By Ryan Cavani

Looking for love? Woodpeckers tap tap tap their way to a date

Mar 27, 2019 | 12:11 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Dating is hard enough these days with people seemingly busier than ever, but for birds, it’s an even more challenging proposition. Northern flickers are a member of the woodpecker family and for them, finding the one is a very physical endeavour.

The northern flicker is one of the most common birds in North America, being found from the top of Alaska to the bottom of Mexico. Here at the CKPG offices, one of these flickers has been hard at work trying to find himself a date. Causing plenty of grief for the news team. 

The tapping serves a few different purposes. Firstly, the northern flicker tapping is to show both males and females that he means business. Secondly, once the flicker has found himself a mate, he may choose to continue burrowing into the surface creating a nest.

Fortunately, the birds should all be paired up fairly soon and then the pecking should stop. Until next year at least.