Possible Gilded Flicker, Fort Collins

[Nicholas Komar]

I photographed a Flicker last Wednesday evening at the feeder behind the discovery museum in Fort Collins that seems to have traits of Gilded flicker. Whether this turns out to be Colorado's first Gilded Flicker, normally a resident of riparian habitat and desert in Arizona, or not remains to be seen. Elements in the tail, the back and wings and head suggested Gilded Flicker although the head pattern is somewhat confusing. It might be a hybrid between Gilded and red shafted flicker but even in that case I think it's mostly gilded. Here's a photo.

[Karl Stecher Jr.]

I've been trying to find one at my feeder for years. One comment...cheeks don't seem pale gray enough.  We see the points you note.  Any photos farther down the back?

 

Karl Stecher

Centennial/Arapahoe

 

 

 

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From: "Nicholas Komar" <quet...@comcast.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2017 3:34 PM
To: cob...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [cobirds] Possible Gilded Flicker, Fort Collins

 

I photographed a Flicker last Wednesday evening at the feeder behind the discovery museum in Fort Collins that seems to have traits of Gilded flicker. Whether this turns out to be Colorado's first Gilded Flicker, normally a resident of riparian habitat and desert in Arizona, or not remains to be seen. Elements in the tail, the back and wings and head suggested Gilded Flicker although the head pattern is somewhat confusing. It might be a hybrid between Gilded and red shafted flicker but even in that case I think it's mostly gilded. Here's a photo.

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Sent from my iPhone

Nick Komar
Fort Collins CO

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[John Shenot]

I observed what may have been the same individual bird at the Museum feeders twice in December 2015 and once in January 2016. Each time I recorded the observation in eBird as an intergrade Northern Flicker with red malar but yellow shafts. I don't carry a camera when birding, so no images to share.

I am unclear whether this definitively supports or refutes Nick's theory of a possible Gilded Flicker. The principal pieces of scientific evidence in support of Gilded would be:

1) I've always maintained that if I ever had the good fortune to see a first state record, I would surely mis-ID the bird; and
2) I once said to Nick with no evidence whatsoever (though he wouldn't remember this) that I figured there had been Gilded Flickers seen in Colorado, just not properly identified.

John Shenot
Fort Collins, CO

[Derek Hill]

Why not a hybrid red-shafted/yellow-shafted flicker? The 'hybrid' word is dreaded, but in the flicker situation, a rather large percentage of Northern Flickers through the Great Plains appear to be hybrids. I'm almost surprised when I find a 'real' red-shafted or yellow-shafted because so many seem to be odd mongrels. I've photographed a flicker within a hundred meters of the Fort Collins Discovery Museum within the last couple years that showed red-shafted head plumage, and yellow-shafted tail feathers (possibly the same bird photographed by Nick?). Considering Gilded Flicker is a sedentary saguaro desert beast which is almost strikingly smaller than "Northern" Flickers, how would we detect a vagrant Gilded in northern Colorado without a bird-in-hand at a mist net vs a photo? Which elements of back and wing plumage distinguish Northern vs. Gilded? I can share a photo of the presumed hybrid I have if anyone's interested, just give me a day or so to find it in my files.
Good birding from hybrid flickerville,
Derek Hill
Fort Collins