What Do Northern Flickers Eat?

Northern Blink (Gold wing mushroom) is a medium-sized woodpecker found in most wooded areas of the United States. Unlike most other woodpeckers, northern woodpeckers migrate to the south of their range.

These birds have more than 100 different names, including yellow bunting, woodpecker, jalapen and jalapeno. Most of these names are derived from the sounds and calls they make.

Because of their widespread distribution in the United States, diets for flickers may vary. So let’s get started; what do northern flickers eat?

The diet of Northern Flickers consists mainly of insects – mainly ants (about 45% of their diet). Predatory ground beetles, flies, butterflies, moths and snails are also eaten. In addition to insects, they also feed on fruit and seeds; however, this usually occurs during winter when insect populations are low.

Since scintillators feed primarily on ants, they are mostly found foraging on the ground in search of prey. This ground foraging usually occurs near forest edges or in nearby groups of trees.

Read on for some fun facts about how the flicker was caught, and more.

Northern Flicker foraging for ants on the ground

What seeds do northern phoenixes eat

The most common seeds that Northern Flickers like to eat are sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, and nyjer seeds. Although they sometimes eat these seeds, northern flickers are not used to bird feeders.

Because of this, the best chance of feeding them seeds is with a thin layer of seeds on the ground.

What insects do northern phoenixes eat

Ants typically make up about 45 percent of Northern Flickers’ total diet during the summer, but other commonly hunted invertebrates include flies, butterflies, snails, moths, and beetles.

Predatory ground beetles were a close second on the flicker’s list of favorite foods.

It is worth noting that fireflies are natural enemies of corn borer moths, especially in winter. During this time, they can hunt and eat large numbers of these crop pests.

Muddy northern glitter on mouth after foraging for ants on the ground

What kind of ants do Northern Huyou eat?

Northern flickers mainly eat ants of these genera:

• Aphaenogaster
• Archer ant
• crematorium
• Formica
• Lacius
• gentlemen
• nutmeg
• Fidor
• Phytophthora
• red dates
• Tapinoma
• quadruplets

The type of ant plays a key role in how the flicker catches the ants. Among the less aggressive species, northern scintillation will happily feed on the colony. In contrast, more aggressive ant species are hunted in small numbers – often requiring a lot of jumping!

Northern Lights perched on the ground

what time of day do northern flickers feed

Northern Flickers are diurnal birds, which means they feed almost any time of day from dusk to dawn. Open woodlands are common places for these woodpeckers to feed during these times.

What to eat in winter

Northern flickers eat a mixture of fruit and seeds during the winter when insects are less plentiful. These include wild black cherry, blackberry, raspberry, flowering dogwood, sumac, poison ivy, and frost grape.

Northern Flickers will eat ants year-round if they can, but during the cold winter months, ants will naturally rest a few feet underground. This is because they are safer in harsh environments and more stable in temperature.

Because they’re so far underground, the flickers can’t reach the ants, so they have to switch their diet to readily available foods — which happen to be seeds and fruit.

One source of insects that can still easily cause flicker in winter is the larvae of the corn borer moth. These crop pests cost the US agricultural sector more than $1 billion annually due to crop loss.

Northern Flicker (yellow axis) eats berries from trees

What to eat in summer

Ants make up about half of a Northern Flickers diet during the summer. In addition to ants, insects such as flies, moths and beetles also prey on the ground and are occasionally caught in the air.

Seeds and fruit are also sometimes eaten, but during the warm summer months, the flicker’s food is mostly insects.

what does little beipiao eat

Little northern scintillators feed on ants and ant larvae from their parents shortly after hatching. Ants and ant larvae feed their young by regurgitation.

Food is stored in the pharynx (the part between the mouth and esophagus), forming a crop that is then filled with ants and ant larvae.

Both male and female flickers share the feeding duties of the chicks, which can take place up to 50 times a day.

Northern Flicker chicks feed primarily on ants from both parents

How to eat northern flicker

Most woodpeckers feed by leaning against trees. However, Northern Flickers are a bit of an anomaly as they do most of their foraging on the ground and are rarely seen foraging from tree branches.

The main way ants and other insects forage for food is by drilling and knocking holes into the ground with their powerful beaks. Once they spot ants, they use their long, sticky tongues to nibble on adults and ant larvae.

Their tongues can stick out more than 4 cm, which is very useful when hunting on the ground.

In summer, fireflies either forage on their own or in groups, but this depends on breeding density. These small groups may also contain other ground-eating birds, including starlings.

When winter comes, northern flickering birds can forage in flocks of up to 12 birds, but other birds continue to forage in pairs. Group foraging is more common when large amounts of fruit are in their habitat.

Blinking pecks at the ground looking for insects and ants

Is the northern scintillator a ground feeder?

Because northern finches get their food primarily from the ground (mainly ants), they are often considered ground-feeding birds. However, there are times when insects are caught in the air.

This is rare and uncommon for most types of woodpeckers, but the similar feature of them drilling their beaks into something to find food is similar, and it just so happens to be in the soil rather than a tree.

What can I feed northern flickers

The best thing to feed Northern Flickers are insect suet cubes. Packed with sparkling love bugs, these suet cubes are also rich in protein, fat and energy for ample nutrition.

Other foods that can be placed in and on feeders include peanuts, grapes, sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, and corn.

Northern Flicker feeding on suet cubes in the backyard

what to drink

Northern Flickers drink water like most birds. They can often be seen drinking from streams or the edges of ponds and lakes. Natural bowls can be found throughout the woodlands of their habitat, and they will also drink from them when available – such as knotholes.

Drinking water in the north

Do fireflies eat bird feeders?

Unlike many other birds, feeding from a bird feeder does not naturally flicker. That’s not to say they never feed on them. It’s just much less likely.

One of the main reasons for this is because they are very fond of ants and generally try to find them.

So if you want to attract scintillators to your yard, make sure you have lots of ants around! Alternatively, suet bird feeders with suet cakes tend to work well.

Tray feeding also works well since they are ground feeding birds after all.

Norther Flicker eating sunflower seeds on bird feeder tray

Northern Flicker Diet FAQs

Do northern fools eat mutton oil?

Suet blocks are one of the best things you can offer Northern Blink. They’re high in protein, fat, and energy that help flicker colonies thrive, especially during the cold winter months when their main food source (ants) is scarce.

Do Northern Flickers Eat Mealworms?

Northern Flickers will eat mealworms when provided in a suitable feeder.

Does the north fool you to eat peanuts?

Peanuts are a great source of scintillating fat, fiber, and protein. They mainly feed on these during winter and autumn when there are fewer insects.

Do northern fools eat fire ants?

It is common for Northern Flickers to eat fire ants, however, due to the aggressive nature of fire ants, flickers will usually prey on ants in small quantities rather than going after the colony directly.

Do northern fireflies eat baby birds?

Northern Flickers will not eat their young, but stick to a diet of insects, fruit and seeds.