May 27 2023
A birdhouse can be much more than a charming garden decoration. Choose the right design, place it in suitable habitat, and you may give a cavity-nesting bird a safe place to raise its young. The key is choosing a birdhouse for the birds rather than simply for its appearance. Different birds need different entrance-hole sizes, …
May 20 2023
A flash of soft blue moves through an oak tree, followed by a nasal call from somewhere deeper in the woodland. A moment later, another blue bird appears—and then another. If you are birdwatching in the mountains of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, western Texas, or Mexico, you may have encountered a flock of Mexican …
May 18 2023
A bright orange beak can be one of the easiest field marks to notice when you are trying to identify an unfamiliar bird. Against black, white, gray, or brightly colored plumage, an orange bill can stand out from surprisingly far away. But an orange beak alone usually is not enough to identify a bird. Bill …
May 17 2023
Look closely at a robin hopping across the lawn, a hawk circling overhead, or a chicken scratching through the dirt, and you are looking at the surviving members of one of the most extraordinary groups of animals ever to walk the Earth. Birds are dinosaurs. More precisely, modern birds are avian dinosaurs—the only dinosaur lineage …
May 14 2023
Quiet, elusive, and beautifully patterned, the Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) is one of the most distinctive birds of prey in the American Southwest. It spends much of the daylight hidden within shaded forests or steep canyon country, emerging after sunset to hunt rodents and other small animals. The Mexican spotted owl is not …
May 14 2023
Brilliant green feathers, a fiery red belly, a long patterned tail, and a habit of sitting almost perfectly still among the branches make the Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans) one of Central America’s most memorable forest birds. Despite its spectacular coloring, the Elegant Trogon can be surprisingly difficult to spot. It often spends long stretches quietly …
May 14 2023
The Arizona Woodpecker is one of the most distinctive woodpeckers in the United States. Instead of the bold black-and-white back seen on many familiar North American woodpeckers, this southwestern species wears warm brown upperparts, a large white cheek patch, and heavily spotted underparts. Its limited U.S. range makes an Arizona Woodpecker sighting especially memorable. In …
May 14 2023
Ptarmigan are among the most remarkable birds of the far north and high mountains. These compact members of the grouse family survive in environments where winter can bring deep snow, bitter winds, scarce food, and months of freezing temperatures. Their most famous adaptation is their seasonally changing plumage. Many ptarmigan are mottled brown, gray, and …
May 14 2023
Few birds capture the mystery of the night quite like the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). With its piercing yellow eyes, prominent feather tufts, deep hooting voice, and powerful build, this remarkable bird of prey is one of the most recognizable owls in the Americas. Great Horned Owls are also extraordinarily adaptable. They live in …
May 14 2023
With its jaunty topknot, rounded body, and habit of scurrying through desert brush, the Gambel’s Quail is one of the most recognizable birds of the American Southwest. These charismatic ground birds are especially associated with the Sonoran, Mojave, and Chihuahuan deserts, where groups of quail move between mesquite thickets, cactus-covered slopes, dry washes, and suburban …
