As many of you know, I live in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. This morning my son and I photographed a pair of woodpeckers behind our house. The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a medium-sized bird from the woodpecker family.
It is unique in that it is only one of a few woodpeckers that migrate south for the winter. This woodpecker pecks on objects as a way to communicate and territory defense. The Audubon field guide states that "flickers are the only woodpeckers that frequently feed on the ground". One of the characteristic of northern flickers is their dual-pointed tail.
Sources: https://www.thespruce.com/photos-of-common-woodpecker-species-4121955
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_flicker
Images: My Own