Author Archives: julianna

Cedar Waxwing

Scientific Name: Bombycilla cedrorum Interesting Info: The Cedar Waxwing is an interesting bird. Flocks can descend on a bush with berries and strip it within minutes, and if the berries have fermented these bird can actually get drunk! The wings … Continue reading

Posted in Waxwings

Black-Headed Grosbeak

Scientific Name: Pheycticus melanocephalus Sound: The Black-Headed Grosbeak has a beautiful voice. It sounds somewhat like a robin, but it doesn’t follow an exact pattern. It is warbily at times, and sounds very flutelike. The notes are sung with short … Continue reading

Posted in finches

Western Tanager

Scientific Name: Piranga lodoviciana Habitat: Western Tanagers range in much of western north America. They can be found in conifer or mixed forests, but during migration Western Tanagers can be found many other places as well including suburban yards, orchards, … Continue reading

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Downy Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Picoides pubescens How to attract: Downy Woodpeckers are one of the three most common woodpeckers to visit yards and bird feeders. They can be attracted by black oil sunflower seed feeders and suet feeders, and  sometimes Downy Woodpeckers … Continue reading

Posted in woodpeckers

Mourning Dove

Scientific name: Zenaida macroura Habitat/sound: Mourning Doves are common across most of North America. They mainly live in open country with scattered trees. Mourning Doves are also common in suburban habitats. If you listen you will probably be able to … Continue reading

Posted in pigeons and doves

Bushtit

Scientific Name: Psaltriparus minimus Description/field marks: Bushtits are tiny birds, and they are only about two to four 1/2 inches long.They are very plain looking. Bushtits are gray-brown all over. Female Bushtits have light cream colored eyes, and the males … Continue reading

Posted in chickadees, nuthatches, and allies

Killdeer

Scientific Name: Charadrius vociferus Diet: Killdeer eat a variety of invertebrates. They eat earthworms, snails, crayfish, grasshoppers, and beetles. Sometimes Killdeer eat seed, but their main diet is invertebrates. Habitat: The Killdeer is a shorebird, but you can find it … Continue reading

Posted in shorebirds

Northern Flicker

Scientific Name: Colaptes auratus Habitat: The Northern Flicker is a woodpecker ranging all across North America. This bird lives in most forests in North America. Northern Flickers are not rare at all, and are a common sight in suburban areas … Continue reading

Posted in woodpeckers

Black-Capped Chickadee

Scientific Name: Parus atricapillus Diet: Black-Capped Chickadees eat berries, bugs, suet, and seeds, especially sunflower seeds in feeders. Behavior: The Black-Capped Chickadee is an active, curios, and beautiful bird. You can watch them hop, jump, and scurry along in trees as … Continue reading

Posted in chickadees, nuthatches, and allies

Birds I Have Seen

Sparrows Dark-Eyed Junco (Oregon Form) Fox Sparrow  Song Sparrow House Sparrow White-Crowned Sparrow Golden-Crowned Sparrow Harris’s Sparrow Savannah Sparrow California Towhee Spotted Towhee Finches House Finch American Goldfinch Pine Siskin Red Crossbill Evening Grosbeak Black-Headed Grosbeak Blackbirds Brewer’s Blackbird Red-Winged … Continue reading

Posted in lists and diagrams