Perch Supply
Diet

What do flickers eat?

Mainly ants and beetles dug from the ground; fruit in winter.

Woodpeckers (Picidae)Northern FlickerColaptes auratus

Spring and summer diet

  • Ants and ant larvae

Fall and winter diet

  • Poison ivy, dogwood, sumac and bayberry fruit

Best feeder foods

  • Suet
  • Peanut hearts

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

Which feeder works best for flickers →

Where flickers need winter food

Regions where flickers are present in the cold months:

AlabamaArizonaArkansasBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Frequently asked

What do flickers eat?

Mainly ants and beetles dug from the ground; fruit in winter.

What is the best food to feed flickers?

Suet, Peanut hearts.

What do flickers eat in winter?

Poison ivy, dogwood, sumac and bayberry fruit.

Sources

  1. Northern Flicker — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  2. Northern Flicker life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  3. Northern Flicker — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
  4. NestWatch nest box plans and species requirements — Cornell Lab

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.