If you are walking along the road and hear the persistent hammering on a home nearby, look around as you will likely see the spotted plumage and red marking of a very busy Northern Flicker using its head! 

Northern Flickers are a species of woodpecker who nest in cavities and forage for their food (insects) on the ground. Although they do climb trees and hammer on wood, they use the sides of buildings and objects to drum their beaks on as a form of communication to find a mate and to defend their territory.

The louder the better!

Objects which amplify sound, such as chimney stacks and hollow siding, are favoured for a good hammering. When a favourite spot is found, flickers will come back year after year to the same site which can be very frustrating.

Another area of conflict is their nesting activity. Being cavity nesters, flickers will either create a hole for access or use an existing site in which to lay their eggs and raise their chicks. These holes are often directly into the exterior walls of buildings as hollow siding makes for easy entry with a built-in void, but in the process exposes the building envelope to water damage and potential insect ingress. 

As a protected species, any disturbance of an active flicker nest is illegal meaning exclusion of nesting sites and sealing holes can only take place once chicks have fledged after approx 4 weeks.  

The key is to get in early! 

As soon as you hear hammering on your structure, install bird exclusion to deter activity. Have a look at our Flickers service page, which will not only give you peace from the persistent noise, but also protect your structure from damage and nesting behaviour!