<Li> Cuculus auratus Linnaeus, 1758 </Li> <Li> Picus auratus Linnaeus, 1766 </Li> <P> The northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) is a medium - sized bird of the woodpecker family . It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate . Over 100 common names for the northern flicker are known, including yellowhammer (not to be confused with the Eurasian yellowhammer), clape, gaffer woodpecker, harry - wicket, heigh - ho, wake - up, walk - up, wick - up, yarrup, and gawker bird . Many of these names derive from attempts to imitate some of its calls . </P> <P> The northern flicker is part of the genus Colaptes, which encompasses 12 New World woodpeckers . Nine subspecies (one of them extinct) of C. auratus are recognized . The existing subspecies were at one time considered separate species, but they commonly interbreed where ranges overlap and are now considered one species by the American Ornithologists Union . This is an example of the "species problem". </P>

Brown bird with red v on back of head