Colaptes chrysoides
The Gilded Flicker, *Colaptes chrysoides*, is a striking medium-sized woodpecker endemic to the arid Sonoran Desert. Measuring 28-32 cm (11-12.6 in) in length with a wingspan of 42-49 cm (16.5-19.3 in) and weighing 95-150 g (3.4-5.3 oz), it stands out with its pale brown head, cream-colored underparts, and distinct black barring on a white belly. Its most iconic features are the bright golden-yellow shafts of its flight feathers and underwing coverts, vividly displayed in flight, and a promin...
This species is a specialist of arid and semi-arid desert scrub, primarily found in Sonoran and Mojave Desert ecosystems, often at elevations below 1,000 meters. It particularly favors areas with large cacti like saguaros and mesquite trees.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding extensively on ants, especially harvester ants, which they glean from the ground. They also consume other insects, larvae, and occasionally cactus fruit or berries.
Gilded Flickers are diurnal, active from dawn to dusk, often roosting in abandoned cavities or dense foliage at night. Their primary foraging strategy involves hopping on the ground to glean ants and other insects, using their long, barbed tongues to extract prey from crevices and anthills. They ...
The Gilded Flicker is primarily a resident species of the Sonoran Desert and adjacent arid regions of North America. Its core breeding range extends across central and southern Arizona, southeastern California (along the Colorado River), southern Nevada, and throughout Baja California and Sonora ...
Least Concern
- The Gilded Flicker is one of the few woodpecker species that spends most of its foraging time on the ground, searching for ants. - It is a master at excavating nesting cavities in the saguaro cactus, a feat that can take up to a month and is rarely attempted by other birds. - The cavities creat...