365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Saturday, February 5, 2022
Northern Flicker, Colaptes Auratus
Day 115: Aside from the charming polka-dot costume, Colaptes auratus (Northern Flicker) is quite the acrobat. Utilizing his tail to form a third tripod point in conjunction with his feet, he is able to stabilize himself and get better leverage for pecking. Note that I have used a masculine pronoun. Males of the Red-Shafted race (Colaptes auratus cafer) sport a dashing red "moustache." That said, where the ranges of Red-Shafted and Yellow-Shafted overlap as they do in my area, the facial markings may vary. In flight, the two races can be distinguished more readily as their respective colours are revealed. The flight pattern is a distinctive repetition of "flap-flap-flap, glide" as the bird "flickers" from one perch to another.
Labels:
Colaptes auratus cafer,
Northern Flicker
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