Arkansas · Year-round resident

Northern Flickers in Arkansas

When flickers are present in Arkansas, when they nest, which native Arkansas plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 6b–8b yard.

Woodpeckers (Picidae)Northern FlickerColaptes auratus

Status in Arkansas: Year-round resident
Nesting window: April–June
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 6b–8b
Nest box: 2 1/2 in hole, 7 × 7 in floor, 6–20 ft

When to expect flickers in Arkansas

Northern Flickers live in Arkansas all year. Mild winters with occasional ice storms that make suet and sheltered feeders critical for a few days at a time. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward poison ivy, dogwood, sumac and bayberry fruit.

Humid subtropical, with the Ozark and Ouachita highlands in the northwest and the flat Mississippi Delta in the east.

Nesting in Arkansas

Across Arkansas, flickers typically nest from April–June. Nest site: excavated cavity in dead or soft trees and utility poles. Females lay 5–8 eggs, incubate for 11–13 days, and young leave the nest after 24–27 days.

Hot, humid summers; shade nest boxes in the Delta.

Have boxes cleaned and mounted before March — flickers begin prospecting ahead of egg-laying.
Use a 2 1/2 in entrance on a 7 × 7 in floor, mounted 6–20 ft.
Fit a pole baffle or hole guard; ventilation gaps and drainage holes are essential.
Clean out old nests after each brood and again after June.

Native Arkansas plants that attract flickers

Of the regional native plants we track for Arkansas, these 8 provide food or cover flickers use:

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana · Tree

Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.

Smooth sumac

Rhus glabra · Shrub

Red fruit heads hang on through winter.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa · Tree

Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

Feeding flickers through the Arkansas year

Flickers feed on lawns more than any other woodpecker and will use nest boxes packed with wood chips.

Best foods: Suet, Peanut hearts.
In Arkansas's winter: Mild winters with occasional ice storms that make suet and sheltered feeders critical for a few days at a time.

Full diet breakdown for flickers · Best feeder for flickers

Frequently asked

Are flickers in Arkansas year-round?

Yes. Northern Flickers are year-round residents in Arkansas.

When do flickers nest in Arkansas?

Nesting in Arkansas typically runs April–June, with 1 per season. Clutches are 5–8 eggs, incubated for 11–13 days.

What native plants attract flickers in Arkansas?

Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Winterberry, Smooth sumac, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry are native plants in Arkansas that provide food or cover for flickers.

What size birdhouse hole do flickers need?

2 1/2 in, with a floor of 7 × 7 in mounted 6–20 ft.

Other backyard birds in Arkansas

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Carolina Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Orchard Oriole Pine Siskin Indigo Bunting Painted Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird House Sparrow European Starling White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Eurasian Collared-Dove

Sources

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.