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.
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Colaptes Auratus
Day 164: Male and female Northern Flickers are easy to tell apart. The males have "moustaches," i.e. a coloured patch on the cheek. However, where the Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted races intergrade, this marking may be either red or black. In 2019, I observed an intergrade in my yard. My attention was drawn by the distinctly yellow colour under the tail and the red spot on the nape of the neck, but the bird's malar patch was red rather than black which is typical of Yellow-shafted. Now, I again have an intergrade at the suet feeder. I doubt that it is the same bird since this one is obviously of breeding age (there is a courtship going on), and the life expectancy of Northern Flickers is seldom longer than 6-7 years for either race. The evidence that the male is an intergrade escaped my notice until I enlarged the image and saw the tiny red patch on the nape, a telltale which is not present in the Red-shafted type. Genetics in action! Right here in my own back yard!
Labels:
Colaptes auratus,
intergrade,
red malar
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