How to attract flickers to your yard
Northern Flickers respond to four things: the right food, the right plants, water and safe nesting cover. Here is what each means for this particular bird, drawn from its range across 61 states and provinces.
First: is it in your area, and when?
You can only attract a bird that passes through or lives near you, so start with timing. The Northern Flicker is a year-round resident in 50 states and provinces, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, British Columbia, California, Colorado and 44 more — there, a yard can host it in every season. It arrives only to breed in 11, such as Alaska, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories and 5 more, so set up before spring arrival.
Plant what flickers use
These native plants are tied to the Northern Flicker in our regional plant lists (Audubon Native Plants and state sources). The count shows how many states or provinces list the plant for this bird — higher means it works across more of the range. Pick the ones native where you live.
| Plant | Type | States | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smooth sumac Rhus glabra | Shrub | 51 | Red fruit heads hang on through winter. |
| Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana | Tree | 39 | Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter. |
| Serviceberry Amelanchier arborea | Tree | 39 | Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed. |
| Winterberry Ilex verticillata | Shrub | 36 | Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter. |
| White oak Quercus alba | Tree | 31 | Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food. |
| Flowering dogwood Cornus florida | Tree | 30 | Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers. |
| Staghorn sumac Rhus typhina | Shrub | 30 | Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food. |
| Black cherry Prunus serotina | Tree | 27 | Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees. |
| Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa | Tree | 23 | Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load. |
| Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea | Shrub | 21 | White fruit and red winter stems; good thicket cover. |
Your list covers 2 plant layers (shrub, tree). Layering matters: add structure around these — a shrub layer under the trees gives flickers a safe approach. Leave seed heads and fruit standing into winter instead of cutting back in fall.
Offer the food it actually eats
Mainly ants and beetles dug from the ground; fruit in winter.
- Warm months
- Ants and ant larvae
- Cold months
- Poison ivy, dogwood, sumac and bayberry fruit
- At feeders
- Suet, Peanut hearts
Feeder style matters as much as food: suet cage or tail-prop suet feeder is the first choice for this bird. Flickers feed on lawns more than any other woodpecker and will use nest boxes packed with wood chips. Feeder guide →
Give it a place to nest
Natural site: Excavated cavity in dead or soft trees and utility poles.
The Northern Flicker uses nest boxes with a 2 1/2 in entrance, mounted 6–20 ft. Exact box dimensions →
- Clutch
- 5–8 eggs
- Incubation
- 11–13 days
- Nestling period
- 24–27 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
Timing shifts with latitude: nesting begins around March in Alabama but not until May in Yukon. Don't trim shrubs or clean boxes during those months.
Water, safety and patience
- A shallow bath (1–2 in deep) with a rough bottom, refreshed every 2–3 days; a dripper or heater makes it far more attractive in summer heat and winter freeze.
- Place feeders within 3 ft of windows or more than 30 ft away to cut window strikes, and keep cats indoors.
- Skip pesticides — most backyard birds feed insects to their nestlings, even seed-eaters.
- Give it time. New feeders and plantings can take days to weeks to be found; residents usually find a stocked yard first.
Frequently asked
What attracts flickers to a yard?
Food they actually eat (suet, peanut hearts), native plants such as Smooth sumac, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, clean water and suitable nesting cover: excavated cavity in dead or soft trees and utility poles.
What plants attract flickers?
Across the Northern Flicker's range, the native plants most often tied to it are Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea), Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), White oak (Quercus alba). Choose the ones native to your state.
When should I set up my yard for nesting flickers?
Nesting starts around March in Alabama and as late as May in Yukon. Have cover, water and nest boxes ready a month before.
Sources
- Northern Flicker — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Northern Flicker life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Northern Flicker — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- NestWatch nest box plans and species requirements — Cornell Lab
- Audubon Native Plants Database
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.