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Northern Flicker
Northern Flicker photographed at Huntington Beach, CA by Andrew McElfresh
Northern Flicker — Huntington Beach, CA — photo by Andrew McElfresh · December 3, 2025
Colaptes auratus

The northern flicker or common flicker is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate. Over 100 common names for the northern flicker are known, including yellowhammer, clape, gaffer woodpecker, harry-wicket, heigh-ho, wake-up, walk-up, wick-up, yarrup, and gawker bird. Many of these names derive from attempts to imitate some of its calls.

This Northern Flicker was photographed at Huntington Beach, CA on December 3, 2025. View all Northern Flicker photos →