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!

An Unusual Sighting

Day 162: Documentation. It's all about documentation. Okay, it's not the best photo because it was shot at an angle through double-pane glass, but it captures distinctive features which indicate that this bird is the product of intergrading, i.e., a genetic crossover between Western and Eastern races of Northern Flicker. The yellow underside of the tailfeathers could possibly be ascribed to colour variation in either subspecies; however, the red patch at the nape of the neck is only found in male Yellow-Shafted Flicker, but Yellow-Shafted (Colaptes auratus auratus) should have a black malar (cheek). Red malars are a characteristic of Red-Shafted (Colaptes auratus cafer).