In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Northern Flicker in 6 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Northern Flicker.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw a Northern Flicker - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Draw the head up to the nape, starting with an angled, bumpy line for the back and wings, up to a dome that is the head. End it just before the beak, and add a circle for the eye. Connect back to the bottom of the back and wings with another jagged line that ends in a wide flare.
Step 2: Draw the beak up to the lower body. Flickers are a type of woodpecker and have thin, slightly curve beaks for “pecking” into wood to find bugs. Use a soft S-shape from the bottom of the beak down to show the bird’s chest and body.
Step 3: Draw the wings, using a series of wispy lines coming from the bottom of the back and wings to represent the feathers.
Step 4: Add the tail with a long wispy shape, a lot like the shape used for the ends of the feathers of the wings.
Step 5: Then draw the two feet, with two angled lines for the legs and curved, flat lines with pointed ends for the feet almost like crescent moons.
Step 6: Draw patches on the head, chest, and wings, by which the northern flicker is easily identified. Add spots around the body. These speckles are another interesting feature of the flicker.
Interesting Facts about the Northern flicker
The northern flicker is a type of North American woodpecker bird. This bird is the third largest type of woodpecker in the region. Depending on where in the world that this woodpecker is its appearance will vary, those of this bird that are found in the east are generally put into a “yellow shafted” group and the western side are generally in the “red shafted” group.
Did you know?
- Though often woodpeckers are found high in trees, these northern flicker woodpeckers are found on the ground because they eat aunts and beetles
- Out of all northern American birds, this bird is believed to have the longest tongue
- These unique birds will do a strange process called “anting” where they will rub ants all on their bodies to release formic acid, though it is not sure by scientists if it is a way to keep off parasites, make the aunts taste better, or to give themselves some comfort while they grow new feathers
- The northern flicker is a bird of many names, as it is known to be called by over 100 common names in different areas, some being: heigh-ho and harry-wicket
- Though it might get annoying to people nearby the woodpecker, they will use a drumming technique on metal flutes and other materials in order to attract a mate
How to Draw a Northern Flicker – Step-by-Step Tutorial