Spending a great deal of time on the ground, the flicker searches for insects, fallen fruits, seeds-and above all for ants, of which it consumes more than any other North American bird. The flicker still uses trees for nesting, of course, but has also adapted well to farmlands, parks, and other more open habitats, where it may burrow into fence posts, utility poles, or barn sides, or under the eaves of houses. In the Southwest, it even makes use of the giant saguaro cactus. Northern flickers occur throughout North America, but their appearance differs in various regions, and they are known by more than a hundred local names. Where their ranges overlap, different flickers sometimes interbreed, creating even more mixtures of their varied characteristics.
Eastern males have black mustache, yellow flash in wings.
Western males have red mustache, reddish flash in wings. Southwestern males have red mustache, yellow flash in wings. Females similar but lack mustache. Woodlands, deserts, and suburbs. Incubation about 12 days, by both sexes.