- There are two distinct types of flickers but ornithologists consider them the same species. The yellow-shafted flicker is an eastern bird while the red-shafted variety lives in the western U.S.
- The flicker has a white patch on its rump that is quite conspicuous when the bird flies. Its flight is an up and down motion, like most woodpeckers.
- Under the wings and the feathers of the yellow-shafted flicker there is bright yellow, a feature that gives it the nickname "yellowhammer" in the South. In the West, the red-shafted flicker has red where the eastern cousins have yellow.
- With a brown body that contains a number of black spots, bars and other markings, the flicker is a handsome bird. It has a black "bib" on its chest in a crescent shape and the head is brown and gray.
- The western flickers have a red "mustache" extending from the base of the beak down the side of the face. The yellow-shafted flicker possesses a triangular red marking on the nape of its neck.
