User:Ard1174/Northern flicker

Lead
Northern Flickers are a medium to large bird with over 100 common names. Scientifically, it's known as the colaptes auratus, belonging to the woodpecker family. It is one of the few members of the woodpecker family that migrate. The bird is often found in North America, Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands. Northern Flickers can be broken up into two subspecies: yellow-shafted flicker and the red-shafted flicker. Northern Flickers' diet consists of mostly bugs, seeds, and berries found on the ground. Northern Flickers build their nests near trees by creating a hole or by using old holes created by other birds. Like most birds, Northern Flickers breed during early spring. Both males and females play a part in building the nest and incubating the eggs. Males will protect their territory from other Northern Flickers or predators by creating loud noises, spreading their wings, and head bobbing at other birds.

Habitat (added citation)
Northern flickers may be observed in open habitats near trees, including woodlands, edges, yards, and parks. In the western United States, one can find them in mountain forests all the way up to the tree line. Northern flickers generally nest in holes in trees like other woodpeckers. Occasionally, they have been found nesting in old, earthen burrows vacated by belted kingfishers (Megaceryle alcyon) or bank swallows (Riparia riparia). Both sexes help with the nest excavation. The entrance hole is about 8 cm in diameter, and the cavity is 33 - 41 cm deep. The cavity widens at the bottom to make room for the eggs and the incubating adult. Inside, the cavity is bare except for a bed of wood chips for the eggs and chicks to rest on. Once the nestlings are about 17 days old, they begin clinging to the cavity wall rather than lying on the floor. They can create cavities inside homes, especially homes of stucco or weak wooden siding.

Reproduction
The Northern Flicker's breeding habitat consists of forested areas across North America and as far south as Central America. They are cavity nesters that typically nest in trees, but they may also use posts and birdhouses if sized and situated appropriately. They prefer to excavate their own home, although they reuse and repair damaged or abandoned nests. Often the old nests are created by Belted Kingfishers or Bank Swallows. Abandoned Northern Flicker nests create habitats for other cavity nesters. Northern Flickers are sometimes driven away from their nesting sites by another cavity nesters like the common starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Northern Flickers commonly breed during the months of February to July, depending upon the temperature of the area. During the breeding season, both mates will stay together. After the season, they do not stay together. Before breeding season, one to two weeks are needed for a mated pair to build the nest. Male flickers find female flickers by head bobbing and their personal mating call. The common sounds the male bird makes towards a female is “woikawoikawoika”, symbolizing their relationship to one another and other birds. If the call is used towards a male, it is a territorial sign. The calls' pattern can be classified as flat and gradually rises into a loud noise. The call type is a chirp that drums and rattles.

Additional territorial signs towards other males can be head swinging when in close proximity to another or repeatedly creating loud noises with their beaks. Commonly used objects are wood or metal for a louder sound. While making the loud noises, they will spread their wings, moving them up and down, spreading their tail to flash their colorful underside. The color of their feathers depends on the environment surrounding the bird. Currently, there is no direct correlation between the birds' colors and mate choice. Rather, it plays a bigger role in territory.

Northern Flickers may also point their bill forward towards a competitor for territorial reasons. .  Juvenile Northern Flickers are often helpless against predators who enter the nest. The common predators are cooper hawks, shar-shinned hawks, raccoons, snakes, and squirrels. Full grown Northern Flickers are preyed upon by larger birds and hunting birds. The entrance hole of their nest is roughly 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) wide. The hole entrance is often facing east to southeast. On average, Northern Flickers can have one to two clutches in their breeding months. A typical clutch consists of six to eight eggs whose shells are pure white with a smooth surface and high gloss. The eggs are the second-largest of the North American woodpecker species, exceeded only by the pileated woodpeckers. Incubation is by both sexes for about 11 to 12 days. Commonly the male will sit on the eggs overnight, and both the male and female will incubate the eggs during the day. The young are fed by regurgitation and fledge about 25 to 28 days after hatching.