| The Northern (red shafted) Flicker
(Colaptes Auratus) is a migratory woodpecker
common around Hunters Point. During mating
season in the spring they can be annoying as
the males like to attract mates by hammering
on metallic surfaces, e.g., your chimney cap
or rain gutters. They have also been known
to drill holes in wood siding to build a
nest in your nice warm insulation.
The flicker is protected by the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act passed by the U.S. Congress
in 1918. That act prohibits hunting the
birds without special regulations, and
allows the Fish and Wildlife Service to
issue special-use permits for bird
depredation. Federal law prohibits you
from harming or removing the birds once they
nest. They can be discouraged from
nesting by installing inflatable plastic
owls or bird (glitter) tape, but once nested
they are very persistent. You can also
discourage their destructive nest building
by providing them a bird house on the side
of your chimney near the top. Be sure
to make the birdhouse large enough to
accommodate a bird that can be as long as
12". The entrance should be 2
1/2" diameter. Check with the
Architecture Committee before taking any of
these measures at your home.
Although it can climb up the trunks of
trees and hammer on wood like other
woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to
find food on the ground. Ants are its
favorite food, and the flicker digs in the
dirt to find them. It uses its long
barbed tongue to lap up the ants. They
will be attracted to a bird feeder stocked
with sunflower seed chips, suet cakes and
peanut butter cakes. |
