Mar 16 2024
The Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) is a secretive forest and canyon-dwelling owl of the American Southwest and Mexico. With enormous dark eyes, softly mottled brown-and-white plumage, and a preference for cool, sheltered forests and steep rocky canyons, it is one of the most distinctive nocturnal birds of western North America. Despite its name, …
Mar 12 2024
The Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) is one of the most characteristic birds of the Sonoran Desert. Where many woodpeckers are strongly associated with forests, this adaptable species has made a home among towering saguaros, desert washes, mesquite groves, palms, and even suburban neighborhoods. Its appearance is distinctive: a warm tan head and underparts contrast with …
Mar 12 2024
The Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) is one of the most familiar large birds soaring over North America. With its broad wings, small red head, and effortless, slightly wobbly flight, this remarkable scavenger is easy to recognize once you know what to look for. Although vultures sometimes carry an ominous reputation, Turkey Vultures are extraordinarily valuable …
Mar 11 2024
The Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma) is proof that a bird does not need to be large to be a formidable predator. Barely larger than many of the songbirds it hunts, this tiny owl patrols the mountain forests of western North America with bright yellow eyes, sharp talons, and a surprisingly bold personality. Unlike many owls, …
Mar 11 2024
The Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) is a large, gentle-looking finch of northern forests and high mountain country. With rosy-red males, softly colored females, a thick seed-crushing bill, and a surprisingly calm disposition, it is one of the most distinctive birds of the boreal forest. For many birdwatchers in the northern United States, seeing a Pine …
Mar 03 2024
Tropical birds include some of the most colorful, unusual, and specialized birds on Earth. Brilliant macaws sweep over rainforest canopies, hummingbirds hover beside flowers, toucans reach for fruit with enormous bills, and quetzals disappear almost magically into green cloud forests. In other parts of the tropics, hornbills, sunbirds, cassowaries, parrots, kingfishers, and birds-of-paradise occupy equally …
Mar 02 2024
The White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura) is a remarkably specialized grouse of North America’s high mountains. Small, round-bodied, and extraordinarily well camouflaged, this hardy bird spends its entire life in cold alpine environments where snow, wind, exposed rock, and low-growing vegetation shape nearly every aspect of its behavior. Unlike most North American birds, White-tailed Ptarmigan do …
Jan 27 2024
Small, energetic, and remarkably acrobatic, the Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) is one of the most entertaining birds to watch in North America’s conifer forests. It races along tree trunks, creeps headfirst down branches, wedges seeds into bark, and announces its presence with a nasal call that can sound like a tiny toy horn. Despite its …
Jan 27 2024
The Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) may be small, but it is one of the most recognizable and approachable woodpeckers in North America. This energetic black-and-white bird is a familiar visitor to forests, parks, suburban neighborhoods, and backyard bird feeders, where its compact size allows it to forage in places that larger woodpeckers simply cannot reach. …
Jan 27 2024
With brilliant blue wings, a golden-yellow chest, an enormous black bill, and a tail nearly as impressive as its wingspan, the Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) is one of the most recognizable parrots in the world. Also called the Blue-and-gold Macaw, this large tropical parrot is native primarily to South America, where it inhabits forests, palm …
