Northern Flicker Calls Explained (4 Sounds & What They Tell You)

[@bobgershey5584]

I'm surrounded by flickers! When I first built my house with pine clapboard siding, I found the first spring that the flickers loved drilling holes in the siding. On the advice of a bird fancier, I made two nesting boxes to flicker specifications and mounted them and the north and west facing walls of the house. Every year since for the last 30 years I get a nesting pair in either one or both of the nesting boxes. So much fun to see the little ones leave the nest!

[@NatureMentor]

That would be so much fun! They're definitely some of my favorite birds with so much to say!

[@utubeSEP]

Woah! Thanks 🙏

[@Stompdancesnpowwows]

Get me the tail feathers brotha

[@kathif8598]

While listening to this I was outside and flickers responded by calling out! ❤

[@jillm2407]

Having a bird lying in the grass in my backyard that flew away (spotted the red patch on back of head), eventually, led me here after a few google searches. Very educational and informative video. Thank you!

[@NatureMentor]

Thanks for watching!

[@incredibleweirdo]

Thank you for this. Around our home we hear that "kleer" call often, but it can sound very much like a bird of prey at times. Now we know it's the same flickers that have been nesting in a nearby apartment building's outside walls!

[@Thistlebeee]

Amazing shot with the owl!

[@NatureMentor]

Thank you!

[@Ta2rosie]

I heard them all the time but finally saw them clearly enough to identify them. Yes - they are the ones that sound the alarm when various hawks and the resident barred owls are hunting. Thanks for sharing this.

[@ladyjayne77]

Thank you. Your voice is easy to understand, a good speed, pitch and cadence. Your knowlege and love of ornithology comes through. Result, a great teacher.

[@antikathy]

I hear these birds all the time, but knowing which type of call they make is extremely helpful. Without watching these birds as suggested, I had the two main calls mixed up. I will be listening for that kleer call for sure. Thank you always for the thoughtful insight.

[@NatureMentor]

Thanks for watching, I'm glad you found this helpful!

[@sallyfeschuk5771]

I adore these little guys!guts!! So much personality and sass in such tiny bodies. Their courtship dance is amazing to see as well. ❤❤

[@hucks1000]

Northern flickers are so cool! Thanks for the detailed info on different calls/sounds. Great video!

[@NatureMentor]

Thanks for tuning in!

[@Mara-sim]

Entertaining ,clear and engaging information. I have flickers in my neighborhood and I have heard them make the clear call when the mean orange tabby is on the prowl! And there rapid trill when roosting. Absolutely thrilling!

[@NatureMentor]

Very cool! Yeah they definitely have their eyes on those tabbies. Thanks for sharing that!

[@andradanielleparrott]

Yay! The Alabama state bird. They're beautiful. Thank you for this great video.

[@NatureMentor]

Nice! I didn't know they were the state bird for Alabama. Thanks for sharing!

[@andradanielleparrott]

@@NatureMentor It's more commonly known as the Yellow hammer there.

[@drscopeify]

Really great video! One of the first birds I learned it's calls here in Seattle area, when I hear distinct birds I even call them out to strangers now lol, some people really love it and are curious.

[@lifefromthesummit]

I really appreciated the explanation. I found your video while hearing a flicker in my backyard. Thanks for the info!

[@NatureMentor]

Thanks for watching!

[@michaelbarghusen9721]

Großartiger Vogel! Sehr schönes Video. 😊

[@pollypickle]

Thanks for this video! This is great information. Today I learned there's at least one very happy Northern Flicker in my area that really, really REALLY wants a mate. I've heard the Flickers warning about some red tailed hawks, too. I even saw a few crows harassing the hawk. I love birds! ❤

[@NatureMentor]

Yay for happy flickers with helpful messages!

[@denisebattista2108]

I saw (and heard) my first flicker this week - a female. She was definitely making clear calls because of a crow! Great video - thank you!

[@NatureMentor]

Very cool!

[@Kellydigitalbiz]

I've spent the last hour and a half trying to figure out what that annoying bird in my local Plaza was. I finally found it! And now, thanks to your video. I actually appreciate the damn thing. 😂❤

[@NatureMentor]

Glad I could help!

[@flyingtypetrainer4072]

This is a great video! You do a great job teaching and using video/audio, this will do doubt be an awesome resource for a birding noob like myself. Thanks!

[@sandip.7968]

What an informative, interesting video! Sincere thanks for sharing your knowledge about flickers. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

[@mrfacetious]

This video was wonderful, thank you :)

[@sandramehl5133]

Had three in my backyard just now. Had not heard the very nice flight sound before. Thank you for this information.

[@oneshot1984]

great vid,,,,,,,when I was much younger we had an almond orchard.....they were everywhere.......beautiful birds........heard thousands of Kleer calls

[@abbygrace2226]

Fantastic video that answered my questions. Thank you!

[@philipgaylord9815]

Here in west central Connecticut, my daytime sightings of our local bobcat are easily pinpointed by the raucous mobbing of local crows. As you mention in 5:30, I witnessed a northern flicker also join in with the crows to make the vocal "alarm".

[@twinkishdelight]

that footage of the barred owl is incredible! what a magical moment!

[@NatureMentor]

Thank you, it was quite a breathtaking moment!

[@hppybnstr537]

I love these videos! Those calls are so familiar from my VA and Maine childhood, but I did not know who was making them. Now I do! Thank you!

[@NatureMentor]

So glad we could bring back those childhood memories!

[@hppybnstr537]

@@NatureMentor 💜

[@kowanut1]

Lots of good info in your video. Thanks!

[@lnrdo]

I used to hear the "flick flick flick" & "kleer" call all the time as a kid but never figured out what sort of bird it was making the sounds, nor had I seen a flicker...thanks for answering this long-lived question I've had 🙂

[@NatureMentor]

Awesome, glad that was helpful!

[@lonnieclemens8028]

Probably my favorite bird. Thank you for sharing this video.

[@patriciajoyce1036]

Thank you! I hear them all day!

[@utubeSEP]

Thanks so much ! There is a family that moved into a dead & hollow tree in my front yard, this is such an interesting and helpful video!! ❤❤❤❤ very good, well done

[@NatureMentor]

That's awesome to have them so close! Thanks for watching!

[@winnhill3736]

I have lived in east central Arkansas on my farm 4 the past 5 yrs and have a good variety of songbirds.I see several red bellied, several downey peckers but have only seen 1 flicker as it was foraging 4 ants i suppose.I have seen 1 red headed pecker 3 different times and that bird is amazingly beautiful.Great video.😊

[@NatureMentor]

Thanks for watching and sharing your observations!

[@LAURIE_atheart]

This was my first time visiting your channel and it was interesting and excellent. I’m subscribing 😊

[@NatureMentor]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@outdoorztime2923]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I have a couple I see often, and I would like to build them a nest box this year.

[@snadlg]

I’m watching two Flickers sitting in my apple tree. They are facing one another. One will sing a bit, then bob its head. The other joins in the bobbing. Then they stop, are quiet for a little bit, then the other one does the singing and bobbing. They’ve been doing it for at least 30 minutes now. And just like that they are gone, but I can still hear them.

[@user-bx7ek5dl5h]

Beautiful creature. Saw at least 6 on a walk one day.

[@ReadRomans10]

Great info. Thank you.

[@Cott-wf6pf]

My wife and I saved a northern flicker the other day, she was hit by a car and has a broken wing, so we got her off the highway and she’s in a box now in our place. We’ve been feeding her berries and trying to get her some professional help. We don’t want her to die

[@NatureMentor]

Hope you were able to get in touch with someone who can help! Their favorite food is ants & small insects. I'm not sure if they ever eat berries in the wild, but that's good to know she's eating.

[@Cott-wf6pf]

@@NatureMentorwe did get her to a person who was driving her to a wildlife sanctuary about 6 hours away and unfortunately she told us that she had a seizure and ended up dying after spitting up blood 😔 she was fine with us when we had her for two days and she also was eating the blackberries we provided for her. We are so sad about it. She was happy and singing before we have her to the sanctuary woman.

[@jiles7726]

Thank you, this was awesome!!

[@NatureMentor]

Thanks for watching!

[@puffradical]

Wonderful video! And that was some amazing footage you got of the flicker and barred owl. I've been hearing a great horned owl outside in the early mornings but never can find him. I've also got a flicker nest outside, I'm gonna have to be more conscientious of the warning calls and I might spot the owl.

[@puffradical]

But thank you for the very helpful video, this answered all the questions I had on northern flickers.

[@NatureMentor]

@@puffradical Thanks for watching! Crows are also prolific alarmers for great horned owls. I hope you get to see it!

[@EllenDahl-sp1sw]

The kleer call is awesome..great video thank you

[@NatureMentor]

Yeah I love that call!

[@ToniasBusy]

Thank you! Pretty sure one was drumming on my fireplace cap 😅

[@charlesleblanc6638]

Gorgeous Bird .. Love the colors.

[@MiTmite9]

I miss my Flicker. S/he used to hang out in the yard behind mine (taller trees). Haven't seen or heard a Flicker anywhere near my yard in decades.

[@roberto3939]

Peanut butter suet from Walmart, they love it

[@CA-lf7jt]

Wow that barred owl cottage is fantastic! And that flicker is very very brave 😬. I’ve heard somewhere( ?) that those owls mostly eat birds? I walked too close to the nesting barred owls last year and it that that scary stance wow did it friek me out . My dogs and I got out of there quickly!

[@NatureMentor]

They're more into eating small rodents, snakes & other slow things like that, but they are prolific nest robbers and will sometimes will go after adult birds when the right opportunity presents itself. There's good research showing that birds who mob owls are less likely to get eaten by them. It takes bravery but it's worth it!

[@jenniferkoski-vacirca3989]

Thanks this is super helpful ✨

[@johnmckeon4498]

In Arizona and they are back in my area for the colder season coming again. They leave during the hot summer. I got to hear the flight call and captured it on video plainly as it flew overhead.

[@teresasteadman4887]

Love this..we're seeing doves and ravens interacting with each other a lot here in Idaho..would love your take on that.

[@NatureMentor]

What are you observing with them? Ravens are known to be nest robbers so sometimes doves can be wary for that reason.

[@skullkitten4775]

I get these eating from my suet . Absolutely love them very beautiful birds.

[@elizabethtiller618]

excellent tutorial. Thank you. I subscribed!

[@NatureMentor]

Thanks for watching!

[@MrAshtonone]

I was in our yard last night and my Doberman ran behind our Arborvites and flushed out a bird (accidentally) and it flew up to one of our large trees and clung to the side like a woodpecker, only it seemed frightened. I took some photos of it and searched with a lens and it is a Northern Flicker (however, it looks smaller - maybe a juvenile)? I did some searching on Google, which brought me here and I do hear some of these sounds in our yard. We definitely have Red Bellied WP and Downy WP, and the Northern Flicker is a new one for us. The little one didn't move at all while we were out there and stuck to the tree for quite some time. By this morning it was gone. I read it is unusual for Northern Flickers to be seen on trees, so I am. wondering if this little guy went up there because he was just scared. Also, his tail feathers were not long and his back markings blended in with tree bark and only his belly has the spots (he does have a mustache and the orange ring). Should I be concerned that there could be a nest nearby and be watchful of our dogs in the yard? We have Blue Jay fledglings still being fed by their parents, a Robin nest in a tree, and lots of bird activity going on. We were not expecting this little guy in our yard, so any information would be helpful. Sorry for the long post, but thanks in advance for any information. Lynn

[@NatureMentor]

It's definitely a good idea to keep an eye on your dog anytime there are fledgling birds around. Most dogs wouldn't know what to do if they actually caught a bird but I'm sure it still isn't fun for them. Flickers absolutely do spend lots of time in trees, but they're more well known for eating ants on the ground which makes them easier to see on the lawn. There is also some regional variation and other woodpecker species that could be confused for flickers, so definitely check a state list for other possible lookalikes. I hope that's helpful!

[@teresabryan7270]

Love seeing these birds at my Suet feeder. Last fall a mother brought her 3 fledglings to my deck as if to introduce them to me. I have a great relationship with MY Flickers!😊

[@matthewanderson2464]

I looked this video up because I wanted to know what the "clear" call meant. It woke me up this morning, a little to early. I'm pretty familiar with flickers, there are quite a few where I am in the Denver suburbs, but I wasn't familiar with this call. It was accompanied by several blue jays who sounded angry. I thought they were angry at the flicker, but now I suspect there's was something else going on, maybe a hawk or an owl. I'm sitting on the porch as I type this, and all of the squirrels just scattered suddenly. It's been a couple of hours since the birds were making all the noise, but I wonder if whatever they were upset about has returned.

[@NatureMentor]

Nice! Yeah hearing the flicker plus blue jays definitely makes it even more likely there was something like a hawk or an owl up there. Keep your eyes peeled out there!

[@danherrmann8755]

Thanks. I will keep my ears open.

[@flowzerr4550]

Two summers ago, every eve after dusk, I would hear a single call that sounded like a cow elk, which also mill about in my area. This single call would repeat very evenly spaced every 7 seconds. Because it was night-time, it took me awhile to even know it was a bird until I finally saw a shadow exit from a fence post. As the summer waned and the nights grew cooler (high desert southern Colorado)I noticed the spacing of the calls lessened. Was this indeed a Northern Flicker and why the night calls?

[@NatureMentor]

Were they calling all night long? Or just for a short time after dusk? It is possible that it could be a flicker especially if the sound was just like that kleer call from the video, but I've never actually heard flickers calling at night like that. It's also possible there are other birds in your area that make similar calls. If it's happening all night long then I would try putting together a list of nocturnal birds in your area and see if any of them fit. Sounds like a good mystery!

[@Arachnia_Sea]

Thank you, I have at least one in my neighborhood

[@debbieanderson6740]

My neighbor has a flicker nest in his mostly dead birch tree ever summer. We get to watch the adult fly in and out of the nest for food. Sometimes the babies will poke their heads out if they hear her calling.

[@NatureMentor]

That's so cute

[@billysanford9799]

I have a flicker that seems to be roosting in my wood duck box. He comes out each morning by daybreak, stays out all day and then goes back at sundown. Is he looking for a mate to bring back to the house or is the mate already there on the nest? I only see one bird so I really don't know.

[@2to5Raccoons]

A northern flicker has been talking to my lovebirds for the past few hours

[@cawiltu]

I’ve heard both flicker calls. I just didn’t know that it was my flicker calling. I only see him in winter on the lawn. Yes I know the pileated wood pecker call. He always sounds annoyed about some thing.

[@azulaghoul]

i seen the flicker sitting on a wire this morning and noticed it’s beak, i knew it was some kind of woodpecker from its curved beak. i used the merlin bird app to identify it. I want to get into birding but i never know where to start.

[@NatureMentor]

If you're interested in identification, I have a video that's geared towards beginners at kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6TOdJJ8g6mKjJY I also have one that’s more focused on bird behavior at kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3vJcox-mt1qiJY These will give you a good starting point, and then you can practice pretty much anywhere from city parks and backyards to beaches and wetlands. I also highly recommend connecting with local birding groups.

[@annielakshmi]

Thanks!!

[@brunettebetti]

I heard a new strange repetitive single note flute-like sound ... toot toot toot and upon investigating the pines, caught a quick glimpse of an almost leopard pattern which lead me to the Northern Flicker. Days later I was even able to capture the audio and a pic by phone. I'm 99% convinced, but this isn't a sound you covered. Thoughts? It almost sounds like a little steamboat horn or hollow nasaly flute note.

[@NatureMentor]

Their flight call is a bit flutey, and can sometimes be made in more repetitive patterns. Was what you heard at all similar to the sound at 6:09? I only showed it briefly because I still need to catch a better video of that one. You can hear another example at: nature-mentor.com/june19flight-call/

[@brunettebetti]

@@NatureMentor I just heard the sound you describe as a repetitive 'flicking' sound (2nd sound at the beginning of the video). How cool! I can hear another bird in the distance, maybe answering? We have a variety of woodpeckers that are suddenly very active. Winter prep is upon us! Thank you for the reply.

[@NatureMentor]

Awesome, I'm glad you figured it out!@@brunettebetti

[@asnormal1362]

Nice video. Sometimes though, I couldn't hear the bird calls due to your long narrations. Maybe put breaks in so the viewer/listener can hear the birds.

[@Thewholetree]

I found one in Oregon as I was walking on my way to work, I guess it was gotten by an owl or a cat or something but it was just an explosion of bright orange and black borrowed feathers on the sidewalk. I collected them all, MBTA be damned, they were beautiful, and moved to a little grave Shrine in the woods so he had a respectful death

[@lonnieclemens8028]

Are there other birds that make the 'Kleer' call?

[@NatureMentor]

This call is unique to flickers, however as with all bird sounds it does take practice and listening to make sure you aren't confusing it with something else. In my experience this tends to be one of the easiest calls for beginners to learn. I hope that helps 🙂

[@designsbybriana]

Have you ever heard them squeak call? It sounds like a dogs rubber squeak toy and the female does this in a circle. I’m trying to figure out what it means.

[@NatureMentor]

Yes I have heard them make sounds like that! To me it sounds like a short range version of their courtship call which has a similar sort of squeaky sound that gets washed out in the fast repetition. The squeak call is much slower and quieter, but possibly has a similar meaning for close range interactions. Have you noticed whether you hear it in particular seasons more than others?

[@PennyLee-qr1ht]

I get these in my backyard

[@AM-og6vo]

Thete are plenty of trees nearby to nest

[@christopherrowley7506]

The 'kleer' one sounds a little like a cow elk call to me

[@AM-og6vo]

Ty I have bird drumminh on my roof. Using yt v8ds of hswks and bsngong walls to drive away

[@handL69420]

I have a very near perfect mimicry of them

[@GoodHydration]

It's not kleer, it's *Here!* (points).

[@PallesWorld6309]

Clear??

[@robertlivingston1634]

They hurt like hell when one hits you on a motorcycle.

[@barbarashields5552]

😢

[@jdb7686]

Douchbag

[@lacysyverson2782]

Pretty sure you hit them.

[@aaronwilkinson8963]

In stead of say clear the Flicker should be saying Here

[@BB_5913]

No offense but its an annoying bird. I only hear the loud Continuous sound over and over and over like im in the jungle. And it Does repetitious pecking on the metal cap on my chimney every morning at 7am!. It vibrates thru the walls on that side of the house where the bedrooms are! Damn bird.

[@leemoore974]

😡 Promo`SM

[@mjremy2605]

Too much talking and interrupting nature. Why not just capture the calls with some text below. This is a long monologue that is not necessary. I came to hear a bird not human.

[@azulaghoul]

then find another video to watch you bafoon. Everyone else happens to enjoy the facts that he’s giving us.

[@calliethompson9837]

Feel free to re-read the title bud

[@bubbu881]

I ❤ their calls...