Northern Flicker vs American Robin
The check that settles it
Also feeds on lawns, but plain orange below with no spots, bib or white rump.
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
- Size
- 28–31 cm
- Bill
- chisel
- Where
- yard, woodland, open field
- Voice
- A long loud 'wick-wick-wick-wick' and a single sharp 'kleer'. Drums loudly, often on metal.
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
- Size
- 23–28 cm
- Bill
- thin pointed
- Where
- yard, woodland, open field
- Voice
- A rich caroling phrase often written 'cheerily, cheer up, cheer up'. Among the first birds singing before dawn.
Confirming a northern flicker
- A bright white rump patch, obvious every time it flies.
- Black crescent bib across the chest and black spotting below.
- Feeds on lawns, digging for ants.
- Yellow wing linings in the east, red in the west.
Confirming a american robin
- Brick-orange breast and belly against a dark grey back.
- Yellow bill — the fastest check against anything else orange-breasted.
- Broken white eye-ring.
- Runs and stops across open lawn rather than hopping continuously.