08/19/2026
Can you guess who these noisy rehab patients are?
These three Northern Flickers came into our Animal Care & Husbandry department through our wildlife rehabilitation program as nestlings and quickly made their presence known. And there’s one thing that makes this trio especially easy to identify: all three are males! Male Northern Flickers can be distinguished by the black “mustache” or malar stripe along the side of their face, which is absent in females. From the moment they arrived, they were loud, hungry, and constantly demanding attention—just as you would expect from a growing group of flicker nestlings.
As they grew, our Animal Care & Husbandry student workers provided frequent feedings, daily care, monitoring, and the appropriate enclosure space they needed to continue developing. Once they were fully feathered and becoming more independent, they were ready for the next stage of their rehabilitation.
The three flickers have now been moved to an outdoor enclosure, where they can begin acclimating to natural temperatures, outdoor sounds, and their surroundings while continuing to strengthen their flight skills and practice behaviors they will need in the wild.
Their next step will be a soft release. When they are ready, the enclosure door will be opened and they will be able to leave on their own. We will continue providing food at the release site as they become familiar with the area and develop their ability to find food independently.
These three noisy nestlings have come a long way, and we are excited to watch them take their next steps toward returning to the wild!
This video was taken by Sophia Myers, Animal Care & Husbandry student worker, Biology major ‘27.
