The Northern Flicker is a medium-sized bird found throughout most of North America. Despite its similarities to woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker is actually classified in its own genus, Colaptes, separate from true woodpeckers. This has led many birders to wonder – why isn’t the Northern Flicker considered a true woodpecker?
Taxonomy and Classification
The Northern Flicker belongs to the order Piciformes, which contains all woodpeckers, piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Within this order, the Northern Flicker is placed in the family Picidae, which contains all woodpeckers except the wrynecks.
However, within the Picidae family, the Northern Flicker is placed in its own genus, Colaptes. This separates it from the true woodpeckers in the genus Picoides. The Northern Flicker’s full scientific name is Colaptes auratus.
This taxonomic classification indicates that while the Northern Flicker is closely related to woodpeckers, it has some distinct differences that warrant separation at the genus level. Understanding these differences can help shed light on why the Northern Flicker is not considered a true woodpecker.
Differences Between Northern Flickers and Woodpeckers
Despite the taxonomic separation, Northern Flickers share many physical traits with woodpeckers. Like woodpeckers, Northern Flickers have stiff tail feathers to prop them upright on trees, strong feet with two toes facing forward and two facing back, and pointed beaks for boring into wood.
However, there are several key differences between Northern Flickers and woodpeckers:
Beak Shape
Woodpeckers typically have long, chisel-like beaks. The Northern Flicker’s beak is more rounded and less specialized for heavy-duty hammering.
Tongue Structure
Woodpeckers have barbed, spear-like tongues that can extend 2-3 times the length of the bill. This allows them to spear insects deep inside tree holes. The Northern Flicker’s tongue is slightly forked at the tip but lacks the barbs and spear-like projection of woodpeckers.
Foraging Behavior
Woodpeckers primarily feed by drilling into trees and using their long tongues to extract insects. Northern Flickers hunt for ants and other insects among the leaf litter and dirt on the forest floor. Their tongues are not adapted to deep probing into wood.
Habitat
Most woodpeckers are strongly associated with forests and woodlands. Northern Flickers can thrive in more open habitats like meadows, grasslands, and agricultural areas with scattered trees.
Nesting
Woodpeckers nest in cavities they excavate into trees. Northern Flickers often nest in holes already present in dead trees or other structures like fence posts. They do sometimes peck their own nest holes but not as frequently as woodpeckers.
Trait | Woodpeckers | Northern Flicker |
---|---|---|
Beak shape | Long, chisel-like | Rounded, less specialized |
Tongue structure | Barbed, spear-like | Slightly forked, not barbed |
Foraging behavior | Primarily drill into wood | Mostly ground foraging |
Habitat | Forests and woodlands | More open areas |
Nesting | Excavate own cavities | Often use existing cavities |
Genetic Analysis
The morphological and behavioral differences between Northern Flickers and woodpeckers also show up in genetic analyses comparing the two groups.
A 2010 study extracted DNA from specimens of Northern Flickers, woodpeckers, and other Picidae birds. Sequencing key genes revealed that woodpeckers cluster together as a group, while Northern Flickers branch off on their own evolutionary path.
This indicates that Northern Flickers likely diverged from woodpeckers at some point in the distant past and have followed an independent evolutionary trajectory. Over time, they developed adaptations like ground foraging that set them apart from their woodpecker cousins.
Convergent Evolution
The fact that Northern Flickers are genetically distinct but still resemble woodpeckers in some ways provides a good example of convergent evolution.
Convergent evolution is when unrelated organisms independently evolve similar traits as they adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. The stiffened tail feathers, zygodactyl feet, and other woodpecker-like traits seen in Northern Flickers are likely convergent adaptations for climbing and tapping on trees.
These adaptations serve them well in accessing ants deep in the crevices of tree bark. So over time, Northern Flickers converged on some of the same physical and behavioral solutions as true woodpeckers, even though they are not closely related.
Origin of the Name “Flicker”
If it is not a woodpecker, how did the Northern Flicker get its name?
The word “flicker” is thought to derive from one of the calls this bird makes. Its vocalizations include a loud, rapidly repeated flicking or fluttering sound. This repetitive call gave rise to the name Northern Flicker.
Several other members of the Colaptes genus worldwide are also known as flickers due to the similar vocalizations they produce. So the name “flicker” refers directly to one of this bird’s distinctive traits, rather than mistakenly grouping it with woodpeckers.
Conclusion
While the Northern Flicker shares some physical traits and behaviors with woodpeckers, taxonomic classification, genetic evidence, foraging behavior, and other factors make clear that it is a distinct type of bird. The similarities between Northern Flickers and woodpeckers appear to be due to convergent evolution rather than a close genetic relationship.
So the Northern Flicker stands in its own unique genus Colaptes, warranting a unique common name that reflects one of its most conspicuous traits – its noisy, fluttering call. This call, rather than mistakenly grouping it with woodpeckers, is how this fascinating bird got its memorable name.