Flickers

Did you know flickers, that love ants, are members of the woodpecker family, and may have the longest tongue of all North American birds? Their tongues extend a full two inches beyond their long bill. Moreover, when not in use, the tongue retracts like a measuring tape back into the head and curls up around the skull, acting as a seat belt that restrains the brain when the bird hammers on a tree.

But if you are looking for a flicker, don’t look up into the trees. They’re most often on the ground, looking for ants. They will even dig deep into an anthill to extract the nutritious ant larvae with their long sticky tongues. Large salivary glands produce sticky saliva that covers the tongue each time it is deployed.

The state bird of Alabama, it also is known as a yellowhammer for its shafts of buttery yellow feathers. Others call it the cotton-rump, for its tell-tale white rump that is visible when it flies away.The flicker is a very beautiful bird, but sometimes it engages in a creepy behavior known as "anting." It lies near an ant nest, and lets the insects crawl all over it. Why? Because bird feathers often have lice, and ants secrete an acid which helps repel them. It’s interesting – and a reminder to not pick up bird feathers!

Because their bills are not as strong as those of other woodpeckers, flickers will drill into soft, decaying wood to make its nesting site, or, more often, use an abandoned one. To announce their territorial intentions, the male flicker drums on the loudest surfaces it can find – usually wood but many times on aluminum siding or metal gutters. To attract a mate, two male flickers confront each other, often with the female looking on. They lift and sway their heads back and forth, make loud calls, and flash their colorful wing and tail feathers. Eventually, one bird files off. The male and female will repeat this posturing dance as a way of defending their territory.

Flicker numbers have decreased by nearly 50 percent in the last 50 years, according to North American Breeding Bird Survey estimates. Since they spend most of their time eating ants and other undesirable bugs, one of the greatest threats they face is the widespread use of pesticides on lawns and gardens. To help these beautiful birds, consider replacing part of your lawn with native plants, which require less chemicals, less fertilizer, and since they are more drought-tolerant, less water, too. For more information on native plants, click on Nature Notices at skidawayaudubon.org. Visit the website to become an Audubon donor and to learn about upcoming Skidaway Audubon events and volunteer opportunities.