Gilded Flicker
Colaptes chrysoides
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPiciformes (Woodpeckers and Allies)
- FamilyPicidae (Woodpeckers)
- GenusColaptes (Flickers and Allies)
- SpeciesColaptes chrysoides (Gilded Flicker)
About the Gilded Flicker
The gilded flicker (Colaptes chrysoides) is a large woodpecker (mean length of 29 cm (11 in)) of the Sonoran, Yuma, and eastern Colorado Desert regions of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, including all of the Baja California peninsula except the extreme northwestern region. Yellow underwings distinguish the gilded flicker from the northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) found within the same region, which has red underwings.
Four subspecies are recognized: The Cape gilded flicker (C. c. chrysoides) resides in southern Baja California. The brown gilded flicker (C. c. brunnescens) resides in northern and central Baja California. Mearns' gilded flicker (C. c. mearnsi) resides in extreme southeastern California to Arizona and northwestern Mexico.
The Mexican gilded flicker (C. c. tenebrosus) resides in northwestern Mexico from northern Sonora to northern Sinaloa. The gilded flicker most frequently builds its nest hole in a saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), excavating a nest hole nearer to the top than to the ground. Less frequently, they will also nest in desert dry washes with Frémont's cottonwood (Populus fremontii) or willows (Salix sp.).... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Gila Woodpecker
Melanerpes uropygialis
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Dryobates scalaris
Red-naped Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus nuchalis
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
Lewis's Woodpecker
Melanerpes lewis
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Williamson's Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus thyroideus
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus ruber
Hairy Woodpecker
Leuconotopicus villosus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Gilded Flicker in Saguaro National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gilded Flicker sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 3,782 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Gilded Flicker in Saguaro National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Gilded Flicker in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.