Flickers are woodpeckers. The Flicker is part of the order Piciformes and the family Picidae, which is the same for woodpeckers.  There are 23 native woodpecker species in North America. Some are called Woodpeckers, some are called Flickers, and some are called Sapsuckers. Think of it as an extended family with several different last names. Everyone’s related – and sometimes behavior and appearance are bizarrely alike – yet not everyone’s name is the same.