Northern flicker

Northern flicker
Female C. a. auratus
Male C. a. auratus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Picidae
Genus:	Colaptes
Species:	C. auratus
Binomial name
Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Approximate distribution map   Breeding   Year-round   Nonbreeding
Synonyms
Cuculus auratus Linnaeus, 1758 Picus auratus Linnaeus, 1766

The northern flicker or common flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate. Over 100 common names for the northern flicker are known, including yellowhammer (not to be confused with the Eurasian yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella), clape, gaffer woodpecker, harry-wicket,^[2] heigh-ho, wake-up, walk-up, wick-up, yarrup, and gawker bird. Many of these names derive from attempts to imitate some of its calls. It is the state bird of Alabama (known by its colloquial name "yellowhammer").^[3]