Pennsylvania · Year-round resident

Northern Flickers in Pennsylvania

When flickers are present in Pennsylvania, when they nest, which native Pennsylvania plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 5a–7b yard.

Woodpeckers (Picidae)Northern FlickerColaptes auratus

Status in Pennsylvania: Year-round resident
Nesting window: April–June
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 5a–7b
Nest box: 2 1/2 in hole, 7 × 7 in floor, 6–20 ft

When to expect flickers in Pennsylvania

Northern Flickers live in Pennsylvania all year. Snow cover makes suet and heated water valuable; both chickadee species meet in a narrow hybrid zone across the south of the state. 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; cold, snowy winters in the north and mountains, milder in the southeast.

Nesting in Pennsylvania

Across Pennsylvania, 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.

Warm summers; bluebirds typically raise 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 Pennsylvania plants that attract flickers

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

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Winter fruit.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and a major caterpillar host.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns and insects.

New England aster

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · Perennial

Fall seed.

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.

Feeding flickers through the Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania's winter: Snow cover makes suet and heated water valuable; both chickadee species meet in a narrow hybrid zone across the south of the state.

Full diet breakdown for flickers · Best feeder for flickers

Frequently asked

Are flickers in Pennsylvania year-round?

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

When do flickers nest in Pennsylvania?

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

What native plants attract flickers in Pennsylvania?

Winterberry, Black cherry, White oak, New England aster, Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Staghorn sumac are native plants in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Carolina 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 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 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 Northern Mockingbird 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 Fox Sparrow

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.