Flicker Freezing to Avoid a Predator
Written by Andy McCormick
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
In late August I was watching birds at our feeders when a Steller’s Jay sounded an alarm call startling other birds which flew in all directions out of our yard. It was an emergency escape which could have been instigated by the presence of a raptor. Both adult and juvenile Cooper’s Hawks have visited our backyard this year and we’ve learned to watch for them. However, I saw something that completely surprised me. Two Northern Flickers did not join the escape flight. Instead, they froze in position. One was at a suet feeder, and the other was on a tree branch. They stayed in this position for at least five minutes without moving a feather. I was able to photograph one of them. It allowed me to open the door to the deck, walk back to get my camera, and then to approach the doorway and photograph it. I was amazed that it never moved.
This Northern Flicker remained frozen in place for over five minutes after other birds dispersed following a predator appearing in the area.
Photo by Andy McCormick
Freezing in position is a fairly common strategy used by a variety of animals to avoid a predator, but I did not know that flickers employed it. We know that Cooper’s Hawks are experts at capturing their prey in flight. Remaining stationary is a good strategy for a bird to avoid that fate. Only one month previous to this encounter, an adult Cooper’s Hawk captured a Northern Flicker in our front yard. We observed the hawk flying to avoid two pursuing crows, and then noticed the hawk had dropped the flicker onto the neighbor’s driveway. The crows then made cautious attempts to get the dead flicker, as they seemed wary of the hawk returning.
These incidents sparked my curiosity about the freezing behavior I witnessed and wondered how other western woodpeckers respond to predators. I searched for more information on the Cornell Lab website Birds of the World. Many of the treatments of bird species contain a section on their response to predators. My review found a variety of predator avoidance strategies used by woodpeckers.
WHICH OTHER WOODPECKERS RESPOND BY FREEZING?
For example, in addition to freezing in place, flickers also use other non-aggressive strategies and may retreat to a nest hole, and from there poke mammals and reptiles with their bill. They are also known to forage with other birds, as they were at our feeders, seeming to rely on the alarm calls from jays and chickadees to warn them of predators.
Pileated Woodpeckers have been seen freezing in place trying to become invisible. This seems counterintuitive that such a large bird would do this. Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers will make a quick move to the opposite side of a tree branch, and sometimes attempt evasive flight to escape.
In response to a low-flying accipiter or falcon, Acorn Woodpeckers will escape to a nest hole, or remain motionless on the side of a tree. They will poke at other predators such as snakes, and on one occasion an Acorn Woodpecker pulled a bull snake from its nest causing it to fall to the ground.
Lewis’ Woodpecker will also flee to the underside of a branch and remain motionless when a predator approaches. However, if surprised in the open, it will attempt to fly, and one has been known to outmaneuver a Cooper’s Hawk. There was no information about responses to predators in the material on Ladder-backed, Nuttal’s, and White-headed Woodpeckers.
SAPSUCKERS ATTACK
In contrast to all of these other woodpeckers, Red-breasted and Red-naped Sapsuckers go on the attack with a loud alarm call and swoop the predator and sometimes strike it with their bills. Williamson’s Sapsucker will also chase predators but sometimes uses freezing to avoid them. They are also aggressive with other predators near their nest. Both parents will harass mammals and reptiles using scolding calls and swooping attacks.
Predators are a constant concern for birds. Eggs in nests are vulnerable to snakes and many mammals including weasels, racoons, foxes, and other birds. Birds can also be attacked by bird-eating birds such as Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, falcons, crows, and jays. Outdoor cats attack and kill billions of birds in North America every year. The responses of birds to the presence of a predator can also be observed as we humans approach birds. We birders can respect birds by keeping a safe distance and remember that we can be perceived as a predator by birds especially when we focus on them with binoculars and a spotting scope. We can enjoy birds and give them some space. They can feel safe in our presence, and we can observe their natural behavior, too.