Northern Flicker

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Northern Flicker in the UK

Northern Flicker has no accepted British record and is not on the British List. A decomposed bird found on the shore in Caithness in July 1981 was judged to have been carried by a ship, so it was not admitted. A specimen said to have been shot in Wiltshire in 1836 was rejected long ago as a likely escaped cage bird. In October 1962 several flickers landed on the liner RMS Mauretania as it crossed from New York, and the last survivor flew ashore when the ship moored at Cobh, County Cork.

Where the Northern Flicker lives

There is nowhere in the UK to see one. It breeds across North America, and northern birds migrate south in autumn, which is why it has ended up on ships in the Atlantic. If a wild bird ever arrived, a western headland or island such as Scilly, west Cornwall or the Outer Hebrides in October would be the likely place, and the news would reach the bird news services within minutes.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Open woodland (no British record).
Diet: Ants.
Field note: Yellow underwings.

How to identify a Northern Flicker

A large woodpecker, close to Green Woodpecker in size. Brown back with black bars, buff underparts covered in round black spots, and a black crescent across the upper breast. The rump is white and obvious in flight. Birds from eastern North America, the likeliest to cross the Atlantic, have yellow underwings and undertail, a grey crown and a red patch on the nape. Males add a black moustache. It often feeds on the ground, hopping on short grass to dig for ants.

Call and song

A loud, ringing 'kleer' call, dropping in pitch, and a long, even series of 'wik-wik-wik' notes in spring. Not heard in Britain.

Confusion species

• Green Woodpecker: Green Woodpecker also feeds on lawns but is green above with a yellow rump, a red crown and no spots or breast crescent.
• Great Spotted Woodpecker: Great Spotted Woodpecker is smaller and black-and-white with big white shoulder patches and red under the tail.

Related guide Rare birds in the UK.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Northern Flicker is a Legendary tier bird, worth +50 points when you log one. It is on our list as a European species. It is not on the British List.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Chestnut BuntingLegendary · Open woodland (extreme vagrant)
• Great Black HawkLegendary · Tropical wetlands (no British record)
• Levant SparrowhawkLegendary · Open woodland (very rare)
• Pallid CuckooLegendary · Open woodland (extreme vagrant)
• Wandering AlbatrossLegendary · Southern Ocean (no British record)
• Yellow-throated BuntingLegendary · Open woodland (extreme vagrant)

Northern Flicker: quick answers

Has a Northern Flicker ever been seen in the UK?

Not as an accepted wild bird. The only modern British occurrence is a dead bird found in Caithness in 1981, which was treated as ship-carried. The species is not on the British List.

Is the Northern Flicker rare in the UK?

It is absent, not just rare. Any future sighting would be a first for Britain if it could be shown to have arrived unaided. The Atlantic birds known so far all rode on ships.

What does a Northern Flicker eat?

Mainly ants, taken on the ground with a long sticky tongue. It also eats beetles and other insects, and switches to berries and seeds in autumn and winter.

Kit that helps

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