CreatureData

Northern flicker

Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a species in the family Picidae, order Piciformes. Recorded adults weigh 128 g to 131.5 g and live up to 9.18 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Northern flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the northern flicker

Weight
128 g – 131.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
48.1 cm – 50.7 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
9.18 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
12.5 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
12 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
6 – 6.6src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the northern flicker?

NORTHERN FLICKER · WINGSPAN 50.7 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 50.7 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the northern flicker is about 30% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Photos of the northern flicker

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.

Where does the northern flicker live?

Not recorded

What is the northern flicker?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The northern flicker or common flicker (Colaptes auratus) 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 (not to be confused with the Eurasian yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)), 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.

From the Wikipedia article “Northern flicker” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_flicker&oldid=1384305279), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the northern flicker endangered?

The northern flicker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the northern flicker classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPiciformes
  5. familyPicidae
  6. genusColaptes
  7. SpeciesColaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Cuculus auratus

Other names and names in other languages (69)
  • ClapeEnglish
  • Gaffer woodpeckerEnglish
  • Gawker birdEnglish
  • Harry-wicketEnglish
  • Heigh-hoEnglish
  • Red-shafted flickerEnglish
  • Wake-upEnglish
  • Walk-upEnglish
  • Wick-upEnglish
  • YarrupEnglish
  • Yellow-shafted flickerEnglish
  • Yellow-shafted flickerEnglish
  • Златист шилоклюн кълвачBulgarian
  • picot escapular orientalCatalan
  • Picot escapulat orientalCatalan
  • ᎤᎵᎦᏓCherokee
  • datel zlatýCzech
  • ysgytiwr gogleddolWelsh
  • GuldspætteDanish
  • GoldspechtGerman
  • OstgoldspechtGerman
  • Χρυσός ΔρυοκολάπτηςGreek
  • ora pegoEsperanto
  • Carpintero de pecheraSpanish
  • Carpintero de Pechera ComúnSpanish
  • Carpintero escapularioSpanish
  • Carpintero escapulario doradoSpanish
  • täpikrähn (põhja-täpikrähn)Estonian
  • دارکوب طلایی شمالیPersian
  • kultatikkaFinnish
  • Pic doréFrench
  • pic flamboyantFrench
  • Cnagaire órgaIrish
  • נקר צפון-אמריקניHebrew
  • pjegava žunaCroatian
  • aranyküllőHungarian
  • északi hangyászküllőHungarian
  • GullklambraIcelandic
  • Picchio auratoItalian
  • picchio doratoItalian
  • ハシボソキツツキJapanese
  • paprastasis ylasnapis genysLithuanian
  • c̓ədᶻaqʷlut
  • zeltainais dzenisLatvian
  • TʼáyaałchííʼNavajo
  • Gouden GrondspechtDutch
  • gullspettNorwegian
  • Pic flamejantOccitan
  • MooningwaneOjibwa
  • dzięcioł różowoszyiPolish
  • کولیپٹس اوراٹسWestern Panjabi
  • pica-pau-mosqueadoPortuguese
  • Chinchay Awya Yala akaklluQuechua
  • Шилоклювый дятелRussian
  • Золотой шилоклювый дятелRussian
  • GollečáihniNorthern Sami
  • Gwidó’gwido’Seneca
  • vlikáč zlatýSlovak
  • grahasta žolnaSlovenian
  • северни фликерSerbian
  • Američka zlatokrila žunaSerbian
  • guldspettSwedish
  • Altın AğaçkakanTurkish
  • Зарни сизьUdmurt
  • декол золотистийUkrainian
  • 撲動鴷Chinese
  • 北扑翅䴕Chinese
  • 北扑翅鴷Chinese
  • 北撲翅鴷Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the northern flicker

Other species in the same genus Colaptes.

CompareNorthern flicker vs Andean flickerNorthern flicker vs Campo flickerNorthern flicker vs Chilean flickerNorthern flicker vs Black-necked woodpecker

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the northern flicker?

An adult northern flicker weighs 128 g – 131.5 g and has a wingspan of 48.1 cm – 50.7 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the northern flicker endangered?

The northern flicker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the northern flicker live?

The northern flicker has a recorded lifespan of 9.18 years.

What kind of animal is the northern flicker?

The northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) belongs to the family Picidae in the order Piciformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Northern flicker (Colaptes auratus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-flicker

MLA

“Northern flicker (Colaptes auratus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-flicker.

BibTeX
@misc{northern_flicker_2026,
  title = {Northern flicker (Colaptes auratus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-flicker},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}