Possible Northern Flicker Intergrade

From: Chris Howard and Rosie Beach
Date: 2/9/01
Time: 3:58:43 PM
Remote Name: 209.209.67.196

Comments

So we saw a Flicker that had all the markings of a male Red-shafted (red malar stripe, red feather shafts, brownish crown and nape, gray auriculars), except it had two distinct red nape crescents, one on either side. The crescents were not as prominent as shown in NGS or Sibley, but they were obvious. Does anyone know if this is enough to call it an intergrade? Could nape crescents just be a recessive gene in "pure" Red-Shafteds?

The bird was seen on DWP land in the willow trees behind our house.