Key to the Common Bird Species
| House Finch: |
A small finch (13cm), male has a red breast during the breeding season, females and males have a streaked breast (one difference between house finches and house sparrows: only finches have a streaked breast).
Food: seeds |
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| House Sparrow: |
A small bird (15cm), male has a black throat and white cheeks, females and young are have a dingy breast, rusty wings, and dull eyestripe.
Food: feeds on anything, especially seeds and handouts. |
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| Great-tailed Grackle: |
A larger bird (46cm), males have a purple (almost black), glossy color and have a large tail; females are much smaller (35cm) and are brown with a pale breast (also have a long tail).
Food: feeds on anything, especially on insects and handouts found on the ground. |
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| Starling: |
A chunky blackbird (20cm) that has a shorter tail and longer bill than other blackbirds of the same size. Feathers become speckled during the fall and winter (one difference between starlings and great-tailed grackles: starlings have much shorter tails).
Food: primarily insects found in lawns, some fruits and seeds. |
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| Mourning Dove: |
A relatively large dove (30cm), a pointed tail with white along the edges (one difference between mourning doves and white-winged doves: mourning doves do not have large white patches on the wing).
Food: seeds, grains, buds and other vegetation on the ground. |
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| Inca Dove: |
Relatively small dove (19cm), feathers have a scaly look and the primary feathers are reddish-brown (much smaller than the Mourning Dove).
Food: seeds, grains, buds and other vegetation on the ground. |
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| Pigeon (Rock Dove): |
A large (30cm) gray bird with a white patch on the rump.
Food: seeds, grains, buds, other vegetation on the ground, and handouts. |
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Other Species Likely to be Sighted
Pictures are included for the most common, for other description/pictures of these birds use one of the field guides to western birds (such as Peterson’s Field Guide)
A. Perching landbirds (that fly from one perch to another)
1. Birds that catch flying bugs and have relatively wide bills: Cedar Waxwing, Phainopepla, Western Kingbird, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycatcher , Loggerhead Shrike
2. Birds that have curved bills: Curve-billed Thrasher, Cactus Wren
3. Jay-size or larger birds with straight bills: Common Raven, Northern Mockingbird
4. Blackbird-size birds with straight bills: Brown-headed Cowbird, Bronzed Cowbird, Bullock’s Oriole, American Robin
5. Warbler-size birds with straight bills: Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Lucy’s Warbler, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Verdin
6. Cardinal-size with cone-shaped bills: Pyrrhuloxia, Cardinal, Abert’s Towhee
7. Sparrow-size with cone-shaped bills: American Goldfinch, White-crowned Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow
B. Tree-climbers
Northern Flicker, Gila Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker
C. Birds that primarily obtain food while flying
Barn Swallow, Chimney Swift, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Anna's Hummingbird, Costa's Hummingbird
D. Birds that forage primarily by walking on the ground
Greater Roadrunner, Gambel's Quail, White-winged Dove, Killdeer
E. Daytime Birds of Prey
Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Harris Hawk, American Kestrel
F. Waterbirds
Mallard, Canada Goose, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Blue Heron
G. Nocturnal predators
Great-Horned Owl, Burrowing Owl, Barn Owl
 
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