Gilded Flicker

The Gilded Flicker is a large, ground-foraging woodpecker of the Sonoran Desert, closely resembling the more widespread Northern Flicker's 'yellow-shafted' form. It has a brown, black-barred back, a black bib across the upper breast, spotted underparts, and a gray face with a tan-brown crown. In flight, golden-yellow flashes are visible in the wings and tail.

Males show a red mustache stripe extending from the base of the bill, absent in females. This species is closely tied to the saguaro cactus for nesting, alongside the Gila Woodpecker, and was formerly considered a subspecies of the Northern Flicker before being split as a full species.

Key Field Marks

• Brown, black-barred back and wings
• Black bib on the upper breast
• Black-spotted, pale buffy underparts
• Gray face with a tan-brown crown
• Golden-yellow underwings and undertail visible in flight
• Males show a red mustache stripe; females lack it

Similar Species

• Northern Flicker ('red-shafted' form) shows salmon-red, not golden-yellow, underwings and a gray crown with a brown face, the reverse pattern from the Gilded Flicker; the two species hybridize in a narrow contact zone.
• Gila Woodpecker is smaller, lacks the black bib and spotted underparts, and has a barred rather than plain tan face.

Habitat

Gilded Flickers inhabit Sonoran Desert scrub with saguaro cacti, as well as desert washes lined with mesquite and cottonwood, and adjacent suburban areas.

Range

This species is found in the deserts of southern Arizona, southeastern California, and northwestern Mexico, including Baja California and Sonora.

Migration

Gilded Flickers are largely non-migratory permanent residents throughout their range.

Behavior

Like other flickers, this species forages heavily on the ground, probing soil and leaf litter for ants with its long, barbed tongue, unlike most woodpeckers that forage mainly on tree trunks.

Voice

Calls include a loud, laughing series of klee-yer notes and a long wick-wick-wick-wick rattle similar to the Northern Flicker; drumming is a fast, even roll.

Feeding

Ants form the bulk of the diet, supplemented by other insects, cactus fruit, and seeds.

Nesting

Pairs excavate a nest cavity in a saguaro cactus or, less commonly, a tree; both parents incubate the 3-5 white eggs and feed the nestlings.