A northern flicker rests on a maple near the lower Columbia River. These woodpeckers are seen nearly everywhere in North America, but two distinct subspecies exist. West of the Mississippi, you are likely to see bright red wings when a flicker is in flight. East of the Mississippi, and the wings are bright yellow.

During the Civil war, confederate army soldiers referred to Alabama soldiers as yellowhammers, because their uniforms made them resemble the woodpecker.