May 23 2024
The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is one of the most unusual woodpeckers in North America. Rather than excavating its nesting cavities in dead or decaying trees, this highly specialized bird makes its home almost exclusively inside living pine trees. It depends on mature, open pine forests of the southeastern United States—especially the fire-shaped longleaf pine ecosystem. Known …
May 23 2024
The Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) is one of the most spectacular songbirds of eastern North America. A breeding male can seem almost impossibly bright, with a scarlet-red body set against jet-black wings and tail. Yet despite those dramatic colors, Scarlet Tanagers can be surprisingly difficult to find. They spend much of their time high in …
Apr 12 2024
The deserts of western North America may look quiet at first glance, but listen carefully in the cool hours after sunrise and you may hear a surprisingly rich song pouring from a cactus, mesquite, or low desert shrub. The singer could be one of the region’s desert-dwelling thrashers—long-tailed, strong-legged songbirds specially suited to life in …
Apr 11 2024
The Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa) is one of the most impressive owls of the northern forests. With an enormous round head, piercing yellow eyes, finely patterned gray plumage, and a wingspan approaching five feet, this bird can appear almost impossibly large when perched silently at the edge of a snowy meadow. Its appearance is …
Apr 07 2024
Scrub Jays are bold, intelligent, unmistakably blue members of the crow family that bring plenty of personality to the landscapes they inhabit. Rather than being one single species, the name scrub-jay is used for several closely related North American birds in the genus Aphelocoma. They are especially associated with the western United States and Florida, …
Apr 07 2024
The Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) is one of the most unusual and socially complex members of the crow family. Found across the dry woodlands of western North America, this dusty-blue bird is closely associated with pinyon pines, whose nutritious seeds provide both a major food source and an ecological partnership that helps shape western forests. …
Mar 16 2024
The Northern Goshawk has long been regarded as one of the most powerful and elusive hawks of North America’s forests. With broad wings, a long tail, piercing eyes, and an extraordinary ability to pursue prey through dense woodland, this formidable raptor seems perfectly designed for life among the trees. There is one important naming change …
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 …
