The gilded flicker is a large, striking woodpecker found in the desert southwest of the United States and Mexico. Its scientific name is Colaptes chrysoides, and it is the only woodpecker species endemic to the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. Gilded flickers inhabit a variety of arid environments within their range, including desert scrub, desert grasslands, riparian woodlands, ranch lands, and desert palm oases. They excavate nest cavities in large cacti, trees, or utility poles and feed on insects, fruit, seeds and nuts. Gilded flickers are declining across portions of their range due to habitat loss and are considered a species of conservation concern.
What Does the Gilded Flicker Look Like?
The gilded flicker is a large, striking woodpecker that measures 9-11 inches in length with a wingspan of 17 inches. They have a pale gray face and chest with a black crescent marking below the eye. The crown and neck are grayish brown and the back and wings are barred with black and pale beige. Male gilded flickers have a red moustache stripe along the cheek and golden yellow underwings, while females have a pale yellow belly and lack the moustache stripe. Both sexes have yellow shafted flight feathers that flash brightly in flight. The long bill is black on top and pale yellow on bottom. Gilded flickers flap with shallow, bouncy wing beats in flight. They are similar in appearance to the very closely related northern flicker, but lack the red nape patch on the back of the neck.
Where are Gilded Flickers Found?
Gilded flickers are resident across the desert regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Their breeding range extends from southern California, southern Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico in the United States south through Baja California and mainland Mexico to Guerrero and Hidalgo. They are found west of the Rocky Mountains in arid to semi-arid habitats at elevations below 5,800 feet. Their range overlaps broadly with northern flickers in some areas along the Colorado River and farther north.
Within their desert range, gilded flickers occupy a variety of open habitats including:
– Desert scrub with agave and yuccas
– Creosote bush desert
– Desert riparian woodlands
– Mesquite bosques and desert canyons
– Desert grasslands and ranch lands with scattered Joshua trees or utility poles for nesting
– Desert palm oases
They are generally not found in higher elevation pine-oak or pinyon-juniper woodlands. Their range closely maps to the distribution of giant saguaro cacti, which are a prime nest site.
Gilded Flicker Habitat
Gilded flickers require habitat with large vertical surfaces for nesting. This includes:
– Giant saguaro cacti – The large armored cavities excavated within the ribbed flesh of giant saguaro cacti are a preferred nest site. Saguaro nest cavities can be 50 feet off the ground.
– Decaying snags of riparian woodland trees – Gilded flickers nest in sycamores, cottonwoods, and willows along desert rivers and streams.
– Yuccas – Cavities are excavated in the fibrous trunks of yuccas such as Joshua trees.
– Power poles and fence posts – Where natural nest sites are limited, gilded flickers readily use human-made structures.
Nest height ranges from 3 feet off the ground in a stump up to 60 feet high in a saguaro. The nest cavity provides shelter from the desert heat.
Gilded flickers forage on the ground for ants and other insects in open areas with sparse grasses or low shrubs. They also eat fruit from cacti, desert trees, and scrubs. So habitat with a mix of nesting, roosting, and foraging sites is ideal.
Geographic Distribution
| Region | States/Provinces |
|---|---|
| United States | California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico |
| Mexico | Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Hidalgo |
Gilded Flicker Behavior
Gilded flickers exhibit behavioral adaptations for living in hot, arid environments:
– Heat avoidance – They are most active in early morning and evening when temperatures are cooler. At midday they may go into torpor in a cavity to avoid heat.
– Water conservation – They get most of their water needs from the food they eat.
– Cooperative breeding – Up to four birds may cooperate to raise young at a nest. Extra birds help provide food.
– Migration – Most gilded flickers do not migrate. Those at the northern extreme of the range in Nevada, Utah and California may migrate short distances.
– Long-lived – They are a relatively long-lived species, surviving 5-9 years on average. The oldest known was a 16 year old male.
– Site fidelity – They display high fidelity to nesting and foraging sites, returning to the same areas year after year.
– Territoriality – Gilded flickers defend nesting territories, chasing away other flickers or woodpeckers. However they may forage communally.
Gilded Flicker Nesting
Gilded flickers breed from late March through July with peak activity in May and June. They nest in cavities excavated in large cacti, trees or posts usually 3-60 feet above ground. The nest is a bed of wood chips with 5-8 glossy white eggs. Parents share brooding duties during the 11-14 day incubation period. Nestlings hatch blind and helpless but grow quickly, able to flutter out of the nest at 4 weeks old. Fledglings are dependent on the parents for feeding and protection for another 1-2 weeks. Gilded flickers produce one brood per year. Pairs may reuse or excavate a new cavity each year.
Nest Sites
| Nest Site | Nest Height |
|---|---|
| Saguaro | 8-60 feet |
| Tree (cottonwood, willow, sycamore, oak) | 5-50 feet |
| Yucca | 3-15 feet |
| Utility pole | 15-45 feet |
Gilded Flicker Diet
Gilded flickers are omnivorous, feeding on both plant and animal material. Their diet consists of:
– Insects – Primarily ants, beetles and grasshoppers.
– Scorpions
– Snails
– Spiders
– Fruit – Prickly pear, barrel cactus, hackberry, wolfberry, sumac
– Seeds – Mesquite pods, martynia
– Sap from saguaro holes
– Occasionally lizards, eggs, nestlings
They forage on the ground in open areas, using their curved bill to probe soil and dig for ants and beetles. They also glean insects from plants and excavate nests of boring ants. Fruit and seeds become more important in winter when insect numbers are lower. Gilded flickers obtain needed water from the food they eat. At times they visit livestock water tanks.
Foraging Zones
| Zone | Foods |
|---|---|
| Ground | Ants, beetles, insect larvae |
| Vegetation | Grasshoppers, scorpions, snails, fruit |
| Tree trunks | Ants, beetles, insect larvae |
| Bark and leaves | Caterpillars, spiders |
Conservation Status
Gilded flickers are considered a species of conservation concern throughout their range in the southwestern US and Mexico. They face a number of threats, including:
– Habitat loss – Large areas of native desert and riparian habitat have been converted to agriculture and urban development. This reduces nest sites and foraging areas.
– Nonnative grasses – Invasive grasses fuel hotter wildfires that can kill saguaros and nest trees. Grasses also crowd out native vegetation.
– Livestock grazing – Heavy grazing removes native plants needed for food and nesting. Livestock trample soil crusts that contain ants and beetles.
– Tree removal – Cutting snags and dead trees for firewood, safety, or development removes nest cavities.
– Climate change – Hotter droughts may reduce survival rates. Expanding desert habitats northward may increase competition with northern flickers.
Gilded flickers still occupy a wide geographic range but have suffered declines in abundance in California, Arizona, and Mexico. Protecting habitats on public and private lands will be key for long-term conservation of this desert woodpecker.
