Michigan · Year-round resident

Northern Flickers in Michigan

When flickers are present in Michigan, when they nest, which native Michigan plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 4a–6b yard.

Woodpeckers (Picidae)Northern FlickerColaptes auratus

Status in Michigan: Year-round resident
Nesting window: April–June
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 4a–6b
Nest box: 2 1/2 in hole, 7 × 7 in floor, 6–20 ft

When to expect flickers in Michigan

Northern Flickers live in Michigan all year. Lake-effect snow and long cold spells; Purple Finches breed in the north and winter farther south. 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 continental, strongly shaped by the Great Lakes; colder and snowier in the Upper Peninsula.

Nesting in Michigan

Across Michigan, 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.

A compressed nesting season; bluebirds usually manage one or two broods.

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 Michigan plants that attract flickers

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

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Winter fruit.

Eastern hemlock

Tsuga canadensis · Tree

Seeds and dense winter shelter.

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.

Staghorn sumac

Rhus typhina · Shrub

Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.

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.

Feeding flickers through the Michigan 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 Michigan's winter: Lake-effect snow and long cold spells; Purple Finches breed in the north and winter farther south.

Full diet breakdown for flickers · Best feeder for flickers

Frequently asked

Are flickers in Michigan year-round?

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

When do flickers nest in Michigan?

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

What native plants attract flickers in Michigan?

Winterberry, Eastern hemlock, Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Staghorn sumac, Smooth sumac, White oak are native plants in Michigan 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 Michigan

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird 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 Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Canada Jay 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.