My wife and I are new at bird watching and in the last couple of weeks
noticed the differences in the Northern Flickers at our suet feeder.
We see one yellow shafted with red mustache and no red on the nape of the
neck. There is also one with red-orange shafts, red mustache and a red
crescent on the nape of the neck.

Gene Price
Wallingford District of Seattle


>My husband and I were excited to see a Yellow-shafted
>flicker at one of our suet feeders this morning. But
>this guy was unusual, being a male with gorgeous
>yellow under the wings and tail, the red nape
>crescent, but a RED malar as opposed to the black
>mustache listed as the usual. Sibley speaks of the
>birds as "intergrading broadly" between the
>red-shafted and yellow-shafted. I assume that means a
>hybrid?

>Whatever it means, we were very happy to see him and
>enjoy the sun shining on his lovely yellow underparts!

>Rebecca Evans & Jack Gossett
>Ballard (Salmon Bay City, USA)



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