This Northern Flicker Sounds Like A Machine Gun Going Off Advertisement What we humans hear as a machine gun sound and get terrified might be a Northern Flicker looking for a mating partner. Yes, Flickers totally could be a justification for the machine gun sound that horrifies us all unexpectedly, and it is the very reason these woodpeckers are also called “Machine Gun Peckers.” Flickers are not seen flying as frequently as sparrows or crows, and it is the reason children get excited when they see one. Coming to the Northern Flickers, these are native to North America, Central America, Cayman Islands, and Cuba. One of the special physical attributes of this bird is its long beak that is enough hard to poke holes in the ground or in a tree. It comes in varying sizes ranging from 7 inches to 15 inches and has a brown barred back with black spots underneath.