Flickers and woodpeckers are both types of woodpecker birds found in North America. While they share some similarities, there are several key differences between these two types of birds in terms of appearance, behavior, habitat, diet, and more.
Appearance
The most noticeable difference between flickers and other woodpeckers is the coloration. Flickers have bright yellow underbellies and rumps, gray faces, and black spots and bars on their backs. The Northern Flicker has red on the nape of its neck, while the Gilded Flicker has red on its crown.
In contrast, most woodpeckers found in North America have bold black and white plumage. Exceptions include the Red-headed Woodpecker which has a bright red head, and the Red-bellied Woodpecker with reddish coloring on its belly.
Flickers are about the same size as other woodpeckers, ranging from 9-12 inches in length with wingspans around 18 inches. However, flickers have longer tails and beaks than most woodpeckers.
The beaks of flickers are also slightly curved downward, while woodpeckers typically have straighter, chisel-like beaks. Flickers use their long tongues to lap up ants from the ground, while woodpeckers use their beaks to drill into wood.
Behavior
Flickers exhibit some behavioral differences from other woodpeckers as well. For instance, flickers spend a significant amount of time on the ground using their curved bills to catch insects like ants and beetles. Other woodpeckers rarely come down to the ground.
You may also see flickers perching on wires or fence posts more often than other woodpecker species. They have a distinctive flight pattern of undulating up and down over long distances.
Woodpeckers like Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers instead stay close to tree trunks and branches, constantly hopping up vertically and horizontally while pecking. Woodpeckers have stiff tail feathers that help brace them against tree bark while they drill.
In terms of breeding, woodpeckers are solitary nesters while flickers may nest in loose colonies. Flickers are less aggressive than other woodpeckers when defending their nest sites.
Habitat
The habitat preferences of flickers set them apart from their woodpecker relatives as well. Flickers can thrive in more open country like forest edges, parks, and backyards. You can also find them in open woodlands and agricultural areas.
Most woodpeckers stick to mature, dense forests with plenty of old trees that are easier to excavate nesting cavities in. Woodpeckers prefer contiguous forest habitat while flickers are more flexible to fragmented, urban areas.
Diet
Flickers are omnivorous, feeding on a combination of insects like ants, beetles, and crickets as well as fruits, seeds, and nuts. They use their curved beak to lap up ants on the ground and probe into the bark crevices of trees.
Woodpeckers are much more specialized insectivores, using their chisel-like beaks to dig out wood-boring grubs and larvae deep within tree trunks. Their unique tongues can spear and extract these insects.
A woodpecker’s diet consists almost exclusively of insects like beetle larvae they excavate from beneath the bark. They also occasionally eat ants, spiders, nuts, fruit, and sap.
Taxonomy
Flickers and woodpeckers belong to the same biological family Picidae. However, flickers comprise their own subfamily, Colaptinae, while true woodpeckers fall under Picinae.
There are around 12 species of flickers and over 180 species of woodpeckers worldwide. In North America, the main flickers are the Northern Flicker and Gilded Flicker. Common woodpeckers include the Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied, Red-headed, and Pileated Woodpecker.
Nesting
When it comes to nesting, flickers tend to excavate much larger cavity holes in trees compared to other woodpeckers. They may nest up to around 50 feet high, while woodpeckers usually nest below 25 feet up.
Woodpeckers excavate precise, perfectly rounded holes just large enough for their bodies in living trees. Flickers will nest in dead trees and make very large, rectangular or oval-shaped cavities.
Range
Some key differences in range also help separate flickers from woodpeckers. The Northern Flicker is found across most of North America from Alaska to Central America. Gilded Flickers live in the desert southwest.
In comparison, woodpeckers like Downy and Hairy have very extensive ranges across North America while others like Red-headed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers have more restricted ranges in eastern and southeastern forests.
Unique Features of Flickers
- Colorful plumage with yellow underparts
- Long, curved bill for eating ants on the ground
- Omnivorous diet including fruits and seeds
- Able to thrive in open habitats like parks and suburbs
- Make very large nesting cavities in dead trees
- Have a flight style of undulating up and down
Unique Features of Woodpeckers
- Striking black and white plumage
- Chisel-like straight bill for drilling into wood
- Specialized insectivorous diet
- Live predominantly in mature, dense forests
- Make small, precise nest holes in living trees
- Constantly hop up and down trees while pecking
Summary Comparison
Trait | Flickers | Woodpeckers |
---|---|---|
Appearance | Colorful yellow underparts, gray face, black spots and bars on back. Long curved bill. | Striking black and white plumage. Straight chisel-like bill. |
Behavior | Spend time on ground, perch on fences. Less aggressive at nest sites. | Constantly climb trees while pecking. Aggressive in defending nest sites. |
Habitat | Open country like parks, suburbs, woodland edges. | Mature, dense forest. |
Diet | Omnivorous including ants, beetles, fruits, seeds. | Mainly wood-boring insects. |
Nesting | Make very large cavities in dead trees. | Make small precise holes in living trees. |
Conclusion
While flickers and woodpeckers share some traits as members of the Picidae family, they exhibit clear differences in appearance, habitat preferences, foraging behaviors, diets, and nesting habits. Woodpeckers are forest insectivores adapted to constantly climb trunks and bore into wood, while flickers are more omnivorous using their ground-feeding lifestyle and large nest cavities to thrive even in urban settings.
Understanding the unique features of each helps birders properly identify between flickers and woodpeckers in the field. So next time you see a bird undulating in flight with colorful plumage, it’s likely a flicker. But if you spot one relentlessly hammering a tree for insects, it’s certainly a woodpecker.