The Northern Flicker is a native to North America, they are the largest terrestrial or land woodpecker found throughout the continent. They are one of the few woodpeckers that are strongly migratory, for example, flickers in the north may move south for the winter.  Their main food source is ants. They can be found climbing in trees looking for ants or on the ground digging in the dirt for them. They generally nest in holes in trees, they will reuse the cavities from precious years or of other species. They will drum on objects, other than trees, as a form of communication and territory defense. One example is drumming on light posts. In the western species (see photos), the males have a red malar or mustache marking, while females do not.