Meet the Gilded Flicker (Colaptes chrysoides), the desert version of the more common Northern Flicker. They are common in the Sonoran Desert, often roaming on the ground and terrorizing local ant populations.
Here is how to recognize them and how to tell them apart from their lookalikes!
Identification
Gilded Flickers have the typical stout, rounded bodies and broad wings of woodpeckers. On average, they measure 11-12 inches long and have a wingspan of 19.7-20.5 inches. Their wedge-shaped tail is stiff to support them while they climb vertically up the tree trunk. They have black, slightly downcurved bills and dark eyes.
Male and female Gilded Flickers look fairly similar. They have pale brownish-gray upperparts with black barring and whitish to grayish undersides with bold black spots. Their necks and heads are gray, and they have a pale cinnamon crown and a large black chest patch.
In flight, you can see a white rump and yellow flight feathers. The only way to tell the sexes apart is to look at their face. Males have a red mustache stripe whereas females do not.
Juvenile Gilded Flickers look fairly similar to adults. However, their plumage is duller and browner and the markings are less distinct.
Vocalizations
Gilded Flickers do not sing, but they have various fairly high-pitched squeaky calls. Their most common call, also known as the long call, is a series of same-pitched ki-ki-ki, kick-kick-kick, or swik-wik-wik sounds. You can hear it during the breeding season when the birds are establishing their territories and forming pairs.
Another call is a single peah note which can be given by both adults and nestlings. Some consider it an alarm call while others believe it is used to keep in contact and functions as a signature call used to identify each other.
Their most variable and complex call is a relatively quiet rhythmic series of wick-a, ta-week, wik-up, or cha-week-a notes. It sounds like the squeaks that come from cleaning a window. They also give a gurgling whurdle while in flight, similar to a scolding wren. However, they don’t give this call very often.
Gilded Flickers, like other woodpeckers, drum to mark territory or nest sites. Their drumming is very short and rapid.
Food
Gilded Flickers are omnivorous with the specifics of their diet changing depending on the season. During the breeding season, they mainly feed on animal matter whereas in the winter their diet includes more plant matter, like fruits, berries, seeds, and nuts.
The animal part of their diet is made up of various insects and their larvae, including beetles, termites, caterpillars, wasps, and ants. You can see them hopping along the ground or climbing on tree trunks.
They are especially fond of ants and may forage at a single ant colony for hours on end, using their tongues to probe anthills or subterranean ant colonies. Gilded Flickers avoid tall and thick grass and prefer bare ground or short grass so that they can access them more easily. Occasionally, they will fly out to snatch insects in the air.
Nesting and Eggs
Gilded Flickers have not been studied very well, but their courtship and nesting behavior seem to be fairly similar to Northern Flickers. They form monogamous pairs for the breeding season and may reunite in the following years. Rivaling males “fence” with their bills and raise their wings.
During courtship or territory defense, males call, drum, and put on aggressive displays, including wing flicking, head swinging, and tail spreading. If a female happens to be watching, the displays intensify.
Gilded Flickers nest in cavities in dead wood from 6 to 20 feet above the ground, occasionally even higher. Their nests have been found in trees, posts, or giant cactuses, less frequently also in cottonwood or willows in the north-west.
Both members of the pair help excavate the cavity, which measures roughly 5 inches in diameter and 14.8 inches deep with an entrance hole 2.8 inches in diameter on average. There is no nest lining.
One pair generally has only one brood in a year with 4-5 white eggs in a clutch. Gilded Flicker eggs measure 1-1.2 inches long and 0.8-0.9 inches wide. Incubation takes around 11 days. Both sexes incubate with the male incubating during the night and the female during the day.
The younglings stay in the nest for about 4 weeks and are fed by both members of the pair. After that, they follow their parents to foraging sites.
Current Situation
Gilded Flickers range throughout the Sonoran Desert in Baja California, the northwestern tip of Mexico, southern Arizona, and southeastern California. They are resident throughout their range and can be found near riverside cottonwood groves or near giant cactus species at elevations from 200 to 3,200 feet.
Gilded Flickers are listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List. They are fairly abundant throughout their range and have been able to adapt to most human-modified areas. However, their population is in decline due to habitat loss.
Facts About Gilded Flickers
- Gilded Flicker has four subspecies determined by their range: the Cape Gilded Flicker, Brown Gilded Flicker, Mearns’ Gilded Flicker, and the Mexican Gilded Flicker.
- Gilded Flickers and Northern Flickers are very similar. They were merged into a single species in the 1960s, partly due to extensive interbreeding. However, they were recognized as separate species a couple of decades later.
- According to Bergmann’s Rule, the species within a taxonomic clade that live in warmer environments are generally smaller, whereas those that live in colder environments are bigger. This is also true for Gilded and Northern Flickers, as the former lives in the desert and is smaller than the latter who lives in the farther north.
- European Starlings were introduced to North America in the 1890s. Due to their aggressive and adaptable nature, their population has now grown to 150 million and is threatening some native populations, especially cavity-nesting species. However, the Gilded Flicker is one of the species that seem to be able to fend them off.
Similar Species
Gilded Flickers should not offer much of a problem when it comes to identification. They have only two similar species, with only the Northern Flicker being highly similar. Here is how to tell them apart.
Northern Flicker
Northern Flickers have a more extensive range which extends over most of North America and Mexico. They are brownish overall with a black-barred back. Their underside is paler and spotted in black. They have a black chest patch and a white rump.
Males in the east have a red nape, black mustache stripe, and yellow tail and flight feathers, whereas males in the west do not have a red nape, have a red mustache stripe, and red flight and tail feathers. Females are similar but paler and lack the mustache stripes.
The range of Gilded Flickers overlaps with the range of red-shafted Northern Flickers. Their head pattern is similar, but male Gildeds have a tan crown and are yellow under the wings and tail whereas male Northern ones have a gray crown and are red under the wings and tail.
Gila Woodpecker
Gila Woodpeckers have a very similar range to Gilded Flickers. They are barred in black and white above and have tan heads and bellies. Males have a small red patch on the top of their heads. Male Gilded Flickers have a mostly gray head and neck with a red mustache stripe and a pale underside with dark spotting whereas male Gila Woodpeckers have a tan head with a red crown patch and a uniformly tan underside.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Gilded Flicker and a Northern Flicker?
Gilded Flickers are limited to the Sonoran Desert whereas the range of Northern Flickers covers most of North America and Mexico. Where their ranges overlap, Gilded Flickers have yellow underwings and a tan crown whereas Northern Flickers have red underwings and a gray crown.
Where do Gilded Flickers live?
Gilded Flickers live in areas with large cacti and in riverside groves throughout the Sonoran Desert.
What sound does a Gilded Flicker make?
Gilded Flickers make various high-pitched squeaky calls, such as ki-ki-ki, peah, and wick-a.
How big are Gilded Flickers?
Gilded Flickers measure around 10-11 inches long.
