
Drinking and Bathing
– Require a daily water source to drink and bathe.
– Visit bird baths and suet feeders with water reservoirs.
– Make muddy puddles to coat feathers.
– Consume sap, fruit, and green leaves for moisture.
How to Attract Northern Flickers to Your Yard
Here are some tips to make your yard welcoming and enticing to visiting Northern Flickers:
Landscaping
– Allow areas of exposed ground and lightly covered leaf litter for probing and foraging.
– Leave dead standing trees and rotten logs which provide ants and insect larvae.
– Retain brush piles that offer cover and harbor insects.
– Plant native trees and shrubs that support berries and seeds. Oak, elderberry, mountain ash.
– Reduce or eliminate pesticide use which reduces the insect population.
Food and Feeders
– Install a ground platform feeder with sunflower seeds, suet, mealworms.
– Offer dried fruit like apple pieces, raisins, currants.
– Provide suet feeders, logs, or plugs placed on trees or posts.
– Consider limited peanuts in winter and migration seasons.
– Supply a birdbath or suet feeder with water reservoir.
– Allow access to undisturbed areas of soil where flickers can dig for ants.
Nesting Sites
– Keep dead and dying trees which provide nesting cavities.
– Put upnest boxes suitable for flickers on undisturbed sites facing east.
– Ensure adequate cavity depth of 16 inches for nesting.
– Allow minimum clearance of 10 feet above and 4 feet surrounding the box.
– Pack wood shavings in the bottom of the next box.
– Clean out old nesting material in autumn to prepare for spring.
Fun Facts About Northern Flickers
Here are some interesting facts about the biology, behavior, and history of Northern Flickers:
– Northern Flicker numbers rebounded in the 1900’s after recovering from major declines due to hunting.
– The tongue of a Northern Flicker can stretch up to 2-1/2 inches beyond its beak.
– Flickers hammer using their beak, not their forehead like other woodpeckers.
– A flicker family may consume up to 12,000 ants in a single day.
– Young flickers do not have a red crest until their first molt around 3 months old.
– They rub ants on their feathers which acts as insect repellent.
– Flickers migrate during the day and can cover over 200 miles in a single day.
– They were once called Yellowhammers and High-holders in colonial times.
– Male and female flickers make distinct calls, with the male’s being more loud and repetitive.
– Northern Flicker populations in Alaska stay put year round rather than migrating south.
– Native Americans used flicker feathers to decorate robes and ceremonial costumes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while peanuts are not a primary food source, some Northern Flickers have adapted to occasionally eating them as a supplemental high fat, high protein food. They are most likely to visit peanut feeders during periods of extreme weather, migration, and nesting when their natural insect diet may be lacking. With their antennae-like head feathers and unusual feeding habits, Northern Flickers are delightful visitors that will add excitement to any backyard bird feeding experience. Encouraging Northern Flickers by providing suitable habitat, nesting sites, open ground, and their favorite suet, fruits, and sunflower seeds can allow birders to enjoy viewing these unusual woodpeckers.
