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BIRD SPECIES SEEN AT SCOTTSDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
INDEX OF 74 SPECIES
References at end. Text written by staff.
Photos by Roy Barnes, Emma Olsen and Dr. John Weser.
Abert's Towhee
American Kestrel
Anna's Hummingbird
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Bewick's Wren
Black Phoebe
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-headed Grosbeak
Brewer's Blackbird
Brewer's Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Burrowing Owl
Cactus Wren
Canada Goose
Canyon Wren
Cattle Egret
Cliff Swallow
Common Raven
Cooper's Hawk
Costa's Hummingbird
Curve-billed Thrasher
European Starling
Gambel's Quail
Gila Woodpecker
Great Blue Heron
Great Horned Owl
Great-tailed Grackle
Greater Roadrunner
Green Heron
Green-tailed Towhee
Harris's Hawk
Hooded Oriole
Horned Lark
House Finch
House Sparrow
Inca Dove
Killdeer
Lesser Goldfinch
Loggerhead Shrike
Lucy's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Mallard
Marsh Wren
Mourning Dove
Northern Flicker
Northern Harrier (Marsh Hawk)
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Orange-crowned Warbler
Osprey
Peach-faced Lovebird
Prairie Falcon
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Rock Pigeon
Rock Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Savannah Sparrow
Say's Phoebe
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Snow Goose
Song Sparrow
Verdin
Violet-green Swallow
Warbling Vireo
Water Pipit
Western Kingbird
Western Meadowlark
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Swift
White-winged Dove
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-rumped W arbler
ABERT'S TOWHEE (PIPILO ABERTI)
Scientific Name: Pipilo aberti
Residency: Year-round in western, central and southern
Arizona.
Diet: Feeds on insects year round. Forages on leaf litter
seeds.
Predators: Hawks and mammals.
Nesting: Nests in shrubs. Abert's Towhees may place nests
as high as 15 to 20 feet from the ground. Nests are
constructed from cones, non-woody vegetation such as
grasses or weed stems. Nest lining consists of animal hair,
fine roots, and thinner grasses. Eggs are laid in clutches of five to six, or more. Color ranges
from white, bluish, or tan, with little or heavy blotching.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Abert's Towhee is on the National Audubon's Society's WatchList, which monitors
species that some fear may be approaching Threatened or Endangered status. The Abert's
Towhee is on the list due to threats against its habitat, rather than observed population decline.
There is a strong correlation between damage to riparian areas due to the presence of livestock,
and threats to the survival of the Abert's Towhee, a riparian specialist.
Photo: Photo above was taken at the Riparian Preserve at the Gilbert Water Ranch on
February 18, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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AMERICAN KESTREL (FALCO SPARVERIUS)
Scientific Name: Falco sparverius
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Insects (many grasshoppers), small mammals
(including voles and mice), small birds (like sparrows),
amphibians, and reptiles. Hunts by perching or hovering
(often hovers near roads, in tall tress or on telephone poles),
then diving down to catch prey.
Predators: Fire ants and yellow rat snakes prey upon eggs
and young. Red-tailed Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and
Cooper's Hawk prey upon adults. "Eye spots" on back of
head serve to confuse would-be predators.
Nesting: Builds a cavity nest with no lining material. Lays 1
brood per year consisting of 4-5 eggs, white with dark/brown
markings. Adapts quickly to a wooden nesting box. May also use woodpecker hole in cactus or
tree, or cliff nook.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Formerly called Sparrow Hawk (hence the Latin name Falco sparverius) owing to its
small size (10 inches total length). However, despite its small size, it will defend its nest against
almost any intruder. The American Kestrel is the most common falcon in North America, with
habitats as diverse as towns and wild lands. The male does all the hunting during the breeding
period (8-12 weeks duration), while the female stays at the nest.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on September 16, 2006.
Scottsdale Community College:
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ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD (CALYPTE ANNA)
Scientific Name: Calypte anna
Residency: Year-round resident, central/southern Arizona. Also a
year-round resident along the entire West Coast. Anna's
Hummingbird is considered to be a crescent invader from
California, a winter resident.
Diet: Nectar and invertebrates such as fruit flies, gnats,
mosquitoes, thrips, aphids, spiders, maggots, caterpillars, ants,
and insect eggs.
Predators: Larger birds, including the Western Scrub-jays,
American Kestrel, Greater Roadrunner, and the Curve-billed Thrasher.
Nesting: Breeding occurs in Spring. Nests are constructed from soft materials such as hair,
feathers, and fine strips of bark. Spider webs are used as an adhesive. Anna's Hummingbirds
rarely reuse old nests, preferring to construct new ones. Eggs are bean size.
Nesting Records: Coon Bluff and Scottsdale Community College.
Notes: The Anna's Hummingbird has grown in number since the 1950's, and has expanded its
range further south and east. This species' ability to adapt well to an ever-growing suburban
environment, and the accessibility and availability of hummingbird feeders and flowers utilized in
many suburban areas, has led to the growth in population numbers of this bird.
Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on February 23, 2007.
Watt Preserve:
Scottsdale Community College:
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER (MYIARCHUS CINERASCENS)
Scientific Name: Myiarchus cinerascens
Residency: Summers throughout most of Arizona. Yearround in southwest corner of the state.
Diet: Catches aerial insects.
Predators: Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel.
Nesting: Natural cavity, woodpecker holes (for example,
in Saguaro cactus), or nest box, lined with stems, chips of
manure, hair and sometimes snake skins. Eggs: 4-5 per
clutch, whitish with darker marks. One brood per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: May nest in mailboxes, drain pipes or fence posts.
Photo: Taken at Coon Bluff on March 25, 2007.
Watt Preserve:
Coon Bluff:
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BEWICK'S WREN (THRYOMANES BEW ICKII)
Scientific Name: Thryomanes bewickii
Residency: A winter resident in southwestern Arizona;
resides year-round in northern and southeastern Arizona.
Diet: Insects and spiders (97%), seeds (3%). Picks up
insects from leaves and lower branches of shrubs.
Predators: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Greater Roadrunner, and
rattelsnakes prey upon adults. Eggs are preyed upon by
snakes. House Wren may remove eggs from cavities,
contributing to the decline of Bewick's Wren.
Nesting: Female and male build nest in a wide variety of
cavities (wood-pecker hole, mailbox, fencepost, nest box, tin
can, crevice in a wall). Nest made of twigs, hair, leaves and
grasses lined with feathers and grasses. Lays 3-8 eggs,
white with brown markings. Produces 2-3 brood per year.
Nesting Records: Coon Bluff.
Notes: A common wren of backyards and gardens. Explores every crevice and competes with
House Wren for the nesting cavities.
Photo: Taken at Coon Bluff in 2009.
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BLACK PHOEBE (SAYORNIS NIGRICANS)
Scientific Name: Sayornis nigricans
Residency: Year-round in southern and western Arizona.
Diet: Aerial insects. Feeds mostly on insects near the
surface of water. In winter, it feeds on insects near the
ground. Occasionally eats tiny fish such as minnows, and
some small berries.
Predators: Few observations, but may include Cooper's
Hawks, Northern Harriers, and American Kestrels.
Potential nest predators include: American Kestrels, other
corvids, Loggerhead Shrikes, and sometimes terrestrial
predators (such as red fox, coyotes, and California
ground squirrels). Scrub Jays are known to take eggs.
Nesting: The female builds a mud-based cup mixed with hair and grasses, lined with finer
materials. The nest is stuck to vertical surface with some overhanging protection, for example a
cliff, wooden or concrete wall, or bridge. May nest near human activity. Lays 1-6 white eggs.
One-two broods per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Often uses the same nest or location for several years. Almost always found near water,
therefore affected by human destruction of riparian habitats and diversion of water.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Coon Bluff on January 7, 2007.
Coon Bluff:
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BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD (ARCHILOCHUS ALEXANDRI)
Scientific Name: Archilochus alexandri
Residency: Summers are spent throughout the state.
Diet: Nectar; will also consume insects and spiders, especially the
female when laying her eggs.
Predators: There have been sporadic reports of predation by the
greater roadrunner, the brown-crested flycatchers and the Mexican
jay. Snakes eat eggs and fletchlings.
Nesting: Breeding occurs from April through July. The nest is a
small cup constructed from soft plant down or seeds and mosses;
it is held together on top of a branch with spider webbing. The nest
is usually lined with hair or feathers. Two bean-sized eggs are laid.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The black-chinned hummingbird is the most common hummingbird in the western
United States, and population numbers have remained stable within the Sonoran Desert for
decades. This population stability exists presumably because this bird visits over 90 species of
plants in addition to artificial feeders for nectar, rendering this species much less threatened
than other species by the growing urbanization throughout its range.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on July 23, 2006.
Scottsdale Community College:
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BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON (NYCTICORAX NYCTICORAX)
Scientific Name: Nycticorax nycticorax
Residency: Lives year-round in central and western
Arizona. In the northeast corner of Arizona, it is a winter
resident only.
Diet: Fish, aquatic insects, amphibians, lizards, snakes,
rodents, and small mammals. Eats the young of other bird
species such as terns, herons, and ibises.
Predators: Observed or suspected predators of eggs and
young include: raccoons and muskrats, Great Horned Owl,
and Ring-billed Gulls. Species which eat the eggs include:
Fish Crows, Boat-tailed Grackles, Common Crows, and Blue Jays. Response to predators:
occasionally Black-crowned Night-Herons chase and mob crows.
Nesting: Singly or in small colonies (there may be up to 12 nests in one tree). Nest is placed in
reeds, shrubs, cattails, a tree, or against a tussock. Nest made of coarse twigs, reeds and finer
material. Lays 3-5 eggs (light-blue/greenish/pale blue-green). One brood per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Most active near dawn and dusk (crepuscular); roosts in trees during the day. Hunts
alone, feeding mostly at night or at dusk. The adults apparently do not distinguish between their
own young and those from other nests, and will brood chicks not their own.
Photo: Photo above was taken at the Riparian Preserve at the Gilbert Water Ranch on
November 18, 2006.
Riparian Institute at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK (PHEUCTICUS MELANOCEPHALUS)
Scientific Name: Pheucticus melanocephalus
Residency: Resides throughout most of Arizona in the summertime, except for the very
southwest corner of the state which is a migration zone.
Diet: Feeds on insects, berries and seeds, including spiders and snails. Also able to feed on
monarch butterflies.
Predators: Steller's Jay and Scrub Jay prey upon nests.
Nesting: The female makes the nest from twigs, pine needles, weeds, and rootlets; the lining is
made out of materials such as animal hair and thin grass. It is cup shaped and bulky and can
usually be found in trees or large shrubs. Pale blue-green eggs with red to brown spots are laid
two to five at a time.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Black-headed Grosbeak is now able to hybridize with the Rose-breasted Grosbeak,
its eastern counterpart, because the treeless prairies of the Central Plains that formerly served
as a natural barrier between the two has become settled with towns and homesteads, providing
a suitable habitat for each species.
Photo: To be added.
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BREWER'S BLACKBIRD (EUPHAGUS CYANOCEPHALUS)
Scientific Name: Euphagus cyanocephalus
Residency: Year-round in northern Arizona. Winter in southern Arizona.
Diet: Feeds on the ground, primarily on insects, weed seeds, grain, and small fruits.
Predators: Coyote, Bobcat, Great Horned Owl, and Bull Snakes prey upon nests. Sharpshinned Hawk, American Kestrel and Great Horned Owl prey upon adults.
Nesting: The female builds a cup nest, either just above the ground (in a shrub or small tree) or
directly on the ground. She lays 1-2 broods per year, 3-7 eggs each. The eggs are gray with
brown markings. Brewer's blackbirds often nest in small colonies of up to twenty pairs.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Often associates with other blackbirds, starlings, and Brown-headed Cowbirds, forming
huge winter migration flocks. Taking advantage of human modifications, the Brewer's Blackbird
is common in agricultural environments and urban parks.
Photo: To be added.
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BREWER'S SPARROW (SPIZELLA BREWERI)
Scientific Name: Spizella breweri
Residency: Winters are spent in South half of the state, and sumers are spent in the North.
Diet: Seeds and insects.
Predators: Nest predators include, Gopher Snakes and other snakes. Adults are preyed upon
American Kestrel and Prairie Falcon.
Nesting: The nest is constructed of grass on or near the ground. Three to five bluish, brownspotted eggs are laid. There are two distinct nesting populations, one is located in the alpine
meadows of the Rocky Mountains of the Yukon, and the other is in the sagebrush deserts.
Nesting Records:
Notes: In areas where habitat destruction and/or fragmentation have occurred due to range
management/grazing, population numbers of the Brewer's Sparrow have decreased
significantly. When heavy grazing occurs, this often causes the invasion of non-native species
of plants, especially grasses that are more prone to fires, resulting in the destruction of
sagebrush habitat, so vital to this species.
Photo: To be added.
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BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (MOLOTHRUS ATER)
Scientific Name: Molothrus ater
Residency: Year-round in southeastern Arizona. In winter: only
in southwestern Arizona. In summer: will reside all the way in
the northern part of the state.
Diet: Insects, grain, grass and weed seeds. Feeds off the
ground, but will also visit seed feeders. In the past, cowbirds
used to feed on the bugs on bison. Today they often feed
alongside horses and cows.
Predators: Direct predators of the fledglings include: black
racers, black rat snake, and Blue Jays. Eggs are also destroyed
by host species, since the cowbird lays all her eggs in the nests of other species. Host species
may reject the cowbird egg in one of several ways: ejecting them from the nest, burying them, or
deserting the nest entirely. The following species almost always reject cowbird eggs: Western
Kingbird, Eastern Kingbird, Blue Jay, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Cedar
Waxwing, and Northern Oriole. Most other hosts reject less frequently.
Nesting: Has no nest of its own, but instead lays her eggs in the nests of other species
(parasitism: see predators section above, and notes section below). She lays 5-7 eggs per
breeding session, but usually only one egg per host nest. The eggs are white with dark
markings (brown or gray).
Nesting Records:
Notes: A member of the Blackbird family, the Brown-headed Cowbird is one of the only two
parasitic bird species in Arizona, and the only brood parasite common across North America.
The female will lay her eggs in the nests of other bird species (known to parasite more than 200
species), which reduces the reproductive success of the other species. Most of these host
species (called "acceptors") will incubate the cowbird eggs and raise the young, even at the
exclusion of their own young. The remaining species (known as the "rejectors") will reject the
cowbird eggs most of the time.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on May 23, 2006.
Riparian Institute at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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BURROWING OWL (ATHENE CUNICULARIA)
Scientific Name: Athene cunicularia (sometimes considered its
own genus with the scientific name of Speotyto cunicularia)
Residency: Year-round in southern Arizona. In the summer, they
reside throughout the state. The Burrowing Owl is a complete
migrator to southern Arizona and Mexico.
Diet: Insects, scorpions, small mammals, amphibians, lizards and
birds. The Burrowing Owl places horse and cow dung around the
burrow to attract dung beetles.
Predators: Mammals, particularly badgers, are major predators.
Domestic cats make up a smaller portion of the predators. Avian
predators of both adult and young Burrowing Owls include:
Swainson's Hawks, Ferruginous Hawks, Merlins, Prairie Falcons,
Peregrine Falcons, Great Horned Owls, Red-tailed Hawks,
Cooper's Hawks, and American Crows have all been seen or suspected as predators of adult and young
Burrowing Owls. Opossums, weasels, skunks and dogs feed on eggs and young.
Nesting: Nests in cavities or burrows in the ground; may use former den of a mammal, or man-made
boxes. Lays one brood per year; the number of white eggs ranges from 2 to 12 per clutch.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College.
Notes: When faced with a mammalian predator during the nesting season, the Burrowing Owl attacks
aerially. When faced with an avian predator, they usually escape into burrows. It is interesting to note that
Burrowing Owls catch food with their feet. This species is diurnal, hunting both at night and during the day
(catches more insects during daytime, and more mammals during night-time). The Burrowing Owl may
dig its own burrow, or take over one previously made by prairie dogs, skunks, armadillos, or tortoises (the
latter is considered a desert keystone species, since its burrows provide homes to several other desert
species). This owl may be found in almost any open environment, including pastures, golf courses,
backyards, airports, open lots, cemeteries, and university campuses. A major cause of death is collision
with cars. This owl is considered an endangered or threatened species in some states.
Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on February 9, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
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CACTUS WREN (CAMPYLORHYNCHUS BRUNNEICAPILLUS)
Scientific Name: Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
Residency: Southwestern Arizona, year-round.
Diet: Insects (beetles, ants, wasps, grasshoppers).
Predators: Snakes, including Red Racer.
Nesting: Pairs normally build a bulky woven nest in natural
fortresses such as clumps of cholla cactus or spiny shrubs.
However, Cactus Wrens make nests for other uses than
breeding; one nest within a territory is used as a nursery,
while others serve as sleeping quarters for their parents or
decoys to fool predators. They also make individual roosting
nests, which they use year round.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College, Coon Bluff, Brown's Ranch, Watt Preserve,
and the Riparian Preserve at the Gilbert Water Ranch.
Notes: The Cactus Wren is the largest wren in North America and is, in fact, Arizona's state
bird. Although no North American wren species is considered threatened or endangered, the
cactus wren may be declining, according to Breeding Bird Survey data.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on April 16, 2002.
Brown's Ranch:
Scottsdale Community College:
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CANADA GOOSE (BRANTA CANADENSIS)
Scientific Name: Branta canadensis
Residency: A winter resident in western, northern, and
northeastern Arizona. Occurs in several localities, mainly
in the high country, but also including a few low elevation
sites such as Roosevelt Lake.
Diet: Entirely herbivorous. Eats submergent vegetation
(aquatic plants), seeds, berries, grasses, sedges, winter
wheat, clovers, and waste grain, especially corn. Feeds
on the ground and in the water.
Predators: Humans are among the most common
predators. The adults are not often preyed upon by other
species, owing to their large size and aggressiveness.
However, coyotes, gray wolves, Snowy Owls, Golden Eagles, and Bald Eagles have been
observed taking adults. Goslings are preyed upon by gulls, foxes, and occasionally Bald Eagles.
Most important egg predators are foxes (arctic and red), Herring, gulls (Glaucous, Iceland and
Glaucous-winged), and jaegers (Long-tailed and Parasitic). Less important are Common Raven,
American Crow, and brown and black bears.
Nesting: Platform-type nest, or large open cup: made of sticks, mosses, lichens, and grasses
lined with down and some body feathers. Nests on the ground at edges of ponds, lakes, or
swamps, on rocks or grass hammocks out in the water. Lays 2-10 creamy-white eggs. One
brood per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The most widespread and commonly seen goose. Some birds no longer migrate during
winter owing to food provided at local ponds by humans. Increased residency can be a nuisance
to humans. Adults molt their primary flight feathers while raising young, rendering family groups
flightless at the same time.
Photo: Photo above was taken at the Riparian Preserve at the Gilbert Water Ranch on
February 18, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
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CANYON WREN (CATHERPES MEXICANUS)
Scientifc Name: Catherpes mexicanus
Residency: Year-round resident throughout Arizona.
Diet: Insects and spiders. The Canyon Wren is not
known to drink water; it is possible that it obtains all the
water it needs from its insect prey.
Predators: Potential predators include; snakes, corvids,
hawks, and falcons.
Nesting: Male and female build nest of twigs and
mosses inside narrow crevice of canyon, rock wall,
boulder pile, or building. Nest is lined with spider's silk,
feathers, fur, webs, wool, lichens, plant down (soft plant material). May reuse nest from year to
year. Lays 3-7 eggs (white with small, faint reddish-brown dots). One-two broods per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Canyon Wren spends its entire life among rocks and cliffs, preferring steep-sided
canyons. It can climb up, down, and across rocks. This bird has a unique anatomy, giving it a
competitive advantage when foraging for food. Its vertebral column is attached higher on the
skull than it is on most other bird species, and the skull is slightly flattened. These modifications
allow the Canyon Wren to thrust its bill into tight crevices without bumping its head.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Coon Bluff on November 9, 2006.
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CATTLE EGRET (BUBULCUS IBIS)
Scientific Name: Bubulcus ibis
Residency: Year-round in southwestern Arizona. In
summer, resides throughout the state.
Diet: Insects (grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, flies,
moths), frogs, reptiles, mollusks, and occasionally
birds. Forages in flocks, in both terrestrial and aquatic
habitats. Often observed in fields, catching insects that
are stirred up by tractors, cattle, horses and other
large farm animals.
Predators: Eggs are taken by Great-tailed Grackle,
American, and Fish Crows. Young and adults are
taken by Cooper's Hawk, Harris' Hawk, Peregrine
Falcon and Great Horned Owl.
Nesting: May nest in colonies, either with other Cattle
Egrets (intra-species), or other heron species (inter-species). It builds a platform-type nest in a
shrub or tree, and lays 2-6 bluish-white eggs once per year (clutch size ranges from 1 to 9
eggs).
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Cattle Egret has benefited from agricultural developments, since this bird thrives in
open areas, lawns, pastures fields, and along roadsides. One of the most abundant herons, this
species is widespread across the Unites States. It has bred in almost all states and populations
are increasing.
Photo: Taken at the Riparian Preserve at the Gilbert Water Ranch on February 17, 2007.
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CLIFF SWALLOW (PETROCHELIDON PYRRHONOTA)
Scientific Name: Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Residency: A common and widespread swallow
species in Arizona during summer and migration; seen
in southwestern Arizona (including Maricopa County)
during migration. In summertime, it is seen in the
remainder of the state (northern, eastern and central
areas).
Diet: Mainly flying insects; rarely berries. Feeds in
close-knit flocks.
Predators: American Kestrels, Great Horned Owls,
Sharp-shinned Hawks, Black-billed Magpies,
Loggerhead Shrikes, Common Grackles and Bull
snakes.
Nesting: Male and female build a gourd-shaped nest with narrow entrance tunnel. Nest made
of mud pellets, and lined with grass and feathers. Lays 1-6 eggs, white with brown speckling.
One to three broods per year. May even have two broods in the same season.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Colonial, with many nests lined up beneath eaves of buildings or cliff overhangs (up to
3,700 nests in one spot!). Nests are sometimes built under bridges or in culverts. Members of
colony may return to the same nest sites each year. Within a colony birds try to steal mud and
grass from each other's nests. A female may carry her eggs in her bill over to another swallow's
nest, or even lay her eggs directly in another's nest.
Photo: Taken by E.N. Olsen at the Riparian Institute at Gilbert Water Ranch on April 7, 2009.
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COMMON RAVEN (CORVUS CORAX)
Scientific Name: Corvus corax
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Omnivorous: eats insects, shellfish,
seeds, fruit, small animals (rodents), bird eggs
and nestlings, carrion and food scraps.
Ravens are scavengers, able to exploit
multiple food sources. Increasing populations
of this bird species can have a significant
negative impact on certain prey species, such
as the Desert Tortoise and Least Tern.
Predators: Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle,
and Coyote.
Nesting: Both the male and female participate in building the platform-type nest, mostly on
cliffs, but also large trees and buildings. Made of sticks, twigs and vine; a depression within the
nest is lined with moss, hair and/or grass. They breed once per year, laying 3-8 eggs (pale
green with brown markings). This species tends to use the same nest site for many years.
Nesting Records: Coon Bluff.
Notes: It is interesting to note that this species follows wolf packs to scavenge carrion. The
Common Raven is also known to scavenge alongside crows and gulls. The Common Raven is
highly intelligent and adaptable, able to survive in extreme ranges of climate from Artic to
desert. It is therefore one of the most widespread bird species in the world. From 1968-1993,
raven populations increased dramatically within the Sonoran Desert, but since 1993 have
leveled off. This population increase is a major concern for some biologists who maintain that
ravens sometimes predate animals within the Sonoran Desert who are considered threatened or
of "special concern" status, such as the Desert Tortoise or the Chuckwalla lizard. These species
suffer from dwindling population numbers from many factors usually associated with habitat
loss, and raven predation may be an added threat to species already vulnerable. It’s interesting
to note, however, that ravens are often closely associated with human activities, and have even
been indicators in some studies of the level to which humans have affected an area This close
relationship with human activities seems to indicate that the rise in raven populations and the
inverse decline of other native species may be more directly due to the human population
explosion that has occurred in the Sonoran Desert within the last few decades.
Photo: Taken at Coon Bluff on April 3, 2007.
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COOPER'S HAWK (ACCIPITER COOPERII)
Scientific Name: Accipiter cooperii
Residency: Year-round resident throughout Arizona,
except for the southwestern corner of the state, where it
only spends the winter.
Diet: Small mammals and birds.
Predators: Great Horned Owl and Red-tailed Hawk.
Nesting: The male builds a platform nest out of sticks
lined with bark; the female lays three to five bluish-white
eggs.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Cooper's Hawk is a prime example of how
human introduction of agents like pesticides into the
natural environment can affect the survival of native
wildlife. The introduction of DDT in the 1940’s and 1950's has been linked to the dramatic
decline in population numbers of this bird, though their population began to increase again in
the 1960's. Although the Cooper's Hawk is listed as threatened or of special concern in many
states, this species has shown the ability to adapt to breeding in urban environments, which
may help to further increase their population.
Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on March 9, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
Robbins Butte:
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COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD (CALYPTE COSTAE)
Scientific Name: Calypte costae
Residency: Resides year-round along the southwestern edge of Arizona. During the summer,
resides throughout western and southern parts of the state. Resides in desert habitat, except
during the hottest days of summer when it moves to chaparral, scrub or woodland habitats.
Diet: Flower nectar, small insects, hummingbird feeders (some will stay the winter if a
consistent food source is available, such as a hummingbird feeder).
Predators: Snakes, Loggerhead Shrike, Cactus Wren, Common Raven, Scrub Jays, and Gray
Thrashers.
Nesting: The small cup-shaped nest is placed in a low protected area in a tree, shrub, cactus,
sage, or yucca stalk. Lays 2-3 white, bean-sized eggs per clutch (one brood per year).
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Costa's Hummingbird is currently on the National Audubon Society's Watchlist due
to severe declines in its populations over the last few decades. These declines have been
attributed to many factors affecting habitat loss, such as urban and agricultural development,
cattle grazing, and the planting of buffel grass for cattle - a plant that fuels fires, thus destroying
native plants that aren’t fire resistant, but which are vital to this species for food and nesting
sites.
Photo: To be added.
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CURVE-BILLED THRASHER (TOXOSTOMA CURVIROSTRE)
Scientific Name: Toxostoma curvirostre
Residency: Year-round in central and southern Arizona.
Diet: Forages on the ground for insects, fruit, berries,
seeds (digs holes in the soil with its curved bill). Will visit
ground seed feeders and bird-baths.
Predators: Egg predators: coachwhips, striped
whipsnakes, gopher snakes, common kingsnake, desert
spiny lizard, ants, Greater Roadrunner, round-tailed
ground squirrel, and Harris antelope ground squirrel. A
Harris' Hawk has been observed taking a fledgling. A
Mexican boa has been observed constricting an adult.
Nesting: Both the female and male build the nest - a bulky loose stick bowl, often in a thorny
shrub, in the arms of a chain cholla cactus, or Buckhorn Cholla, or in a small tree. She lays 1-5
pale blue-green eggs with many brown spots. The pair often remains together for an entire year,
and raises one to three broods in that year. The nest may be repaired and reused.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College, Brown's Ranch, and Watt Preserve.
Notes: The Curve-billed Thrasher is the best known of the six thrashers residing in Arizona. It is
the most widespread of the western thrashers. Like other thrashers, it spends as much time
scurrying around on the ground as it spends flying. It is most common in cholla-rich desertscrub,
but also resides in brush thickets in riparian and urban habitats. It competes with Cactus Wrens,
driving the latter out of its territory. Conservation status: populations are decreasing in some
areas owing to development by humans.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on April 21, 2003.
Scottsdale Community College:
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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EUROPEAN STARLING (STURNUS VULGARIS)
Scientific Name: Sturnus vulgaris
Residency: Year-round throughout the state.
Diet: Primarily insects and other invertebrates, the diet
also includes fruits, nectars, grains, and even the eggs of
other birds.
Predators: Avian Predators: accipiters, buteos, falcons,
and owls. Mammalian predators: weasels, rats, dogs, and
cats. These predators have a very small impact on
population levels of European Starlings, since the latter
are not a major food item for any of these predators.
Starlings have been observed to fly directly to the ground
or into vegetation to escape avian predators. They may also fly in tight flocks to mob avian
predators, or to escape from them.
Nesting: Five to six pale blue eggs are laid in a cavity such as a woodpecker hole.
Nesting Records:
Notes: An exotic species introduced into New York City in the 1800's by Europeans, starlings
are habitat generalists who often out-compete native birds such as Eastern Bluebirds Tree
Swallows, Great Crested Flycatchers and woodpeckers for nesting cavities. Consequently,
many of these native species have suffered population declines.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on February 23, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
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GAMBEL'S QUAIL (CALLIPEPLA GAMBELII)
Scientific Name: Callipepla gambelii
Residency: Year-round in southern and
western Arizona.
Diet: Seeds, grain, cactus fruit, leaves/green
plants, a few insects. Forages primarily in the
early morning and late afternoon. Will visit
seed feeders on the ground.
Predators: Adults are taken by Bobcats,
Cooper's, and Harris' Hawk. Coachwhip, King
snake, Gopher snake, and Gila Monsters eat
eggs.
Nesting: Female builds a cup-shaped nest on the ground, under vegetation, and lines it with
grass and feathers. She lays eggs once or twice per year. Each clutch may have 8 to 14 eggs
(dull white with brown spots). After hatching, the male may take over as care-taker, so the
female can start a second clutch.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Gambel's Quail form winter flocks of up to 20 birds each, called a covey. The covey
splits up for the breeding season. This species has adapted to the dry desert climate, but it
reproduces best after good winter rainfall. The Gambel's Quail may hybridize with Scaled Quail.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on April 20, 2002.
Scottsdale Community College:
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GILA WOODPECKER (MELANERPES UROPYGIALIS)
Scientific Name: Melanerpes uropygialis
Residency: This species is a permanent resident of the
Sonoran Desert.
Diet: Feeds upon invertebrates hiding beneath bark
trees, as well as on cactus fruit, and even saguaro pollen,
when its flower is in bloom. Gila Woodpeckers are able to
catch prey with their sticky tongues. They have been
known to store food within their nesting cavities for winter
usage.
Predators: Preyed upon by hawks and falcons. Young
are preyed upon by snakes.
Nesting: They nest in cavities, which they have excavated with their bills, located within the mid
to lower portion of saguaro cacti. The female lays 3-4 eggs within this cavity, and both the male
and female incubate the eggs.
Nesting Records: Coon Bluff, Brown's Ranch.
Notes: The Gila Woodpecker makes holes in saguaro cacti for nesting, benefiting many other
desert wildlife species who later inhabit these crevices after the Gila Woodpecker has
abandoned them; these species include other birds like the elf and western screech owls,
American Kestral, Brown-crested flycatchers, and other animals including mice, rats, lizards and
snakes. The Gila Woodpecker also serves the ecological role of seed disperser for the saguaro
cactus by eating its fruit, and dispersing its seeds to new locations. The Gila Woodpecker was
once a popular bird in California, but the near elimination of the saguaro cacti along California's
stretch of the Colorado River has reduced this once wide-ranging bird to only a few hundred
pairs in California, and has essentially led this species to almost exclusively reside in Arizona.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Coon Bluff on January 7, 2007.
Watt Preserve:
Coon Bluff:
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GREAT BLUE HERON (ARDEA HERODIAS)
Scientific Name: Ardea herodias
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Mostly fish but also amphibians, reptiles, insects,
rodents and birds.
Predators: Unattended eggs are eaten by Common
Ravens. Predators of nestlings include eagles, raccoons,
bears, Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks.
Nesting: The nest site is typically in a tree 20-60 feet
above the ground or water, although shrubs are also used
in nesting. The female will lay 3-5 eggs in a platform type
nest made out of sticks.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Great Blue Heron is the most widespread and
well known of North American herons. They are very sensitive to human disturbances, primarily
habitat loss. Great Blue Heron abandon their colony sites after adults and nestlings have been
killed by predators. Although this bird's populations have remained relatively stable throughout
most of its range, this species is still protected under the United States Migratory Bird Act.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Coon Bluff on November 9, 2006.
Coon Bluff:
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GREAT HORNED OWL (BUBO VIRGINIANUS)
Scientific Name: Bubo virginianus
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Eats squirrels, mice, rabbits, snakes, domestic cats,
crows, other owls and hawks.
Predators: Only when nest is unattended or the owl is
driven away by human activity are the eggs preyed upon by
crows or ravens; occasional predation by other Great
Horned Owls.
Nesting: Uses old nest of hawk, heron, tree hollow, cliff
ledge, or the top of a saguaro cactus; adds feathers from its
breast to nest. Eggs: 1-4 per clutch, white, 1 brood per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Owls cough up pellets of undigested bones, fur, and feathers. Pellets will accumulate
under its roosting spot.
Photo: Taken at Brown's Ranch on October 15, 2003.
Watt Preserve:
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GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE (QUISCALUS MEXICANUS)
Scientific Name: Quiscalus mexicanus
Residency: Throughout Arizona, year-round. Moves
around to find food (partial migrator in Arizona).
Diet: Insects, fruit, crustaceans, fish, bird eggs, seeds
and grain (will visit feeders for seed and grain).
Predators: Aplomado Falcon, Red-tailed Hawk,
Burrowing Owl, and cottonmouth prey on adults. Cats
and dogs prey on fledglings. Likely nest predators
include cottonmouths and diamondback watersnakes.
In urban settings, nest predators include fox squirrels
and domestic cats.
Nesting: A colony nester, up to thousands of nests. Several females mate with one male. The
female builds cup-shaped nest and lays 1-2 broods per year (each brood has 3-5 greenish-blue
eggs with brown markings). This species prefers to nest near water in an open habitat with
some trees. Also nests in parks, ranches, urban areas. Forms large, noisy roosts in winter.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College.
Notes: Has been expanding its range from Mexico into North America during the last century,
taking advantage of urbanization and irrigation. This bird has successfully increased its
populations throughout its range, using human-modified habitats. It damages some crops and is
therefore considered a pest species.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on May 19, 2006.
Scottsdale Community College:
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GREATER ROADRUNNER (GEOCOCCYX CALIFORNIANUS)
Scientific Name: Geococcyx californianus
Residency: Year-round throughout most of Arizona, except for
the very northeast corner of the state.
Diet: Omnivore: eats insects (e.g. spiders, scorpions,
centipedes), reptiles (e.g. snakes and lizards), small mammals
(e.g. rodents), birds (including the eggs and young of other
birds), carrion, and some fruit. The roadrunner is an
opportunistic feeder, catching small birds at bird feeders and
nest-boxes. The roadrunner is able to survive without drinking
water, as long the food is high enough in water content.
Predators: Adults usually fast enough to evade terrestrial
predators. However, they are infrequently predated upon by raptors (Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper's Hawk),
and occassionally by crows and ravens. Eggs and nestlings are taken by mammals (coyotes, raccoons,
striped skunks), and reptiles (coachwhips and bullsnakes).
Nesting: Male and female construct a shallow platform-type nest, in which one or two broods are raised
per year. The clutch size ranges from two to six eggs (white or yellowish-white in color, without marks).
Interestingly, the male does most of the incubating and feeding of the offspring. The nest is built in a low
position within a thorny shrub, small tree or cactus. The pair stays year-round in the same territory.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College.
Notes: A voracious predator able to run at speeds of up to 18.6 miles per hour, the Greater Roadrunner
will even take on the challenge of hunting rattlesnakes! It kills a large prey by beating it against the
ground or a rock. Two birds may cooperate in order to kill a large snake. The fledglings are able to catch
prey only four weeks after leaving the nest! The Greater Roadrunner thrives in the desert climate as well
as anywhere else. It is known to raise its back feathers in the early morning sun, to expose a dark patch
of skin, which absorbs solar rays and raises the bird's body temperature. The Greater Roadrunner is a
member of the cuckoo family, but is easily distinguished from other birds by its unique body shape, and
very long tail. It also has a prominent crest, which it is able to raise and lower.
Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on April 24, 2002.
Scottsdale Community College:
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GREEN HERON (BUTORIDES STRIATUS)
Scientific Name: Butorides striatus
Residency: Year-round along southern border
of Arizona; summers throughout most of the
state.
Diet: Frogs, fishes, snails, tadpoles, crayfish
and crabs, crickets, dragonflies, water bugs,
and sometimes small snakes and mice.
Predators: Eggs are taken by snakes,
Common Grackles, and Fish Crows. Broadwinged Hawks take adults.
Nesting: Flat nest composed of sticks loosely
arranged with leaves and twigs. The nest is
usually about 10-15 feet above ground. Three
to five eggs are laid; they are sea-green to pale
green in color.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Green Heron populations seem to be
remaining stable throughout its range and may even be slightly increasing in number within the
Sonoran Desert.
Photo: Taken at the Riparian Preserve at the Gilbert Water Ranch on February 17, 2007.
Riparian Institute at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE (PIPILO CHLORURUS)
Scientific Name: Pipilo chlorurus
Residency: The Green-tailed Towhee is a winter resident in southern Arizona, but spends the
majority of its migration cycle in northern Arizona throughout the summer, particularly for
breeding.
Diet: Mainly insects and seeds, though sometimes its diet will also consist of fruits and berries.
Predators: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel, Redtailed Hawk, and Nortehrn Goshawk prey upon young and adults. Steller's Jay, Black-billed
Magpie, and Gopher snake are nest predators.
Nesting: These birds nest within a deep cup constructed from grass, twigs and stems with the
interior lined in small roots and hair, among low protected areas like chaparral and yucca. The
female typically lays 4 white eggs, which are heavily spotted.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Conflicts have been cited in association with the Green-tailed Towhee's nesting and
foraging, especially in California. These include mining, hiking trails, road construction,
conversion of rural areas to urban subdivisions and intentional alteration of habitat to enhance
livestock grazing. Large-scale prescribed fires, eliminating the shrub component of these areas
can likewise be detrimental to this bird.
Photo: To be added.
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HARRIS'S HAWK (PARUBUTEO UNICINCTUS)
Scientific Name: Parubuteo unicinctus
Residency: Year-round in southern Arizona.
Diet: Birds, snakes, lizards, large insects, and small
mammals like rabbits and rodents.
Predators: Predators of the young include Coyotes and
Common Ravens, while Great Horned Owls predate both
the young and the adults of this species.
Nesting: The nest is a platform made out of small sticks; it
is usually found in a yucca, mesquite, or low tree. Three
to five whitish eggs are laid. One to two broods per year.
Nesting Records: Brown's Ranch.
Notes: Threats to the successful survival of the Harris's
Hawk largely include habitat loss and degradation due to
brush/mesquite control and urban and oil and gas development. Hunting and off-road vehicle
use near nest sites have been linked to adult hawks abandoning their young and/or eggs, and
some deaths among this species have been attributed to electrocution in areas containing high
densities of telephone wires, along with deaths due to illegal trappings/shootings. Population
numbers in certain areas of its range have plummeted in the last few decades.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on September 16, 2004.
Scottsdale Community College:
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HOODED ORIOLE (ICTERUS CUCULLATUS)
Scientific Name: Icterus cucullatus
Residency: Year-round in Southern tip of the state.
Summers are spent in the middle of the state, the
northwest and the southeast.
Diet: Eats insects, berries, and flower nectar.
Predators: No information available.
Nesting: Nest is made of coarse grasses and yucca or
palmetto fibers, lined with finer materials, and sewn to
the bottom of a palm tree leaf. Eggs are 3-5 per clutch,
pale with splotches, 2-3 broods per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: They will come to sugar-water solutions found
in hummingbird feeders.
Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on April 13, 2007.
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HORNED LARK (ERMOPHILA ALPESTRIS)
Scientific Name: Ermophila alpestris
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Seeds and insects on the ground.
Predators: Predators of adults and fledglings include
raptors such as falcons, owls, and shrikes. Nest predators
(small birds and eggs) include weasels, skunks, ground
squirrels, raccoons, house cats, meadow voles, shrews,
deer mice, as well as some avian predators (including
American Crows and Western Meadowlarks).
Nesting: Three to five dark spotted eggs are laid in a
grass-lined depression on the ground.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Though this species is widespread and common,
it is declining in some of its range due to urbanization, conversion of prairies to agricultural use
and introduction of exotic species.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on February 9, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
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HOUSE FINCH (CARPODACUS MEXICANUS)
Scientific Name: Carpodacus mexicanus
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Feeds upon seeds and buds of plants; on occasion
it eats insects as well. It forages in flocks on the ground
and within trees.
Predators: Domestic cats and Cooper's and Sharpshinned hawks have been observed to take House Finch
at feeding stations.
Nesting: Constructs a cup-shaped nest made of grasses,
hair, cotton and other plant fibers. Their nests are very
compact, and are placed in saguaro, buckhorn cholla,
other cacti, shrubs and trees. The female lays 2-6 paleblue eggs with black spotting.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College, Brown's Ranch, and Coon Bluff.
Notes: Though native to the southwestern United States, the House Finch was introduced to
the northeastern United States in the 1940's. A conjunctivitis virus that was first recorded in
1996, and that kills or blinds most infected birds, has been afflicting this bird, mostly among
House Finches of the eastern U.S., though presence of the disease has been recorded in
Finches as far west as Texas. Because the House Finch seems to be the primary host of this
disease, it is thought that the probable decrease in genetic resistance (due to the initial small
population introduced and released in the eastern U.S.) is responsible for this species'
susceptibility to the virus. Bird feeders placed too closely together, or with feeding mechanisms
that enable large numbers of birds to feed at once, may be responsible in promoting the
continued transmission of this virus.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on May 23, 2006.
Scottsdale Community College:
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HOUSE SPARROW (PASSER DOMESTICUS)
Scientific Name: Passer domesticus
Residency: Throughout Arizona, year-round.
Diet: Insects, spiders, small fruit, waste grain, crumbs
and weed seeds (comes to seed feeders). Forages on the
ground and in foliage.
Predators: Avian predators include Cooper's Hawk,
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Harrier, Merlin, American
Kestrel, and Loggerhead Shrike. Predators of nesting
adults, young or eggs include cats, dogs, raccoons, and
snakes.
Nesting: Female and males build a domed-cup-shaped nest. Three-seven white eggs with
brown markings per brood (2-3 broods per year). Builds nests in both natural and constructed
habitats, including bird-houses, under eaves of houses, in signs or nooks of commercial
buildings.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College.
Notes: Introduced from its native Europe in the 1850's, this bird has successfully spread across
the North American continent and is now abundant in urban, residential and agricultural areas.
Stays near people and buildings - will incorporate human-made materials into nests, including
scraps of plastic, paper, and whatever else is available. Aggressively competes with native
species that also nest in cavities - will kill adult birds, and the young and eggs of other birds, in
order to take over a cavity or bird-house. May be causing the decline of some native species.
Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on February 25, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
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INCA DOVE (COLUMBINA INCA)
Scientific Name: Columbina inca
Residency: Year-round in southwestern Arizona.
Diet: Fruit, grain and weed seeds (will visit seed feeders
on the ground). May feed alongside poultry. May gather
in large flocks in good feeding areas. Inca Doves huddle
in stacks, a behavior known as "pyramid roosting." A
pyramid may be three levels high and include twelve
doves.
Predators: Domestic cats stalk adults and eat eggs.
Great-tailed Grackles and Blue Jays take eggs. This bird
is a major part of the Cooper's Hawk diet.
Nesting: Male and female build a platform nest, constructed of loose twigs, grass and leaves.
Lays two white eggs per clutch (2-3 broods per year).
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Inca Dove population is increasing in the United States. It thrives in an arid
environment - it is now common in urban areas in the Southwest. This species will reuse the
nests of larger doves such as Mourning Doves.
Photo: Photo above was taken at the Watt Preserve on January 2, 2007.
Coon Bluff:
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KILLDEER (CHARADRIUS VOCIFEROUS)
Scientific Name: Charadrius vociferous
Residency: Year-round resident of Arizona.
Diet: Invertebrates.
Predators: The killdeer's predators include
many birds of prey, foxes, coyotes, domestic
cats and dogs, raccoons and skunks.
Nesting: Four buff, spotted eggs are laid in
an indentation in the ground with a few
pebbles scattered around for camouflage.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community
College.
Notes: This species of bird helps to control the insect populations within its local ecosystems,
including mosquitoes, locusts and ticks. Being highly adaptable to human-modified habitats,
Killdeer reside along virtually every lower-elevation water course, in irrigated fields, lake shores,
golf courses. This bird is very common within its range.
Photo: Taken at the Watt Preserve on January 2, 2007.
Watt Preserve:
Scottsdale Community College:
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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LESSER GOLDFINCH (CARDUELIS PSALTRIA)
Scientific Name: Carduelis psaltria
Residency: Year-round resident of southern and central Arizona, and a summer resident in
northern Arizona.
Diet: Feeds upon seeds. Is a strict herbivore with the exception of an occasional insect.
Predators: Sharp-shinned Hawks, Loggerhead Shrikes, and American Kestrels take adults.
Brewer's Blackbird is known to destroy nestlings.
Nesting: The female constructs a cup-shaped nest of grass, hair, feathers and plant matter.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Populations of this species seem to be remaining stable or even increasing throughout
its range.
Photo: To be added.
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LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE (LANIUS LUDOVICIANUS)
Scientific Name: Lanius ludovicianus
Residency: Year round resident of Arizona.
Diet: Hunts insects. When food is in abundance, the
Shrike will often store food by impaling it upon a sharp
pointed object for later use. When insects are not
prevalent, this bird will kill small mammals (like mice),
reptiles, frogs, and even some birds as large as the
Northern Mockingbird. A Loggerhead Shrike kills birds
and rodents by descending upon the prey from above,
thrusting its bill into the base of the skull, and using the
curved portion of the bill to sever the prey's spinal cord.
Predators: Owls, hawks and falcons.
Nesting: The male Shrike displays carcasses of impaled birds and insects close to the breeding
period. Once the female has chosen her mate, the two then construct the cup-shaped nest
together. They have 1-2 broods per year, each consisting of 4-7 eggs (off-white with dark
markings).
Nesting Records:
Notes: Distinguished by its black mask across the eyes. Although it is a songbird, the
Loggerhead Shrike acts like a small bird of prey: it uses sharp objects (barbed wire fences and
thorns) to skewer prey so it can tear the flesh apart (or store the food for later use). Hence, the
Loggerhead Skrike earned the nickname of "Butcher Bird." This species lacks strong feet
(raptors have strong talons to hold prey in place), but the beak does have a hooked tip for
tearing flesh. Populations have declined in the last 30 years. Factors include: pesticide use
killing its major food source - grasshoppers; increased human disturbances; reduction of
suitable habitat, and increased competition with other birds such as the American Kestrel.
Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on February 6, 2004.
Brown's Ranch:
Scottsdale Community College:
Coon Bluff:
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LUCY'S WARBLER (VERMIVORA LUCIAE)
Scientific Name: Vermivora luciae
Residency: The Lucy's Warbler is a summer resident of
Arizona.
Diet: This warbler eats mostly caterpillars, beetles and
leafhoppers foraged from trees and shrubbery.
Predators: Wood rats, Gila Monsters, lizards, and snakes
eat eggs. No information on adults.
Nesting: Nests are built in pre-existing cavities in velevet
mesquite and cottonwood trees. These birds will also use
old woodpecker cavities.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism is causing problems for this species. This warbler is
on the Audubon's WatchList due to its limited breeding distribution and threats to its habitat.
Photo: Taken at Coon Bluff by E.N. Olsen on March 17, 2009.
Coon Bluff:
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MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER (OPORORNIS TOLMIEI)
Scientific Name: Oporornis tolmiei
Residency: Migrates through the state and found in Northeastern corner of the state during
summers.
Diet: Insects and invertebrates; it forages in undergrowth for food.
Predators: No information found.
Nesting: Nest is a cup of weeds and grasses, placed low in shrub or bush.
Eggs: 3-6 per clutch, white with brown marks; 1 brood per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: To protect against predators, females perform distraction displays and feign injuries near
nest.
Photo: To be added.
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MALLARD (ANAS PLATYRHYNCHOS)
Scientific Name: Anas platyrhynchos
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Mostly aquatic vegetation, but also grains and insects.
Predators: Coyote and Great-horned Owl. Striped skunk eats
eggs. During breeding season females are preyed upon more
than males.
Nesting: Nest is reeds and grasses lined with down, on ground
near water. Eggs: 8-10 per clutch, pale greenish color, 1 brood
per season
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College.
Notes: Male defends feeding area in water while female is building nest. Male has iridescent
green head. Female is brown streaked. They will return to place of birth.
Photo: Taken at the Watt Preserve on January 2, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
Riparian Institute at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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MARSH WREN (CISTOTHORUS PALUSTRIS)
Scientific Name: Cistothorus palustris
Residency: Spends winters in most of Arizona;
resides year-round in the western region of the
state.
Diet: Eats aquatic insects, spiders, and
sometimes bird eggs. Forages on the ground and
in dense foliage.
Predators: Snakes prey upon them occasionally.
Nesting: Spherical nest of soaked reeds, grass
and cattails. Nest is lashed to marsh grasses 1-3
feet above ground. Eggs: 3-8 per clutch, cinnamon
brown with dark spots, 1-2 broods per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: When courting the male will build 5 or 6 "courting nests." The female may then choose
one of them or build a new nest.
Photo: Taken at Coon Bluff on April 3, 2007.
Coon Bluff:
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MOURNING DOVE (ZENAIDA MACROURA)
Scientific Name: Zenaida macroura
Residency: Year-round resident throughout Arizona,
although Morning Doves have been known to migrate to
South/Central America during the winter.
Diet: Feasts upon grain, seeds and fruit. Young are fed
"pigeon milk," a liquid substance created by their parents
by grinding up seeds and grains in their mouths, and then
regurgitating it back into the mouths of the young.
Predators: Adults and young are heavily preyed on by
raptors (mostly falcons and accipters), mammals
(especially raccoons, domestic cats and dogs), and some
snakes.
Nesting: Builds simple platform nests from soft twigs, in which both the male and female
incubates the eggs. This species is known to nest in buckhorn cholla cacti and velvet mesquite
trees.
Nesting Records: Brown's Ranch, Coon Bluff, Scottsdale Community College.
Notes: Though this species is the most widely hunted game bird in all of North America, the
mourning dove seems to be maintaining its population, probably due to its ability to adapt to
nearly any habitat, from farm yards, to prairies, to woodlands or suburban parks - and of course,
to deserts.
Photos: Taken at Scottsdale Community College in 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
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NORTHERN FLICKER (COLAPTES CHRYSOIDES)
Scientific Name: Colaptes chrysoides
Residency: Year-round resident in nothern,
eastern and central Arizona. Winters in
southwestern Arizona.
Diet: This bird eats insects and during breeding
season, fruits, berries, nuts and seeds (will visit bird
feeders). Owing to a hammering system that is
weaker than other woodpeckers, the Northern
Flicker forages upon the ground, mostly catching
ants and beetles. The saliva of the Northern Flicker
contains an antacid that neutralize the acid within
ants.
Predators: Adults and fledglings are taken by
Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawk, Broadwinged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Northern
Harrier. Red-headed Woodpecker, American Crow,
Fish Crow, bull snake, and Blue Jay are known to eat nestlings.
Nesting: Lays 5-9 white eggs in excavated cavities, in a tree, cactus or post. Will also use a
nest-box. Both male and female build the nest and raise one or two broods per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Northern Flicker appears to be in decline, presumably due to habitat loss (including
loss of stags), and through competition of resources with the European Starling.
Photo: Taken by E.N. Olsen at Brown's Ranch on February 24, 2009.
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NORTHERN HARRIER (CIRCUS CYANEUS)
Scientific Name: Circus cyaneus
Residency: Lives year-round only in the very northwest corner of
Arizona. Spends winters anywhere in the state.
Diet: Rodents, insects, snakes, small waterfowl, small birds and
young birds.
Predators: American Crows and Northern Ravens destroy eggs.
Raptors, such as the Great Horned Owl, kill fledglings and
nestlings.
Nesting: The platform nest is often placed on the ground in
marshes. Male and female build the nest out of grass. Four to six bluish-white eggs are laid
(one brood per year).
Nesting Records:
Notes: Formerly known as the Marsh Hawk due to its habit of hunting over marshes. The
Northern Harrier is one of the easiest hawks to identify: it is a low-flying hawk, gliding just above
the ground. This species has suffered population declines throughout its range within the past
century. These declines are attributed to loss of wetland habitat and to changes in farming
practices, including pesticide use, which either directly contributes to habitat loss, or otherwise
affects this species' prey population.
Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on January 13, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
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NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (MIMUS POLYGLOTTOS)
Scientific Name: Mimus polyglottos
Residency: Year-round resident throughout Arizona.
Diet: Eats insects, crayfish, lizards, small snakes, wild
fruits and berries. Feeds mainly upon insects and fruit
(fruits make up 50% of the diet). Mockingbirds forage
mostly upon the ground, flashing their wing bars to
startle prey into movement and then lunging after them.
May come to bird feeder for raisins, other fruit, or
bread.
Predators: Sharp-shinned Hawks, Loggerheaded
Shrikes and Great-horned Owl. Snakes and squirrels will eat eggs.
Nesting: Male Northern Mockingbirds build several nests, from which the female picks one and
lines it with grasses. The female then lays two to six bluish eggs that are spotted brown, all of
which are incubated by both the male and female (1-3 broods per year). Nest is made of twigs,
mosses, plant stems, cloth, string, and dry leaves lined with rootlets and grasses. Nest is in a
shrub, vine tangle, cactus or tree 3-10 feet off the ground.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College.
Notes: They form territories of 1-2 acres, 2 times a year. The mockingbird is a natural pest
controller in its ecosystem, controlling populations of insects, which it eats in large quantities.
This bird also serves as a seed disperser for plants, as it eats a variety of fruits and berries. In
the late 18th and early 19th centuries a strong market for caged mockingbirds rendered the
species nearly extinct in many large cities, but today however, the mockingbird's populations
seem to have stabled, and even flourished in sub-urbanized areas.
Photo: Taken at the Riparian Preserve at the Gilbert Water Ranch on November 18, 2006.
Brown's Ranch:
Scottsdale Community College:
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NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW (STELGIDOPTERYX SERRIPENNIS)
Scientific Name: Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Residency: Summers are spent throughout most of the
state, year-round in Southwest corner.
Diet: Eats insects while flying.
Predators: Young and adults are preyed upon by toads,
frogs, snakes, and mammals.
Nesting: Nest is made of grass, leaves, twigs, moss and
straw. It is placed in a cavity such as a cave or a
drainpipe. It lays 4-8 white eggs per clutch, and has 1
brood per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: After breeding season they will form large flocks
that roost together in marshes or fields.
Photo: Taken at Coon Bluff on March 25, 2007.
Coon Bluff:
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ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (VERMIVORA CELATA)
Scientific Name: Vermivora celata
Residency: Summers in eastern and norther part of
Arizona; winters in southwest. Central Arizona is a
migration zone.
Diet: Eats insects and berries. In winter, comes to bird
feeding stations
Predators: Nests are preyed upon by Garter snakes.
Nesting: Cuplike nest of bark strips and grasses placed in
ground or in a shrub. Eggs: 3-6 per clutch, creamy white
with reddish-brown markings, 1 brood per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: It has an orange crown that is hidden under the
olive head feathers unless its chest is raised.
Photo: Taken at the Riparian Institute at Gilbert Water Ranch on April 7, 2009 by E.N. Olsen.
Back to Index
OSPREY (PANDION HALIAETUS)
Scientific Name: Pandion haliaetus
Residency: Spends summers in northeast part of Arizona, and winters in southwestern corner.
Diet: Eats mostly fish.
Predators: Bald Eagles prey upon nestlings. Great-horned Owls take mostly nestlings, but are
known to kill adults. Also humans (pesticide use).
Nesting: Made of sticks lined with moss and grass placed in a tree, cliff or human structure 5200 ft. high. Eggs: 2-4 per brood, whitish with reddish-brown blotches, 1 brood per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: When breeding, they react to predators in two ways; by diving at the intruder and by
making alarm calls. When feeding, this bird hovers over water, dives down, and catches prey in
its talons. Fish are carried head first. Male brings female all of her food during breeding.
Photo: To be added.
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PEACH-FACED LOVEBIRD (AGAPORNIS ROSEICOLLIS)
Scientific Name: Agapornis roseicollis
Residency: An exotic, introduced species that has been
sighted in urban areas throughout Phoenix and Tucson.
Diet: Eats seeds, berries, flowers, and fruit.
Predators: May be preyed upon by snakes and hawks,
but no known natural predators.
Nesting: Nest is a cavity found in a cactus, tiles of a roof,
or cracks in a house. Fronds are used for building
material. Eggs: 7 per clutch, multiple broods per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Population has established from release of caged
birds. Will feed each other.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on February 25, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
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PRAIRIE FALCON (FALCO MEXICANUS)
Scientific Name: Falco mexicanus
Residency: Western North America from the
Canadian prairies and southern valley of British
Columbia to the Mexican border; winters are spent
farther south.
Diet: Small mammals, insects, reptiles, and ground
dwelling birds.
Predators: Coyote, Bobcat, Great Horned Owl, and
Golden Eagle.
Nesting: The nest is located on a ledge or cliff; true
falcons do not make their own nest. Three to six
reddish, spotted eggs are laid.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Due to the use of DDT falcon populations
greatly declined until 1972 when it was banned, and
populations may still be declining in some areas of its
range due to habitat loss, and possibly due to nest robbing by humans or through rodent
poisoning.
Photo: The photo at left was taken at Scottsdale Community College on January 20, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
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RED-TAILED HAWK (BUTEO JAMAICENSIS)
Scientific Name: Buteo jamaicensis
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Mostly Rodents. Are often seen perched on
telephone poles watching for prey.
Predators: Adult hawks have few predators, but eggs
and nestlings can be predated by Great-horned Owls and
by Corvids.
Nesting: Both the male and female construct a nest of
twigs and bark, lined with feathers and plant material.
The nests tend to be 2-3ft in diameter and 3ft tall and are
usually built in tall trees or cacti such as the saguaro, or
on cliff ledges. When natural structures are unavailable
for nest sites, buildings are sometimes used.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The Red-tailed Hawk plays an important role in its local ecosystem by controlling the
populations of rodents and rabbits, as well as by providing habitat for some small birds that live
in active Red-tailed Hawk nests.
Photo: Taken by E.N. Olsen at Scottsdale Community College on February 24, 2009.
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RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (AGELAIUS PHOENICEUS)
Scientific Name: Agelaius phoeniceus
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Insects and weed seeds. Comes to bird feeders for
cracked corn and mixed seeds.
Predators: Marsh Wrens may kill young without eating
them and puncture eggs. Hawks and owls prey upon
adults.
Nesting: Nest of reeds and grasses lined with finer
material. Nest placed 3-8 ft off the ground in reeds and
grasses or shrubs. Eggs: 3-5 per clutch, pale greenish
blue with dark marks, 2-3 broods per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Nests placed over deep water are safer from
predators.
Photo: Male photographed at Scottsdale Community College on February 22, 2007.
Coon Bluff:
Scottsdale Community College:
Riparian Institute at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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ROCK PIGEON (COLUMBA LIVIA)
Scientific Name: Columba livia
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Grains, seeds, and fruit.
Predators: In North America, predators of this bird include raccoons, Great-horned Owls,
Golden Eagles, American Kestrels and Peregrine Falcons.
Nesting: Two white eggs are laid in a poorly built nest made out of sticks and other materials
placed in a sheltered niche. Male and female raise 3-4 broods per year.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College.
Notes: The Rock Dove, also known as the Rock Pigeon, has very high and stable population
numbers, in part due to city dweller feedings. In fact, periodic trappings and poisonings occur in
some areas to reduce numbers. This bird utilizes urban and other human-occupied
environments quite well, so it has probably not had much of a negative effect on native birds.
Photo: To be added.
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ROCK WREN (SALPINCTES OBSOLETUS)
Scientific Name: Salpinctes obsoletus
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Insects and spiders.
Predators: American Kestrel, antelope ground
squirrel, and snakes such as the racer.
Nesting: The nest is usually found in sheltered sites
such as in between boulders, cracks, crevices, gopher
burrows, steep banks of washes, and in the cracks of
brick and adobe buildings. The nest is built out of
weeds, grasses, twigs, and bark; it is lined with softer
materials such as feathers and hair. Four to eight
brown speckled eggs are laid.
Nesting Records:
Notes: This bird is currently widespread and common throughout most of its range, because
much of its habitat is largely unaffected by human activity. However, livestock grazing near
nesting Rock Wrens is thought to be responsible for an increase of parasitism by Brown-headed
Cowbirds, and may eventually prove a threat to this species.
Photo: Taken at Coon Bluff on January 7, 2007.
Coon Bluff:
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RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (REGULUS CALENDULA)
Scientific Name: Regulus calendula
Residency: Year-round in northern Arizona; winters in
southern and central part of the state.
Diet: Eats insects, spiders, and some fruit and seeds.
Drinks tree sap.
Predators: Sharp-shinned Hawks - and they are known
to mob the Ruby-crowned Kinglet by flying close to its
head.
Nesting: Nest made of mosses, twigs and lichens; lined
with fur and other fine materials. Hangs from branch 2100 ft. above ground. Eggs: 2-11 eggs per clutch, creamy white with brown marks.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Feeds at the tips of branches by hovering and gleaning from leaves. Constantly flicks its
wings.
Photo: Taken at the Watt Preserve on January 2, 2007.
Watt Preserve:
Coon Bluff:
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SAVANNAH SPARROW (PASSERCULUS SANDWICHENSIS)
Scientific Name: Passerculus sandwichensis
Residency: Winters throught most of Arizona,
summering in the northeastern part of the state.
Diet: Insects and insect larvae, will also consume other
arthropods. Will eat seeds when outside breeding
season. Forages on the ground, flocks only during
nonbreeding season.
Predators:
Nesting: Nests built on the ground with an external layer
of course grasses, lined with a tightly-woven cup of softer
grasses. Clutch size is 2-6 eggs, which are pale green,
blue, tan or white, with speckles or streaks; egg coloration varies considerably between
subspecies.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Savannah Sparrows have very strong natal philopatry, and are very likely to return each
year to the precise area they were hatched; this has resulted in the differation of the species into
17 recognized subspecies.
Photo: Taken by E.N. Olsen at Scottsdale Community College on February 17, 2009.
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SAY'S PHOEBE (SAYORNIS SAYA)
Scientific Name: Sayornis saya
Residency: This species is a year-round resident
within southern Arizona. During summer, it also
resides in northern Arizona.
Diet: Feeds upon a variety of insects. This bird is a
"sit-and-wait" insect catcher, although it sometimes will
catch insects in mid-flight.
Predators: Preyed upon by hawks and falcons. Nest
predators (known or suspected) include rattlesnakes,
red squirrels, chipmunks, Merlin, Clark's Nutcracker,
and domestic cat.
Nesting: Nest locations vary greatly from rocky ledges
and trees to barns. Regardless of location, the nest is
often made of mud, grasses, weeds, mosses, twigs, spider webs, and other materials, and is
cup-shaped. This Phoebe may lay 7-12 eggs in one season.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College.
Notes: Population numbers of this species seem to be stable throughout all of its range,
including the Sonoran Desert. This bird seems to benefit from urbanization through humanmade structures used for nest sites.
Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on March 5, 2007.
Watt Preserve:
Scottsdale Community College:
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SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (ACCIPITER STRIATUS)
Scientific Name: Accipiter striatus
Residency: Year-round in northern Arizona; winters are spent in central and southwestern
Arizona.
Diet: Small birds.
Predators: Adults and young are vulnerable to raptors. Bald Eagles are known to kill them
during migration.
Nesting: Platform nest of sticks lined with bark, placed in tree 10-90 ft. high. Eggs: 3-8 per
clutch, whitish with dark marks, 1 brood per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Catches small birds midair and carries them off to eat. May hunt around bird feeders.
Largest numbers seen in spring and fall in migration flights as it flies along coasts or mountain
ridges.
Photo: To be added.
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SNOW GOOSE (CHEN CAERULESCENS)
Scientific Name: Chen caerulescens
Residency: Spends winters in the Southwestern
corner of Arizona.
Diet: A variety of plants: aquatic, grasses, and
grains. Also digs up the roots and tubers of aquatic
plants.
Predators: Herring and Caribou are egg predators.
Bald Eagles and Coyotes prey upon adults.
Nesting: Made of grasses and down; built near
water. Eggs: 2-6 per clutch, creamy white to dirty
gray, 1 brood per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Parents will defend nest by spreading wings
open over goslings in the face of a predator. Usually they will abandon the nest upon loss of 1
or 2 eggs.
Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on January 10, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
Riparian Institute at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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SONG SPARROW (MELOSPIZA MELODIA)
Scientific Name: Melospiza melodia
Residency: Year-round throughout Arizona.
Diet: Insects and seeds. They forage mostly on
the ground.
Predators: Domestic cats like to prey on them
when they are foraging on the ground. Also preyed
upon by hawks and falcons. Young and eggs are
eaten by snakes.
Nesting: The female sparrows build cup-shaped
nests made of twigs and weeds that are located in
dense low-growing brush or cacti, or in the ground.
The females lay 2-5 eggs, which may be plain or
spotted.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Populations of Song Sparrows are relatively stable. They were considered abundant in
Colonial times, and because they prefer brushy habitats, seem to have benefited by the clearing
of the dense forests that once covered North America.
Photo: Taken at Coon Bluff on April 4, 2007.
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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VERDIN (AURIPARUS FLAVICEPS)
Scientific Name: Auriparus flaviceps
Residency: Year-round through all of the state except
the Northeast corner.
Diet: Mainly insects, but small spiders, berries, small
fruits and seeds are sometimes eaten.
Predators: Adults and juveniles are taken by Sharpshinned Hawks and Cooper's Hawks. Nests are preyed
upon by Loggerhead Shrikes, Scrub-Jays, and most likley
the coachwhip snake.
Nesting: Verdin are likely to build their nests in a Blue
Palo Verde (or in another palo verde tree), in a Catclaw Acacia, or in a Velvet Mesquite tree.
The male may build many bulky twig nests before the female chooses the one she wants. The
female will lay 3-6 pale green eggs with red-brown dots. The nests are large and oval or
spherical. They are placed far out on branches, and may last many years in the desert
environment.
Nesting Records: Scottsdale Community College, Coon Bluff, and Brown's Ranch.
Notes: Verdin populations are declining through much of its range, probably due to habitat loss
caused by land development.
Photo: Photo above was taken at Scottsdale Community College on April 18, 2003.
Scottsdale Community College:
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch:
Brown’s Ranch:
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VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW (TACHYCINETA THALASSINA)
Scientific Name: Tachycineta thalassina
Residency: Spends summers in most of Arizona, everywhere but the southwestern corner.
Diet: Catches insects in the air and on the ground.
Predators: Little information, House Wrens may destroy eggs in swallow nests near their own.
Nesting: Nest made of straw, grasses, twigs and rootlets, lined with feathers, and placed in a
natural cavity or nest box.Eggs: 4-6 per clutch, white, 1-2 broods per year.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Have been observed helping other birds raise their young using the previous nest as
their own, may nest in groups.
Photo: To be added.
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WARBLING VIREO (VIREO GILVUS)
Scientific Name: Vireo gilvus
Residency: Spends summers in most of Arizona, all but the southwestern corner.
Diet: Eats insects and some berries.
Predators: Steller's Jay is a likely predator. Both sexes will approach predator and "mob" it.
Nesting: Nest made of leaves, bark, grasses and plant down. It is bound with spider web, lined
with horse hair and stems and suspended in horizontal tree branch 4-90 ft. above ground. Eggs:
3-5 per clutch, whit with brown spots.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Has an easily recognizable warbling song.
Photo: To be added.
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WATER PIPIT (ANTHUS SPINOLETTA)
Scientific Name: Anthus spinoletta
Residency: Spends winters throughout most of Arizona, and summers in southern region of the
state.
Diet: Eats insects and seeds.
Predators: Dear mice and Northern Raven may kill nestlings and take eggs. Adults are preyed
upon by American Kestrel and Barn Owl.
Nesting: Nest made of grasses and twigs, lined with fine materials, built on the ground. Eggs:
5-6 per clutch, gray-white with dark marks.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Also known as the American Pipit (Anthus rubescens).
Photo: To be added.
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WESTERN KINGBIRD (TYRANNUS VERTICALIS)
Scientific Name: Tyrannus verticalis
Residency: Summers throughout the state of Arizona.
Diet: Eats insects caught midair, and some berries.
Predators: Black-billed Magpie, Cooper's Hawk, American Kestrel, and Great-horned Owl
attack eggs or nestlings. The adult Western Kingbirds aggressively defend their nest against
predators.
Nesting: Nest is an open cup, made of twigs, plant stems, rootlets and lined with finer
materials. They are built in trees, or on poles and other human-made structures. Eggs: 2-7 per
clutch, creamy white with heavy dark spots around larger end.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Has an orange-red crown that is normally concealed, but is exposed during aggressive
encounters; is aggressive to large birds near nest.
Photo: To be added.
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WESTERN MEADOWLARK (STURNELLA NEGLECTA)
Scientific Name: Sturnella neglecta
Residency: Winters in southern Arizona. Year-round in the
nothern two-thirds of Arizona.
Diet: Eats primarily insects while breeding, and fruits and
grains while not breeding.
Predators: Hawks. Incubating or brooding birds are also
predated upon by domestic cats, dogs, foxes, and skunks.
Nesting: The partially-domed nest is usually placed in a
grassy tussock, 3-7 spotted white eggs are laid in the grassy
nest.
Nesting Records:
Notes: This species is abundant throughout North America, but is declining in some areas of its
range, including Arizona, presumably due to a loss of native grassland habitat.
Photo: Photo at right was taken at Scottsdale Community College on March 5, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
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WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (ZONOTRICHIA LEUCOPHRYS)
Scientific Name: Zonotrichia leucophrys
Residency: Winters throughout Arizona.
Diet: Insects and seeds.
Predators: Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels,
Scrub-Jays, and Crows.
Nesting: The cup-shaped nest is made out of fine
grasses and is placed on or near the ground. Three to
five pale bluish, dark-spotted eggs are laid.
Nesting Records:
Notes: The White-crowned Sparrow may be declining in
some areas of the western United States.
Photo: Photo at right was taken at Scottsdale Community College on October 15, 2003.
Scottsdale Community College:
Coon Bluff:
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch:
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WHITE-THROATED SWIFT (AERONAUTES SAXATALIS)
Scientific Name: Aeronautes saxatalis
Residency: Year-round in southwestern part of Arizona; summers throughout the northern and
eastern regions.
Diet: Eats insects that it catches while flying.
Predators: American Kestrel and Prairie Falcon prey upon adults and fledged juveniles.
Nesting: Nest is made of feathers glued together with its sticky "saliva." Attaches nest to the
vertical surface of a crevice, rocky cliff or building. Lays 3-6 white eggs per clutch.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Highly social, sleeps in roosts of hundreds of birds.
Photo: To be added.
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WHITE-WINGED DOVE (ZENAIDA ASIATICA)
Scientific Name: Zenaida asiatica
Residency: Year-round in southern Arizona; in
summertime, they also reside in central Arizona,
horizontally across the state.
Diet: Eats weed, flower and other plant seeds, acorns,
cactus fruit, and waste grain.
Predators: Nest predators include Great-horned Owl, Gila
Woodpecker, Cactus Wren, Great-tailed Grackel, and
ringtail. Hawks and raptors occasionally take adults. Will
perform broken wing display to lead predators away from
nest.
Nesting: A 4-25 ft. high nest is constructed of twigs, sticks,
grass, and weed stems. The nest is placed at the fork of a
horizontal branch, or on top of a deserted nest in a tree. Lays one to four creamy white eggs (23 broods per year).
Nesting Records:
Notes: May roost and nest colonially, particularly in mesquite thickets.
Photo: Taken by Galen Hartman at Robbins Butte on March 16, 2009.
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WILSON'S WARBLER (WILSONIA PUSILLA)
Scientific Name: Wilsonia pusilla
Residency: Migrates through Arizona.
Diet: Insects (caught while flying) and berries.
Predators: Domestic cats, small hawks, snakes and nocturnal mammals. May perform broken
wing displays in response to predators.
Nesting: A bowl-shaped nest is constructed out of leaves, grasses, mosses. Positioned on the
ground usually at the base of a shrub. One brood per year, consisting of 2-8 eggs, creamy white
with fine reddish spots.
Nesting Records:
Notes: Both male and female are olive-green above and yellow below. Male has black cap.
Photo: To be added.
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YELLOW -RUMPED WARBLER (DENDROICA CORONATA)
Scientific Name: Dendroica coronata
Residency: Year-round in central and southeastern part of
Arizona; summers in northeast corner, and winters in
southeast corner.
Diet: Eats insects and especially berries in the winter;
comes to feeders for suet and fruit.
Predators: American Kestrel and other corvids. In
response, both parents will drag wings through leaves to
make noise.
Nesting: Nest is a cup of twigs, grasses, and rootlets, lined
with finer materials, and placed 5-50 ft. up in conifer. Lays
3-5 eggs per clutch; eggs are cream-colored with brown marks.
Nesting Records:
Notes: One of the most common warblers in the United States. It is the only warbler able to
digest the waxes found in the fruit it eats; this competitive advantage allows this species to
further its range.
Photo: Taken at the Watt Preserve on January 2, 2007.
Scottsdale Community College:
Watt Preserve:
Coon Bluff:
Robbins Butte:
Back to Index
REFERENCES
Bird information was obtained from the following sources:

Arizona Game and Fish Department. "Arizona Wildlife Views - Special Edition:
Birds of Arizona." Vol.35, No.8, August 1992.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All About Birds (website).
Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Ornithologists' Union. The Birds of
North America Online (website).
National Audubon Society. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North


American Birds: Western Region. Knopf: revised edition, September 1994.



Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Knopf: first edition,
October 2001.
Stokes, Donald and Lillian. Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Western Region. Little,
Brown and Company: 1996.
Tekiela, Stan. Birds of Arizona: Field Guide. Adventure Publications, Inc.:
Cambridge, Minnesota, 2003.