skip to main content

What is this bird?

15 years ago

I live in the southern tier of New York state and saw a bird that is not familiar to me.

It is slightly larger than a robin, brown with striped wing tips and tail, a red patch on the back of the head and a white breast with a dark gray bib.

It was feeding on the ground but also latched onto a tree the way a woodpecker might do.

It was not a pileated woodpecker or a red headed woodpecker...in fact I doubted it was a woodpecker at all.

Can anyone offer any indentification?

Thanks.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

bob414
15 years ago
Parts of your description sound like a male Northern Flicker.
yoyobon_gw
Original Author
15 years ago
I checked out the video and the bird I saw didn't have the speckled body, but seemed more brown in that area.
Not sure about the red under the tail either....but it did scale trees the same way.
Related Discussions
What kind of bird is this ?
Q
Comments (5)
Did you take this picture? If so, where do you live? What a beautiful picture.......and funny that it's sitting on the No Fishing sign!
...See More
What kind of bird?
Q
Comments (2)
Looks like a domestic pigeon that probably escaped from its owner or didn't find it's way home. Head structure doesn't look like a Homing pigeon.
...See More
what kind of bird is this?
Q
Comments (2)
I've noticed that when they are less frightened and continue to stay, they might have a nest around.
...See More
What are these birds - Northern Illinois, USA
Q
Comments (7)
No problem Brian, and thank you! Thanks Catherine! Sometimes they would get into our shop bays and try to build their nests in the roof supports. Even if we diligently remembered to kee the doors closed and they couldn't get inside for days, the moment we forgot they would be back.
...See More
gymell
15 years ago
Definitely sounds like a flicker. It's a woodpecker that often feeds on the ground, eating ants. They can be seen in mixed flocks with robins. Both the male and the female have the red spot on the back of your head, at least those we see in the eastern part of the country. From the behavior you described, it's almost certainly a flicker. Other possibilities like various types of thrushes would not be scaling a tree like a woodpecker.
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
15 years ago
This is a Northern Flicker I saw here in Massachusetts a few weeks ago. In the east we usually get the yellow-shafted flickers, not the red-shafted, so it would be yellow under the tail.

When I first saw the bird it was moving quickly and the general impression was brown. When it came back and perched the spots were more evident.

Claire

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: Northern Cardinals in the Snow, and Other Red Birds

By Habitat Network

Brilliant crimson feathers make these friends stand out in a crowd

GARDENING GUIDES Make Your Garden a Haven for Backyard Birds

By Lauren Dunec Hoang

Create a bird-friendly habitat in your yard with food, water and shelter

GARDENING FOR BIRDS Wild Birds Transform a Woman’s Garden and Life

By Mary Jo Bowling

How Sharon Sorenson created a wildlife haven and became the Bird Lady of Southern Indiana

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES A Quick-Start Guide to Bird-Watching for Fun and Learning

By Alison Hodgson

Set out some seed and grab your field guide. Bird-watching is an easy, entertaining and educational activity for the whole family

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Bring on the Birds: Natural Habitat Ideas for Gardens of All Sizes

Provide nesting, watering and perching spots inspired by the Costa Rican jungle and watch the birds flock on over

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: Invite Entertaining Hummingbirds Into Your Garden

By Habitat Network

Hummingbirds — unique to the Americas — zip through open landscapes seasonally or year-round. Here’s how to attract them

GARDENING FOR BIRDS What to Know About Birds Nesting in Your Yard

By Mitchell Parker

Learn how to observe, record data and help ornithologists with NestWatch’s citizen science project understand bird trends

MODERN ARCHITECTURE Keep Your Big Windows — and Save Birds Too

Reduce bird strikes on windows with everything from architectural solutions to a new high-tech glass from Germany

OUTDOOR PROJECTS Bring In the Birds With a Homemade Bubble Rock

By Mary Jo Bowling

An avian expert from Southern Indiana shows how to make a burbling fountain that migrating birds will love

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: How to Care for American Goldfinches

By Habitat Network

The American goldfinch is a bright-in-the-summer visitor and one of the only vegetarian songbirds. Here's how to give them a healthy habitat

Sponsored

More Discussions

ID OWL IN S.E. MICHIGAN z5b

0