An Unusually Synchronous Double Brooding Attempt by a Northern Flicker Pair

Abstract

We report an unusual case of a monogamous pair of Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus) initiating a second clutch while there were still nestlings in the first nest. The male and female incubated at both nests but only the male fed nestlings at the first nest. The second nest attempt was abandoned after the first nestlings fledged, possibly because the two broods were too synchronous in timing for the male to contribute sufficiently to both. Double-brooding has not been previously documented for Northern Flickers.