In The Desert

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Birds, Waterfowl

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Western Kingbird

(Tyrannus verticalis)

Found all across open habitats in the desert of western North America. Spend their winters in southern Mexico and Central America. Eat bees, wasps, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, bugs and spiders. Great insect hunters.
Length = 9.4 in. Wingspan = 15.7 in.

Clark's Grebe

(Acchmophorus clarkii)

A white-faced version of the Western Grebe, the Clark's Grebe was formerly thought to be the same species. Differences in face and bill color keep keep the two grebes from interbreeding..
Length = 29.5 in.
Wingspan = 32.3 in.

Mexican Jay

(Aphelocoma wollweberi)

A bird of the Mexican mountains, the Mexican Jay lives in the oak woodlands of wester Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. In most populations the young jays have large areas of white or flesh color on the basal half of the bill. It can take more than two years for the bill to turn entirely dark.
Length =11 inches

Yellow-headed Blackbird

(Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)

Their call sounds like a rusty farm gate opening. Living in wesern prairie wetlands where they nest in reeds near the water. They east aquatic insects caterpillars, flies, ants, and spiders.
Length = 10.2 in. Wingspan = 17 in.

American White Pelican

(Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

They use their bill to scoop up in their bill pouchs. They have to supply roughly 150 lbs. of food to nourish a chick from birth till it's time to forage on its own. They are often seen in the Salton Sea in southern California. These photos were taken at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah.
Length = to 65 in.
Wingspan = to 111 in.

Cinnamon Teal

(Anas cyanoptera)

Found in ponds throughout the Amercian West. Visits reservoirs, seasonal marshes, ditches and marshlands. Eats seeds and aquatic vegetation, insects, snails and zooplankton.
Length = 16.9 in.

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Home Animals Desert Map Photography What's New?

Events Weather Writer's Cafe City Profiles Life in the Desert Local Happenings

Home Animals Desert Map Photography What's New?

Events Weather Writer's Cafe City Profiles Life in the Desert Local Happenings

Photo courtesy of Paula Kerr

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Birds 2

Photo courtesy of Paula Kerr

Photo courtesy of Paula Kerr

Photos courtesy of Paula Kerr

Photo courtesy of Paula Kerr

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Seagull

(Larus occidentalis)

There are many different species of seagulls. Although they are associated with the Oceans, they are often found in inland waters as well. This one was photographed at Alamo Lake, Arizona.

Green Heron

(Buterides virescens)

A dark crow sized Heron -- the Green Heron shown here was in the Gila River, Arizona. This greenish colored Heron feeds along the edges of any body of water. We've seen them catch fish up to 8 inches long; and not be able to swallow them. They eat fish, frogs, and a wide variety of insects.
Length = 16 to 22 inches

We really do appreciate the photos and information others have given us to add to this data base of birds found in the desert southwest. Thank you.

Vermilion Flycatcher

Photo courtesy of Rob Boone

Bronzed Cowbird

(Molothrus aeneus)

It forages mostly by walking on the ground. May associate with cattle or horses catching insects - including caterpillars, beetles, flies, spiders and snails. It breeds from the southern U.S. through Central America. It was once known as the Red-eyed Cowbird.

Curved-billed Thrasher

(Toxostoma curvirostre)

Lives in the Sonoran Desert or in dry brushy country, mainly lowlands. Avoids extreme desert situations with sparse plant life. It is also recognized for its sickle-shaped bill - almost as long as its head. Measures 10 to 12 inches long. Photo taken in Hereford, Arizona.

Photo courtesy of Tony Battiste

Photo courtesy of Dennis Braddy

White-crowned Sparrow

(Zonotrichia leucophrys)

White-crowned sparrows appear each winter over much of North America to grace our gardens and favorite trails (they live in parts of the West year-round). Their bill is pink or yellow. Adults are 7 inches long and have black and white stripes on their head. This one was photographed in Tuscon, Arizona.

This is a female, the male has a much brighter red coloration. You'll see them perched like this waiting to swoop down and catch an insect. They live in the Southwest and even more southward.
Small - 5.1 to 5.5 inches in length.
This one was photographed in Tucson, Arizona.

(Pyrocephalus rubinus)

Photo courtesy of Paula Kerr

Neotropic Cormorant

(Phalacrocorax brasilianus)

This cormorant is the only one of its species known to plunge-dive into water to catch fish. Unlike gannets and boobies, it does not dive from great heights. It is not always successful and only catches fish once in every six to ten plunges.
Length = 24 inches
Wingspan 40.2 inches

These were photographed in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, New Mexico

Photo courtesy of Rob Boone

Steller's Jay

(Cyanocitta stelleri)

A bird found in mountains of the west at elev. of 3,000 - 10,000 ft. Also known as the long-crested jay, mountain jay and pine jay. They're familiar birds of campgrounds, picnic areas, parks and backyards. This one was photographed in the Sierra Nevada mountains just 75 miles northwest of Ridgecrest, Ca.
Length =11.5 inches

Photo courtesy of Greg Watson