shafted

Red shafted, that is. This is a Northern Flicker (of the Woodpecker family) and they come in two varieties, yellow shafted and red shafted. The "shafted" refers to the feathers under the wing and tail. The male red shafted also sports a red stripe, or mustache, on his face.
These birds are quite stunning from any angle, but I especially like the way the orangey red shows up against the blue sky in this shot.
It is a bold statement of presence from on high (on many levels!)