Flickers are excavators and are most likely to use a nestbox if it is packed full of sawdust, simulating a dead snag. Flickers are weak excavators, requiring the dead wood of a snag or rotten limb. Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage.

“Nest site attributes and temporal patterns of northern flicker nest loss: effects of predation and competition.” Oecologia 147.4 (2006): 744-753.Web. 1. Visit the Northern Flicker nest box page and view or print nest box plans. Females lay a varying number of white eggs which hatch after about two weeks incubation and young leave the nest in about another four weeks.

Males do most of the excavation with some help from females. I battled with them last summer and then this spring. Being unsuccessful in chasing them away, I decided to build a home for them based on plans I got from the Colorado Division of Wildlife (see below). They will also nest in specially designed boxes. Northern Flickers, being woodpeckers, are able to dig their own tree cavities for nesting. Nest Box Plan for Northern Flicker Published with permission from Woodcrafting for Wildlife Report your nesting birds to NestWatch.org 10¾” The northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) or common flicker is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It has been known by a variety of common names as biologists have separated or combined different races into full species. Flickers will use nest boxes with an interior floor of 7×7 inches, an interior height of 16 to 24 inches, and a 2 ½-inch entry hole. Gow, E. A., & Wiebe, K. L. “Northern flicker mates foraging on renewing patches within home ranges avoid competition not by separate niches but by segregation”.

The northern flicker is all field marks with its bright yellow wing flashes, white rump, spotted breast, and barred back.

Northern Flickers typically excavate nesting cavities in dead or diseased pine, cottonwood, or willow trees. This is made from a 12 foot 2X8 inch board. This is a Northern Flicker nest currently living at my build site theEnclosure.ca. Young flickers leave the nest after about 25 days. 2. Northern flicker nests have been discovered in old wagon hubs on the treeless prairies, in barrels, in the crevices of deserted barns and in out houses. Its two major subspecies, the red-shafted and the yellow-shafted, were formerly separate species until they were merged in the 1980s, though some ornithological organizations still list these birds separately. Although the call of the Pileated is a little slower in beat. Cut 1/4"-deep parallel kerfs on the inside walls to assist the nestlings in climbing out. The Northern Flicker is a common breeding resident throughout Minnesota. Northern flickers were pecking holes below the eaves of my house, just above the deck. Look for A familiar and fairly large (13 inches long) woodpecker, the northern flicker is a distinctively marked bird that—unlike other woodpeckers—is often seen foraging on the ground. They may also nestle in crevices of posts, normally at heights of 8 to 100 feet. When it comes time to nest, they usually bore openings in trees. Though there are a variety of woodpecker species, many of the members of this group share similar mating qualities, with a few notable exceptions. 1. Northern Flicker Nest Box. If … The mating and nesting behavior of woodpeckers ranges from compassionate to violent.

Gow, E. A., & Wiebe, K. L. “Northern flicker mates foraging on renewing patches within home ranges avoid competition not by separate niches but by segregation”. This Flicker nest box features all cedar construction, stainless steel and dichromate plated screws. Being unsuccessful in chasing them away, I decided to build a home for them based on plans I got from the Colorado Division of Wildlife (see below). Both incubate the 5 to 8 eggs for about 11 days, then brood the newly hatched young for about 4 days more. The Northern Flicker woodpecker utilizes a birdhouse quite readily. “Nest site attributes and temporal patterns of northern flicker nest loss: effects of predation and competition.” Oecologia 147.4 (2006): 744-753.Web. This woodpecker is a medium to large size woodpecker and is about 11 – 14 inches in length with a 17 -21 inch wingspan. I modified the plans a bit and stained the outside of the nest box to blend in with my house. Accessed 19 Sept. 2016.