From Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory

On September 23, we caught a Northern Flicker that showed two red primaries on both wings as well as 6 red tail feathers (rectrices)!

There are two well-defined subspecies, the Red-shafted Flicker and the Yellow-shafted Flicker, with red or yellow shafts and feathers on wings and tail. They do mingle (and interbreed (hybridize)) in a broad swath of territory in the middle of the continent, with various combinations of yellow and red feathers.

Is it what we captured, so far from that mixing zone? With birds (almost) everything is possible: have wings, will fly! However, there is also another possible explanation: food!

A diet rich in certain berries can produce red colouration in some species of birds, including Flickers. The red colouration comes from pigments in the berries called carotenoids.

As much as the idea of a mixed flicker crossing the continent to end up in our nets is entertaining and fun, I would suspect that it is more likely a diet-related effect that brought this striking bird its mix of colours.

This bird center is in Ontario.

Here is a map and an article talking all about the differences between the 2 flickers.