A Northern what now? A Flicker? What the heck is that? It's a bird -just one that most people are not that familiar with. They are not very plentiful and in everyone's yard like the Robin or cheeky and bold like the Chickadee or brightly coloured like the Blue Jay. They are not seen often and when they are they don't tend to make a lot of ruckus -so in general we don't pay that much attention to them. The Northern Flicker is a member of the Woodpecker family, though they are the least woodpecker-ish of the lot. Its Latin name (Colaptes auratus) means 'Golden Chiseler' -the golden refers to its golden under wing while chiseler is a remnant of its woodpecker heritage. It comes in different varieties: Yellow Shafted, Red Shafted, Guadalupe, etc and is native to most parts of North America, some parts of Central America and the Cayman Islands. They are medium sized woodpeckers (12.5 inches long with a wingspan of up to 20 inches) and are light brown with black bars on the back and wings. They have a 'necklace' of black and a belly is beige with black spots. Males have a red or black moustache off their beak. Their tails are long and flared -black on the top and white on the bottom. Their bills are slightly down turned. Its call is like a laughing 'ki ki ki ki' though in mating season it can often make a 'flicka flicka flicka' sound. It has many nick names in the natural world including Yellowhammer, Gaffer, Heigh-Ho, Wick-up, Wake-up, Walk-up, Clape, Hairy Wicket, Gawker, and Yarrup.
The Northern Flicker is an interesting bird in that although it has the formidable beak and large neck muscles in order to do work as a woodpecker, it often deviates from that. It primarily eats insects and it could do so by the traditional woodpecking methods, but it is often seen on the ground digging through stuff to get lunch as well. Their brown colouring and mottled appearance speak to the ground camouflage the Flicker needs while the woodpecker doesn't. And it often just picks insects out of the air. It is the only woodpecker to do so. A woodpecker generally hangs on a tree at the trunk bracing itself with its tail, while the Northern Flicker more often perches like a regular bird. But it can hang on like a woodpecker as well. It has the best of both worlds, so to speak. The Northern Flicker migrates as well, while most woodpeckers do not. What is interesting is that not all Northern Flickers migrate. Some in an area will migrate while others will just stay for the winter. While most birds migrate to survive, Flickers do so because they want to. That is a huge difference. Like other woodpeckers though, the Flicker is good at drumming on things to communicate its territory and intentions. Flickers are really opportunists, even in nesting. They will often nest in holes in trees like other woodpeckers, but sometimes they will take unconventional nests like earthen burrows, etc. Northern Flickers can be considered a 'Trail Blazing' species as their efforts often pave the way for other birds. Many birds utilize the nests that Flickers have created in previous seasons. Flickers engage in a rare bird behaviour called 'Anting' as well where they use the acid from ands to help in preening and keeping parasites away.
Flickers are primarily insect eaters with ants making up nearly half of their diet. They will also eat beetles, flies, butterflies, moths, snails, seeds, berries, and fruit. They have specialized tongues that can shoot out over 2 inches out of their mouths to lap up insects. Generally only the birds of prey are the standard enemies of the Flicker, though a house cat or other ground predator may try to snatch one up here or there.
The Habitat of Northern Flickers is really any forested area in North America. They nest in cavities in trees or the ground and will often fix up old cavity nests. They often build new ones too, but they have no problem with old sites. It takes a couple of weeks for a mated pair of Flickers (yes they work together to do so) to create a good cavity nest. Pairs will often mate for life and typically breed from March to July. They generally produce 6-8 eggs which are incubated by both parents for around 12 days. The young fledge and leave the nest at about 25-30 days. They can live to be up to 9 years old and as was mentioned earlier, they migrate if they desire.
As the Northern Flicker is a North American bird, the mythology on it is limited. As with many Native American legends, any bird with red on it (as the flicker sometimes has) is a bird of fire -like a phoenix. One of the legends from the Haida says that the Raven created the Flickers from some blood that gushed from his nose after he had bruised it. It's not a very flattering creation myth, to come from a nose bleed, but it is interesting nonetheless. Many Native cultures used Flicker feathers as good luck talismans. The only other myth I will mention here is that of Picus, the son of Helios (the Sun god) whom Circe turned into the woodpecker. I mention this as it parallels the Raven myth. Picus (woodpecker) being the son of Helios (Sun God) is similar to Flicker being created from Ravens (Sun God) blood. Archetype wise, the Flicker is one of those animals that just doesn't fit into one. It is a balance of all. It brings equal amounts of order and chaos. It brings inspiration, shows great independence and wisdom.
The person who has the Northern Flicker Totem will be a quiet unconventionalist. They are generally laid back and unassuming. They don't have big ego's and big expectations. From this you would expect an individual that just went with the flow and did things as they have been done traditionally. But this couldn't be further from the truth. Northern Flicker Totems often do things in bizarre new ways. They think up new and unique things, the act in brave and bold new ways. But it's done so with a sense of calmness and gentleness that is usually counter to such bravado. The result is that others will often follow these new ways and ideas simply because there is no ego involved as a barrier to entry. They will be willful and confident, with clarity in all they are doing, but again not with arrogance, with calm. And they like to cut loose and have fun as well. It's a bit of a balance but they make it happen. They are great communicators and will often be the ones that mediate between two others in a heated argument. In relationships, Flicker Totems are quick to make attachments and prefer long term relationships. They will tend to want to share tasks and chores with their partner rather than having chores that are 'his' and chores that are 'hers'. In careers, Flicker Totems tend towards careers that are on the edge but where they can still be their calm selves. Conventional careers of fireman or accountant are completely out for them. Artist, Political Activist, Naturalist, and Environmentalist are all great career choices for a Flicker Totem. In addition careers involving mediation or arbitration are also good fits. Where these come together in one career are sheer perfection. 'Environmental Lawyer' is an example of this. As a final note, just because the Northern Flicker Totem is not full of ego, don't underestimate them.
Written by RavenDreamer