Species: Northern Flicker (red-shafted x yellow-shafted intergrade)
Most recent capture date: 10/16/2022
Age: less than six months old
Sex: male
Notes: Northern Flickers come in two flavors: yellow-shafted, in the east, and red-shafted in the west. They sport their nominate colors on the undersides of their wing and tail feathers, and wear different make-up: yellow-shafted males have a black mustache and red on the back of their head, while red-shafted have a red mustache and no red on the head.
*This* bird, you will notice, has orange tail feathers, a red mustache, and red on his nape: he is a hybrid between the two forms. Yellow- and red-shafted flickers may interbreed where they meet in the middle of the US, and the resulting birds can take on a variety of looks. Another male flicker we caught recently had a mustache that was a mix of black and red. These hybrid individuals can help us understand the genetics of color and pattern traits in birds.