Some bird names are spot on. Yellow-rumped warblers have yellow rumps as an obvious field mark. Mourning doves have a mournful-sounding call. Bluebirds are, well, blue birds.

Some bird names do not seem to make sense. A red belly is hardly a red-bellied woodpecker’s most distinctive field mark. Yes, their bellies are red and yes, the name red-headed woodpecker is already taken by a more deserving species, but still. American robins are actually thrushes, and most warblers do not warble.

Then there are bird names that make sense only after looking up the meaning of a few words. Semipalmated plovers and semipalmated sandpipers are so named because there is partial webbing between their toes. The zoological definition of palmated, according to dictionary.com, is “web-footed.” I was several years into my birding hobby before I learned this. I don’t think I gave it a second thought before I heard it for the first time. I just accepted that as the name and moved on.

I came across another bird species during a walk the other day that has a name that makes one scratch their head at first. The sun was still rising when I noticed a largish bird on a branch of a dead tree. The morning light illuminated the bird in a heavenly glow. It was a northern flicker.

Then the bird started to preen itself and expose feathers not usually seen. The sun highlighted each feature of the bird’s striking plumage.

It was clear as day at that moment why it used to be called the yellow-shafted flicker. That was another bird name that, when I was first starting out as a birder, I just accepted and didn’t give it another thought. I didn’t know what yellow-shafted meant and didn’t give it much thought as I had so many other things to learn about the hobby at the time.

As it turns out, it’s not complicated at all. The shaft of a feather is the thick base or axis. Most birds have white, gray or black feather shafts. A yellow-shafted flicker has shafts on its tail and wing feathers that are – all together now – yellow. Usually, when you see a flicker flying away, you notice the large white patch on its rump. If you happen to see the bird flying from the right angle, you can see yellow feathers and shafts under the wings and tail.

Of course, it’s all somewhat of a moot point as the birds are now known as northern flickers. The yellow-shafted flickers of the eastern U.S., the red-shafted flickers of the western U.S. and the hybrid birds in the middle are now considered one species, northern flicker, and have been since 1973. The old monikers persist colloquially, however, to differentiate the birds of each region.

The yellow shafts and feathers of the flicker are not seen too frequently. Flickers love to eat ants and are often found on the ground. The underside of the wings and tail would not be seen when spotted on the ground. When I first saw the flicker in the tree the other day, I did not see its namesake yellow plumage. It wasn’t until the bird started to preen that it exposed the yellow feathers and shafts. The sun exaggerated the yellow stunningly.

Flickers are an extraordinarily handsome bird with black bib, red nape (males only), spotted belly and, of course, yellow feathers under the wings and tail. They are woodpeckers and do indeed tap on trees (and houses occasionally), but they are also unwoodpecker-like in that they are often found on the ground and are migratory. The odd flicker may be found in the winter in New England, but for the most part, flickers migrate to warmer parts of the country.

The name yellow-shafted flicker gets even more confusing. We’ve addressed the yellow-shafted part, but where does “flicker” come from? According to the Audubon Society, it’s a bit of a mystery and there are a few different theories. The prevailing theory seems to be that the yellow feathers seem to flicker when seen in flight. Another theory states that the flicker’s call – often written in field guides as “wicka, wicka, wicka” – sounds like it is saying flicker.

The second theory makes more sense to me, but who am I to make that determination? It’s yet another example of bird names often leaving you wondering and guessing.