General Description: Gilded Flickers (Colaptes chrysoides) are large, noisy woodpeckers of the southern deserts, with a barred back, a white spotted front, a black neck band, and a white rump. The face is gray, and the crown is reddish. In flight, Gilded Flickers show yellow in the wings. Males have a red mustache mark.

Taxonomy: Piciformes, Picidae, Picinae.

Favored Habitat: Desert habitats in southern Arizona with Saguaro and other large cactus species.

Where to Find: Around Las Vegas, look for Gilded Flickers from about Searchlight southward into Arizona. The Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area is a good place to find them. Otherwise, look for Gilded Flickers in southern Arizona southward into northern Mexico and Baja California.

Comments: Flickers mostly eat ants, so they are often seen foraging on the ground.