Ron, this is unequivocally a Northern Flicker. Putting aside the
question of likelihood and the high burden of proof needed to demonstrate
the presence of a BBWO in SW Colorado, your photos (and field
observations/comments!) show a NOFL to a T. A key feature that I'm
surprised has been mostly skipped over in this conversation is the back
color. Black-backed Woodpecker, of course, shows an entirely black back
(and crown, nape, and face). Not just *dark - **black. *The bird in the
photos, at all angles, shows a rather plain back, one that might be called
dark, but distinctly grayish-brown. You note that your bird cannot be a
Northern Flicker because a flicker "reads as brown, rather than black." I
see a brown-backed bird, with a grayish head, in your images! Furthermore,
the best picture you have, which shows a side view (and which I'm surprised
to note isn't on eBird anymore) clearly shows a dark malar (whether it's
red or not is a moot point - BBWO should not show an isolated dark malar
stripe, aside from the submoustachial which appears quite different from
your bird), a rufous forecrown, a gray nape, disorganized spotting on the
flanks, and a black chest crescent, all of which are 100% diagnostic for
Northern Flicker. The flank spotting has been brought up a few times in
support of BBWO, so I want to pay extra attention to it here. BBWO shows a
rather fine, grayish-black set of bars on the flanks, which at a distance
easily blend into one another, creating a gray wash on the flanks (see this
<https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/646255589> photo of a BBWO - you can
easily imagine how at a greater distance/lower photo quality, the bars
would be even less visible, completely unlike the patterning on your bird.
Additionally, BBWO flanks show dark and light pigment with equal
prominence, due to the even width and consistent spacing of the barring.
Instead, your bird shows prominent dark patches on a less visible light
background, a pattern consistent with the spotting of a Northern Flicker.
These features aren't artifacts of photo quality, as you yourself noted a
"possible dark red semicircle below the eye" in your initial description, a
phrase that I'm surprised to see has been removed from your eBird list. And
if more evidence was needed, BBWO should display several other absolutely
diagnostic features, such as a bold *white* moustachial stripe, which would
be readily visible in your photos. I've attached a quick diagram I made on
your best photo (which I would recommend re-uploading to eBird)
highlighting the primary field marks I mentioned. While this unfortunately
isn't a BBWO, it's a good reminder to Colorado birders to keep it in mind,
as I wouldn't be completely shocked if one overshot down into, say, Jackson
County during a particularly cold winter/after an extensive fire.
Best,
--Owen
On Fri, Dec 5, 2025 at 7:02 PM Ron W <ourwildplaces...> wrote:
> It matches adult female Black-backed WP taken from that angle to a T.
> ...and I shared a link to a bird appearing just like this one further up in
> the thread.
>
> On Friday, December 5, 2025 at 4:36:13 PM UTC-7 Evan wrote:
>
>> Unfortunately, Black-backed woodpecker doesn't match the bird either, as
>> they do not have a uniformly dark head. I also don't notice a ruler or
>> anything of known size in the image, so I'm curious what determined that it
>> was 9" in length.
>>
>> Evan Carlson
>> Pueblo
>>
>> On Fri, Dec 5, 2025 at 4:12 PM Ron W <ourwil......> wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks for the help in working through this.
>>> No other species matches this bird, and thus I've recorded it on e-bird
>>> as a Black-backed, adult female. I also added one photo of the many others
>>> I took, from a slightly farther distance.
>>>
>>> https://ebird.org/checklist/S287390731 >>>
>>> Thanks again, Ron
>>>
>>> On Friday, December 5, 2025 at 3:22:02 PM UTC-7 Ron W wrote:
>>>
>>>> Thanks Josh.
>>>>
>>>> I've seen hundreds of Flickers and you're telling me I saw one and
>>>> didn't recognize it? Out of the question really. Your photos are clearly
>>>> of a poorly lit Flicker, and had I saw that bird, I would have instantly
>>>> known what it was.
>>>>
>>>> However, when I saw this all black backed woodpecker I thought "what!?"
>>>> and immediately got the phone out. Your bird looks nothing like my
>>>> observed woodpecker, so it cannot be a Northern Flicker.
>>>>
>>>> Flicker:
>>>> Larger. Larger bill, larger overall.
>>>> Not uniformly dark from the top of the head to the tail.
>>>> Tail is noticeably longer than my observed bird.
>>>> Reads as brown rather than black.
>>>> Less contrast between the back and front of the bird in question.
>>>> Even if you look at the last image at the *possible* red malar, it's
>>>> not placed the same or in the same shape as a Flicker, as it is right up
>>>> under the eye. As I said, this photo was in the shadow and is less
>>>> reliable.
>>>>
>>>> On Friday, December 5, 2025 at 3:06:49 PM UTC-7 Josh Bruening wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Ron,
>>>>>
>>>>> Your bird is a Northern Flicker. The spots on the side rather than
>>>>> barring and red malar are slam dunks. To me, all pictures look like the
>>>>> same bird. You asked for photos so here are two of my (not so great)
>>>>> photos from my back yard in Fort Collins. This is a melanistic Northern
>>>>> Flicker. I included a pic from that same morning with a "regular" Northern
>>>>> Flicker along with the melanistic one. The difference between the two was
>>>>> striking and I wish I would have gotten better pics. Though you can't see
>>>>> it in these pics because I was unable to capture it, the bird's back was
>>>>> very dark and not what you would normally expect from a Flicker.Photo
>>>>> quality/chimney soot/melanism, and other myriad circumstances can all be
>>>>> reasons why a common bird would suddenly look exotic. I hope these help.
>>>>>
>>>>> [image: image0.jpeg][image: image1.jpeg]
>>>>>
>>>>> Josh Bruening
>>>>> Fort Collins
>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>
>>>>> On Dec 5, 2025, at 1:48 PM, Ron W <ourwil......> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Reasons Lewis's isn't a good fit for this bird:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Observed behavior. They are usually observed high in trees rather
>>>>> than foraging near the base.
>>>>> In full light, I think I would have seen green on its back. This bird
>>>>> appeared black to the eye. In my experience, Lewis's can look black, but
>>>>> not in full sun.
>>>>> The bird in question had a shorter tail.
>>>>>
>>>>> 340 younger Lewis's photos:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://media.ebird.org/catalog?birdOnly=true&taxonCode=lewwoo&mediaType=photo&sort=rating_rank_desc&age=juvenile,immature >>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Friday, December 5, 2025 at 2:28:02 PM UTC-7 Paula Hansley wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I think that immature Lewis ‘s Woodpecker is a very good
>>>>>> possibility. The size and proportions don’t look right for a Williamson’s
>>>>>> Sapsucker.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Paula Hansley
>>>>>> Louisville
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Fri, Dec 5, 2025 at 2:10 PM Mars Atchison <marsatc......>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I don't necessarily think it is one, but is there a reason no one is
>>>>>>> considering an odd looking juvenile Lewis's?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Fri, Dec 5, 2025, 1:45 PM Caoimhín Perkins <ksper......>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> It’s little hard to tell but these do look more like spots than in
>>>>>>>> the other photos. I do not see any red personally but taking another look
>>>>>>>> at this photo is interesting.
>>>>>>>>
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