Editing Northern flicker (section)

==Description==
[[File:Yellow-shafted × Red-shafted Flicker, Southeast Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada imported from iNaturalist photo 270312661.jpg|thumb|Hybrid male. Has a red moustache like the red-shafted group, and a red nape like the yellow-shafted group. The face and throat are intermediate between the grey colour of the former and the peach colour of the latter. In Alberta.]]
Adults are brown with black bars on the back and wings. A mid- to large-sized northern flicker measures {{convert|28|-|36|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|42|-|54|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} in wingspan.<ref name="CLO-AAB" /><ref>{{cite web| title=Northern flicker {{!}} ''Colaptes auratus'' |url=http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Colaptes_auratus/ |year=2011}}</ref> The body mass can vary from {{convert|86|to|167|g|oz|frac=8|abbr=on}}.<ref name="CRC">''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), {{ISBN|978-0-8493-4258-5}}.</ref> Among standard scientific measurements, the wing bone measures {{convert|12.2|-|17.1|cm|in|frac=16|abbr=on}}, the tail measures {{convert|7.5|-|11.5|cm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}}, the bill measures {{convert|2.2|-|4.3|cm|in|frac=16|abbr=on}} and the tarsus measures {{convert|2.2|-|3.1|cm|in|frac=16|abbr=on}}. The largest-bodied specimens are from the northern stretches of the species' range at the latitude of Alaska and Labrador, while the smallest specimens come from [[Grand Cayman Island]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Woodpeckers: An Identification Guide to the Woodpeckers of the World |first1=Hans |last1=Winkler |first2=David A. |last2=Christie |first3=David |last3=Nurney |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-395-72043-1}}</ref> A necklace-like black patch occupies the upper breast, while the lower breast and belly are [[beige]] with black spots. Males can be identified by a black (in the eastern part of the species' range) or red (in the western part) [[Moustache|mustachial]] stripe at the base of the [[beak]], while females lack this stripe. The tail is dark on top, transitioning to a white [[Bird anatomy|rump]] which is conspicuous in flight. Subspecific [[plumage]] is variable.

===Call and flight===
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Colaptes auratus.ogg
| image2            = Northern Flicker Yosemite National Park.ogg
| direction         = vertical
| caption1          = Long Island, NY, August 1996
| caption2          = Yosemite National Park, California
| header            = Calls
}}
This bird's call is a sustained laugh, ''ki ki ki ki'', quite different from that of the [[pileated woodpecker]] (''Dryocopus pileatus''). One may also hear a constant knocking as they often drum on trees or even metal objects to declare territory. Like most woodpeckers, northern flickers drum on objects as a form of communication and territory defense. In such cases, the purpose is to make as loud a noise as possible, so woodpeckers sometimes drum on metal objects.

Like many woodpeckers, its flight is undulating. The repeated cycle of a quick succession of flaps followed by a pause creates an effect comparable to a roller coaster.