Scientific Name: Colaptes chrysoides
Residency: This bird is a year-round resident of the Sonoran Desert.
Diet: This species feeds upon insects, such as ants, as well as on fruits, and will even eat the pollen of saguaro flowers when available.
Predators:  Adults and young taken by Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, and Red-shoulderd Hawk.  Red-headed Woodpecker, American Crow, Fish Crow, and Blue Jay are nest predators.  Bull snake and Blacksnake are known to eat nestlings. 
Nesting: Excavates nests within the tissue of the saguaro cacti.  Flickers need larger cavities than the Gila Woodpecker, and therefore, they dig deeper into the cactus. This type of burrowing can sometimes damage the ribs of the saguaro that distribute water to different parts of the plant, thereby resulting in damage to the structure of the saguaro, even to the point that death of the cactus can occur. Within these nesting cavities, the Gilded Flicker lays 6-8 white eggs.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Gilded Flicker is on the Audubon Society's WatchList. This bird is dependent on cacti of the deserts of the southwestern U.S., so loss of these areas and their subsequent nesting cavities, has posed a serious threat to this Flicker. Because the Gilded Flicker has a dramatically smaller range and a lower clutch size, it is generally considered more vulnerable than the Northern Flicker. Population numbers of this species have been noted from a slight decline to a drastic decline within the past few decades.
Photo: To be added. 

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