Identification - The breeding male is larger than a robin and occurs in two races or forms. The "yellow-shafted" male has a gray crown, red crescent on nape, black mustache, and yellow underwings. The "red-shafted" male has a brown crown, red mustache, and orangy underwings; it lacks the red crescent on the nape.
Morsels - During the nesting season, some birds, such as the Barn Swallow, lay only a set number of eggs. Even if some of the eggs are removed, these determinate layers will begin incubating their smaller than normal clutches. Other birds, such as the flicker, are indeterminate layers. They will continue laying until they have laid their normal clutch before they start incubating. Thus, if an egg is removed from the clutch, they will replace the lost egg by laying another. In one experiment, where the eggs were removed soon after they were laid, a Northern Flicker laid 71 eggs over 73 days, although its normal clutch size is only five to eight eggs! It is lucky for us that chickens are indeterminate layers.
