The Northern Flicker

NORTHERN FLICKER FLIES AWAY

Tri County Wildlife Care has an amazing group of connected volunteers.
On this date Pat got a call of a downed Hawk and because she was out of
town, she called Susan to stabilize the bird until she got back into town.
When the hawk got to the Feed Barn, the kind people filled out paperwork
and made a donation. The Feed Barn employee, Rebecca, informed the
concerned people that this bird was not a hawk.

This bird was a gorgeous Northern Flicker, which is a medium sized
woodpecker. These beauties are high stress birds and do not do well in
captivity for any period of time.

The favorite meal of Northern Flickers is ants and it can comprise nearly
half of their diet. These birds are cavity dwellers and they bore holes into
trees to make their nests.

The males have a bright red mustache which the females lack. Even
without the bright red marking of the male, both sexes of these birds are
spectacularly beautiful. If you see a flash of orange, you are probably
seeing the underside of a Flicker's wings.

This bird was found at the side of the road. TCWC rehabilitators perform
examination upon intake of their wildlife patients and this bird was found to
be healthy and free of any visible injuries. This high stress bird can appear
to be near death simply because it reacts by shutting down and lying down.

Once it was determined that this bird was simply stunned and stressed,
TCWC volunteers took it to a nearby tree and set it in a Y in a branch and
prepared to wait. The greatest gift was to watch after about 30 minutes to
see the bright flash of orange as this Northern Flicker took flight off into the
trees. For more information about Tri County Wildlife Care, please visit
www.pawspartners.org

Can you help?
(all contributions are tax deductible)