Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Woodpeckers (Picidae) · Piciformes (Piciformes)
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Often mixed up with
In quizzes, players most often confuse Northern Flicker with these birds— either this species was picked by mistake, or the other way around.
| Species | Mix-ups |
|---|---|
| Gilded Flicker Colaptes chrysoides | 6 |
| Crested Caracara Caracara plancus | 2 |
| Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii | 1 |
| Rufous-crowned Sparrow Aimophila ruficeps | 1 |
Family
Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known that live in treeless areas, such as rocky hillsides and deserts, and the Gila woodpecker specializes in exploiting cacti.
Order
Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes (), the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. The Piciformes contain about 71 living genera with a little over 450 species, of which the Picidae make up about half. In general, the Piciformes are insectivorous, although the barbets and toucans mostly eat fruit and the honeyguides are unique among birds in being able to digest beeswax (although insects make up the bulk …