The gilded flicker is a medium-sized woodpecker found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Its scientific name is Colaptes chrysoides. The gilded flicker gets its name from the bold yellow and gold markings on its wings and tail. But what exact colors make up the plumage of this striking bird? Let’s take a closer look at the gilded flicker’s coloration.
Male Gilded Flicker
The adult male gilded flicker has the following color pattern:
Head
– Forehead and crown: Gray
– Nape: Red
– Lores: Gray
– Chin: Gray fading to pale yellow on the throat
Upperparts
– Back: Barred black and white
– Rump: White with black streaks
– Uppertail coverts: White with black crescent shapes
Wings
– Primaries: Black with yellow edging
– Secondaries: Black with bold yellow-orange markings forming a patch
– Wing lining: Black and white barred
Tail
– Uppertail coverts: White with black streaks
– Rectrices (tail feathers): Black with broad yellow-orange bands on middle feathers
Underparts
– Chin to upper breast: Pale yellow
– Breast and belly: Bold black spots
– Belly to undertail coverts: White with black bars
Female Gilded Flicker
The adult female gilded flicker has a similar color pattern to the male, but is slightly duller overall:
Head
– Forehead and crown: Gray
– Nape: Pale red
– Lores: Gray
– Chin: Gray fading to pale yellow throat
Upperparts
– Back: Barred black and white
– Rump: White with black streaks
– Uppertail coverts: White with black crescent shapes
Wings
– Primaries: Black with yellow edging
– Secondaries: Black with yellow markings forming a patch
– Wing lining: Black and white barred
Tail
– Uppertail coverts: White with black streaks
– Rectrices (tail feathers): Black with narrower yellow-orange bands on middle feathers
Underparts
– Chin to upper breast: Pale yellow
– Breast and belly: Faint black spots
– Belly to undertail coverts: White with black bars
Immature Gilded Flickers
Immature gilded flickers have a slightly different appearance than the adults:
Head
– Forehead and crown: Gray-brown
– Nape: Dull pinkish
– Lores: Dark gray
– Chin: Grayish white
Upperparts
– Back: Brownish gray with faint barring
– Rump: White with dark streaks
– Uppertail coverts: White with dark crescent shapes
Wings
– Primaries: Dark gray-brown with buff edging
– Secondaries: Dark gray-brown with faint yellowish markings
– Wing lining: Gray-brown with buff barring
Tail
– Uppertail coverts: White with dark streaks
– Rectrices (tail feathers): Dark gray-brown with narrow buff bands on middle feathers
Underparts
– Chin to upper breast: Pale gray
– Breast and belly: Little to no spotting
– Belly to undertail coverts: White with dark gray-brown bars
Distribution and Habitat
The gilded flicker is found across the deserts and arid pine-oak woodlands of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Its range stretches from southern Nevada and Utah south through Arizona and New Mexico into western Texas. It also occurs in parts of Colorado, California, and the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas.
Within this broad range, gilded flickers occupy a variety of habitats at elevations ranging from sea level to about 7,000 feet. They are most commonly found in desert scrub habitats such as creosote bush, saltbush, and acacia. They also inhabit desert riparian areas lined with cottonwoods and willows. In higher elevations, gilded flickers move into open pine-oak woodlands. They prefer sites with scattered trees and patches of bare ground.
Sightings and Seasonal Movements
Gilded flickers can be seen year-round throughout much of their desert range in the United States and Mexico. They are resident across southern Arizona and New Mexico. Further north, they may migrate short distances and withdraw from the northern parts of their range in winter.
In spring, they disperse and expand their breeding territories after wintering in concentrated flocks. Breeding activity peaks from March to June. After breeding, family groups may gather into larger flocks and wander locally through late summer and fall. Their movements are likely influenced by food availability.
Diet and Foraging
Like other woodpeckers, gilded flickers use their sharply pointed beaks to probe, peck, and pry into substrates in search of food. Their diet consists mainly of insects, spiders, scorpions, snails, and occasionally small lizards. They also consume fruit, nuts, and berries.
Gilded flickers find much of their animal prey on or near the ground. They forage by hopping along the ground and probing into crevices and under rocks and vegetation. Their slightly curved bill is adapted for extracting insects and spiders from cracks.
These birds also drill into trees in search of wood-boring beetle larvae and excavate nest cavities. Occasionally, they may visit feeders for seeds or suet. But they get most of their nutrition by hunting actively over a wide area, using their bills to overturn bark, probe into holes, or pick through soil and plant litter.
Anti-Anting Behavior
Gilded flickers exhibit an unusual foraging behavior known as “anting” – coating their feathers with ants to benefit from the formic acid the ants release. The birds will lie down on anthills or pick up individual ants to apply them to their plumage. The formic acid acts as an insecticide, miticide, fungicide, and even a bactericide to help keep their feathers and skin healthy and clean.
Breeding and Nesting
The breeding season for gilded flickers extends from March through June. They nest in tree cavities excavated by the male using his bill to hammer into the wood. Common nest trees include cottonwood, sycamore, willow, and pine.
The nest is usually 10 to 30 feet off the ground. It consists of a bed of wood chips left over from the excavation on which the female lays 3-5 glossy white eggs. She incubates the eggs alone for about 14 days until hatching.
Both parents feed the nestlings through regurgitation. The young flickers leave the nest at around 30 days old but continue to be fed by the parents for several more weeks as they learn to forage on their own. Gilded flickers generally raise one brood per breeding season.
Courtship Behavior
Male gilded flickers engage in elaborate courtship displays to attract a mate. The displays involve visual signals, vocalizations, and aerial maneuvers:
– Alternately flashing their yellow wing patches and red nape patch
– Bobbing their head up and down
– Fluttering flight displays across the breeding territory
– Vocalizing a rolling “kleeer” call and other notes
– Excavating a potential nest cavity as a nest demonstration
If interested, the female will watch the displays and eventually select one male as her mate. The pair preens each other to strengthen their bond before the female lays her eggs in the nesting cavity.
Predators and Threats
Adult gilded flickers are preyed on by a variety of diurnal raptors or birds of prey, including Cooper’s hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, red-tailed hawks, and falcons. Snakes like coachwhips and racers may take eggs and nestlings. Nest cavities may be raided by squirrels, martens, and rats.
However, the gilded flicker’s biggest threats come from habitat loss and degradation. Urbanization, agriculture, overgrazing, and tree removal have reduced available nesting and foraging sites. Pesticides reduce their insect food sources. Competition with non-native birds like European starlings for nest holes is also a problem.
Conservation Status
The gilded flicker has a large range and global population estimated at 1.5 to 7 million birds. Although their numbers have decreased in some regions, overall the species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Maintaining natural desert ecosystems and preserving old trees with nesting cavities will be important conservation measures for this charismatic woodpecker.
Fun Facts About Gilded Flickers
Here are a few interesting facts about the beautiful gilded flicker:
– The gilded flicker is the official state bird of Arizona.
– Its scientific name Colaptes comes from the Greek word “kolaptos” meaning “chisel” – an apt description of its bill shape.
– Gilded refers to the rich golden coloration on the bird’s wings and tail.
– Its red nape crescent is much more prominent than on its close relative the northern flicker.
– Gilded flickers excavate a new nest cavity each year even if they reuse the same tree.
– Their saliva has antifungal properties that help preserve nest cavity walls.
– They rub ants on their feathers possibly to deter parasites – one of the few birds known to “ant”.
– Males and females have differently-pitched calls. Females make a low “kleeer” and males answer with a higher “queeer”.
– Young flickers can clap their beaks loudly as a form of communication in the nest.
– They breed at 1 year old and may live up to 9 years in the wild.
Conclusion
With its handsome black, white, gray, yellow, and red plumage, the gilded flicker is one of the most vibrant woodpecker species in North America. This desert-dwelling bird uses its specialized bill to forage for its insect and cactus fruit diet. It is fiercely territorial during the breeding season when pairs put on elaborate courtship displays. Though gilded flicker numbers have declined in some areas, overall these adaptable birds remain widespread across the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. Protecting large tracts of their preferred desert scrub habitat will be key to ensuring the gilded flicker continues to brighten its dry enviornments for years to come.
