Yellowhammer is a popular name for the northern flicker, a North American woodpecker. It is about 12 to 14 inches (30 to 36 centimeters) long and has a brown back and an ashy-gray head. The undersides of its wings have yellow patches. The yellowhammer ranges from the northern forests of Alaska and Canada south through the eastern United States to the Gulf of Mexico. It spends much of its time on the ground, searching for insects. It is the state bird of Alabama.
The great crested flycatcher, a North American bird, is sometimes called a yellowhammer. The name also refers to a species of bunting found in Europe and Asia.
