A flicker at sunrise

The Northern Flicker is without any doubt one of the most stunningly beautiful birds living in North America. The plumage of this magnificent bird- a member of the woodpecker family - is a visual feast of iridescent red-tones, reaching from Crimson all the way to a bright orange. Plus several shades of silver-grey mixed in and perfectly finished with a lively array of white polka dots. But the Flicker is way More than just a “pretty bird” - in fact, the Flicker displays some unusual behavioral characteristics compared to other woodpeckers: a. The Flicker is one of the very few Woodpeckers who doesn’t like winters and instead migrates every season to the balmy South. In addition, the Flicker is probably the only woodpecker that prefers to forage for food on the ground with an animated diet, consisting up to 50 % of ants!
I took this photo during an early sunrise hike at an elevation of about 9000 feet in the foothills of the remote Wet Mountains of Colorado.
Enjoy!!

Nikon Z5 II with 28-400mm Nikkor lens

Minor adjustments in Lightroom