Northern Flickers and Anting Behavior - What is Anting?
The beautiful Red-shafted Northern Flickers have been abundant around my yard lately.
Flickers are members of the woodpecker family.
They are grayish brown with black bars on the back with spotted underparts and a white rump, conspicuous in flight.
They also have a black, crescent shaped bib.
The red-shafted variety has red patches in their wings that are obvious in flight.
The yellow-shafted variety, commonly found east of the Rockies, has yellow patches.
The male Red-shafted Northern Flicker has a red mustache stripe, the male Yellow-shafted has a black mustache stripe.
The female is without a mustache stripe.
The Northern Flicker is 11 - 12 inches long, has a wingspan of 17 - 20 inches and weighs 3 3/4 to 5 1/2 ounces.
They are common in open woodlands and suburban areas.
They nest in a cavity in a tree or post, which they excavate themselves, but will also nest in man made birdhouses.
It takes about 1 to 2 weeks for them to build their nest which is built by both parents.
Abandoned flicker nests create habitat for other cavity nesters as well.
So, by now you're probably wondering what the most interesting thing about these flickers is? The Northern Flicker is the only woodpecker that frequently feeds on the ground.
As a matter of fact, ants are there favorite food.
They have a long, barbed tongue that they use to lap up the ants that can make up 45% of their diet! Northern Flickers take part in an interesting behavior called "anting".
Anting is the act of birds rubbing insects on their feathers (usually ants) which secrete liquids containing chemicals such as formic acid, that can act as an insecticide, miticide, fungicide or bactericide.
They actually do this as part of their preening! There are over 250 species of birds that have been known to engage in anting behavior.
Keep a sharp lookout for those Northern Flickers on the ground and perhaps you can catch them "anting"!
Flickers are members of the woodpecker family.
They are grayish brown with black bars on the back with spotted underparts and a white rump, conspicuous in flight.
They also have a black, crescent shaped bib.
The red-shafted variety has red patches in their wings that are obvious in flight.
The yellow-shafted variety, commonly found east of the Rockies, has yellow patches.
The male Red-shafted Northern Flicker has a red mustache stripe, the male Yellow-shafted has a black mustache stripe.
The female is without a mustache stripe.
The Northern Flicker is 11 - 12 inches long, has a wingspan of 17 - 20 inches and weighs 3 3/4 to 5 1/2 ounces.
They are common in open woodlands and suburban areas.
They nest in a cavity in a tree or post, which they excavate themselves, but will also nest in man made birdhouses.
It takes about 1 to 2 weeks for them to build their nest which is built by both parents.
Abandoned flicker nests create habitat for other cavity nesters as well.
So, by now you're probably wondering what the most interesting thing about these flickers is? The Northern Flicker is the only woodpecker that frequently feeds on the ground.
As a matter of fact, ants are there favorite food.
They have a long, barbed tongue that they use to lap up the ants that can make up 45% of their diet! Northern Flickers take part in an interesting behavior called "anting".
Anting is the act of birds rubbing insects on their feathers (usually ants) which secrete liquids containing chemicals such as formic acid, that can act as an insecticide, miticide, fungicide or bactericide.
They actually do this as part of their preening! There are over 250 species of birds that have been known to engage in anting behavior.
Keep a sharp lookout for those Northern Flickers on the ground and perhaps you can catch them "anting"!
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