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Yellow Shafted Flicker
38.9763, -77.1414
Field Notes
Description:
UPDATE:
It is a woodpecker - a yellow shafted flicker. An unusual one in the woodpecker family as it feeds for larvae and insects on the ground rather than in trees. Its tongue is very long and wrapped inside its skull much like a string on a yo-yo allowing it to penetrate holes in ground. The tongue is also very sticky, like flypaper!
Unsure what is wrong with this little guy, if anything. H/her eye looks a bit odd but seems plump and well-fed. It also didn't seem like it could fly (or wanted to) and was quite proficient at quickly disappearing via its legs. Uncanny. I wonder if its injured and/or is a fledgling that fell out of its nest. ot something else altogether. Looks like a woodpecker (maybe a downy or a red-headed woodpecker?).
Habitat:
?
Notes:
Unsure what is wrong with this little guy, if anything. H/her eye looks a bit odd but seems plump and well-fed. It also didn't seem like it could fly (or wanted to) and was quite proficient at quickly disappearing via its legs but later noticed it was able to fly, albeit close to the woodland floor.
I wonder if its injured and/or is a fledgling that fell out of its nest. ot something else altogether. Looks like a woodpecker (maybe a downy or a red-headed woodpecker?). Waiting on correct ID from a source. UPDATE: it now appears to be a yellow shafted flicker. See description section for further explanation.
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