---
title: "All About Birds: Northern Flicker"
---

[![cornell lab](https://dl.allaboutbirds.org/hs-fs/hub/95627/file-292886470.png?width=527&height=99&name=file-292886470.png "cornell lab")](http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478)

## Northern Flicker 

## ![NORFLI_Irene_Verweij](https://dl.allaboutbirds.org/hs-fs/hub/95627/file-274401252.jpg)

 © Irene Verweij

| ![what_they_eat](https://dl.allaboutbirds.org/hs-fs/hub/95627/file-219239072.jpg?width=106&height=182&name=file-219239072.jpg) | **What they eat:** Northern Flickers eat mainly insects, especially ants and beetles they find off the ground. They visit suet cage, large hopper, and platform feeders where they prefer millet. |
| --- | --- |
| ![how_they_sound](https://dl.allaboutbirds.org/hs-fs/hub/95627/file-218885748.jpg?width=194&height=182&name=file-218885748.jpg "how_they_sound") | **Where they live:** Look for them in woodlands and open fields, including city parks. They have a very broad range, including the continental U.S., central Alaska, parts of Mexico, and southern to central Canada. |
| **![where_they_live](https://dl.allaboutbirds.org/hs-fs/hub/95627/file-219130301.jpg?width=93&height=79&name=file-219130301.jpg "where_they_live")** | **Did you know?** Although it can climb up the trunks of trees like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to find food on the ground. |
| **![did_you_know](https://dl.allaboutbirds.org/hs-fs/hub/95627/file-218887603.jpg?width=118&height=87&name=file-218887603.jpg)** | **How they sound:** ****Northern Flickers make a loud, rolling rattle with a piercing tone that rises and falls in volume several times. Like all woodpeckers, they tend to drum against wood. |

 

**![sound](https://dl.allaboutbirds.org/hs-fs/hub/95627/file-230263965.jpg?width=20&height=16&name=file-230263965.jpg) [Listen to the Northern Flicker](https://dl.allaboutbirds.org/hs-fs/hub/95627/file-290371328.mp3?hsLang=es).**

** **

**To learn more, visit the Cornell Lab's free website: [www.allaboutbirds.org](http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_flicker/id).**

** **

---

**Want to know more? Sign up for either of our free eNewsletters below.**

 

****Pennington® Wild Bird Club****

*Kid-friendly content, fun backyard birding activities, and exclusive offers from Pennington and The Cornell Lab of Ornithology*

**Cornell Lab of Ornithology eNews**

*Monthly guide to what's happening in the birding world from the world's leading bird conservation organization* 

Developed in partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

© 2013 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

[![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdl.allaboutbirds.org%2Fnorthern-flicker%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdl.allaboutbirds.org%2Fnorthern-flicker%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fdl.allaboutbirds.org%2Fnorthern-flicker%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdl.allaboutbirds.org%2Fnorthern-flicker%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton)

[Privacy Policy](http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1635)