American Coot

American Coots are black with a white bill and red eyes. While they are waterfowl and look similar to ducks, these birds are not in the same order as ducks and are distantly related. They can be found in flocks in ponds, marshes, and lakes. These birds can also be found on the water on golf courses and city parks. Some populations will migrate in the winter. American Coots will forage in the water by upending or diving to eat algae, leaves, stems, grasses, aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles, and fish. These birds are noisy and aggressive and will attack each other with their big feet over territories. They have a variety of calls, such as chirps, screams, and whistles. During the breeding season, the male will perform a mating ritual while swimming to the female. After mating, they will have one or two broods a year with six to 11 eggs in each. The eggs are grey with brown spots, and both the males and females will build a nest in tall aquatic vegetation and incubate them.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-coot

American Goldfinch

American Goldfinches have black faces and black wings with white spots. In the winter, both sexes are mostly yellowish brown; in the summer, the males are bright yellow and the females are yellow-green. They can be found in open areas, such as meadows, grasslands, patches of weeds and thistles, or fields. They will migrate in the fall and spring.  Their diet mostly consists of seeds from either feeders or weeds, shrubs, and trees. American Goldfinches will forage in flocks, and their favorite seeds are Daisy seeds. Their call types are chatters, chirps, and whistles. During the breeding season, the male will perform a mating ritual by singing and displaying feathers. After mating, the female will build a nest that is so tight it can hold water. They will have between two and seven eggs that are bluish-white with light brown spots. The female will incubate the eggs while the male feeds the female. Both the male and female will provide parental care after hatching. 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-goldfinch

American Kestrel

American Kestrels are reddish brown with two black face stripes and long tails. Males will have blue-gray wings.They are the smallest falcons in North America. These birds can be found in grasslands, woodlands, forests, savannas, fields, and meadows. They are commonly spotted on power line wires or flying low in fields catching grasshoppers. Some populations will migrate. American Kestrels mainly eat large insects but will also eat small mammals, reptiles, and birds. They are also known as the Grasshopper Hawk due to the number of grasshoppers they consume. They hunt by watching and then swooping down and grabbing prey. Their calls are screams. While flying, the male will perform a mating ritual by calling and diving toward the female and offering food. After mating, they will build nests in holes in trees or nesting boxes. American Kestrels will have four to six eggs that are white or pale brown with brown and grey spots. Both parents will incubate the eggs. After hatching, the female will stay with the young while the male brings them food. 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-kestrel

Anna's Hummingbird

Anna’s Hummingbirds are green on top and grey on the bottom with fuchsia throats. The males have more striking throat colors. They are medium-sized and weigh two pennies. They have high metabolisms, a resting heart rate of 420 to 460 beats per minute, an average body temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit, and wings that beat 12 to 80 times a second and allow them to fly backward. Anna’s Hummingbirds are found year-round due to food in hummingbird feeders and some winter-blooming trees. They are not social and aggressively defend their territory.  These birds are pollinators and feed on nectar in plants, their favorites being currant and gooseberry. They also will eat small invertebrates. In the winter, they will enter torpor and slow down their heart rates to 50 beats per minute and drop their body temperature to 48 degrees Fahrenheit. You should not disturb torpid hummingbirds. Both sexes will sing as a call and the male will sing while flashing his throat. The male will perform a courtship ritual by diving to the female in a J-shaped pattern. After mating, the female builds a walnut-sized nest on a tree branch made from plant material and small feathers stuck together with spider webs. They will have two white eggs the size of jelly beans.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/anna-s-hummingbird.htm

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagles have brown bodies and wings, white tails and heads, and yellow beaks and feet. The juveniles are almost entirely brown. They are large predatory raptors with sharp talons and a six and a half foot wingspan. They can be found in Alaska, the Rocky Mountains, and along the Mississippi River. They are seen in trees or flying above lakes, reservoirs, or rivers. Their diet is mainly fish, but they will also eat small birds, rodents, and carrion. They were previously on the Endangered Species Act but were removed in 2007. Bald Eagles are solitary animals but will spend the breeding season with the same mate every year, unless their current mate dies. They build their nests on tops of trees with sticks and twigs and will return every year and continuously add onto it. The nest can eventually weigh over a ton and reach up to six feet in diameter and height. After copulation, they will lay two or three eggs, and both the male and female will provide parental care until they are independent. They will become mature at five years old and then find their mate. Bald Eagles will live for 20 to 30 years. 

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Bald-Eagle

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfishers have blue bodies and heads with a white throat and bellies. They are 13 inches tall and have a crested head. They can be found around wetlands, rivers, lakes, or ponds with clear water for fishing. These birds will migrate during winter to find unfrozen water sources by following rivers or coastlines. Belted Kingfishers prey upon fish, giving them their name. They will hunt by watching the water above for fish, then diving head first and capturing the fish with their bill. They will cough up the indigestible parts of the fish in pellets. These birds will also eat aquatic invertebrates and frogs. Their call type includes screams, trills, buzzing, and rattles. During courtship, the males bring fish to the females as an offering.  Then, they will both build a nest along a dirt bank. Both the males and females will provide parental care. The males will incubate the eggs during the day, while the females incubate at night. They will both provide food for the young after hatching.  Belted Kingfishers will have one brood per year with five to eight white eggs. 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/belted-kingfisher

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbirds have white and light brown bodies and black heads and chins, giving them their name. The males have a purple band below their chin that is hard to see. They are just under four inches tall. Black-chinned Hummingbirds can be found in forests, woodlands, mountains, savannas, shrublands, and urban areas. After breeding, they will often move to the mountains. They are migratory and will leave in the fall to migrate to Mexico and then migrate back in the spring. Black-chinned Hummingbirds will feed on nectar from flowers, sugar water from hummingbird feeders, and insects. Their call types are buzzing, chirps, and trills.  During courtship, the males will fly back and forth while buzzing. After mating, the females will build a nest in a shrub or tree made from grass, spiderwebs, and down. The females provide parental care by incubating the eggs and feeding the young. They will have up to three broods a year with two white eggs.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/black-chinned-hummingbird

Burrowing Owls

Burrowing Owls are brown with white specks across their body.  They have long legs, no ear tufts, and a wingspan of 20 to 24 inches. They are ten inches tall and weigh six ounces. Burrowing Owls are ground-dwelling and will live in burrows that were either dug themselves or abandoned. They are active at dusk and dawn. Burrowing Owls prey upon insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians. To attract their favorite food, Dung Beetles, they will line their burrows with animal waste. After mating, both the males and females will provide parental care. Owlets will hide in the burrows while waiting for their parents to bring food and mimic the sounds of Rattlesnakes for protection. They will live for six to eight years. 

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Burrowing-Owl

Calliope Hummingbird

Calliope Hummingbirds are pale green and white with a magenta throat. They are three inches tall and weigh one-tenth of an ounce, making them the smallest birds in North America.  They can be found in woodlands, forests, deserts, savannas, and shrublands, but mainly in mountains. These birds may migrate to Mexico in the winter through the Rocky Mountains.  Their call types are buzzing and chirps. Calliope Hummingbirds feed on nectar from flowers close to the ground to avoid bigger, more aggressive hummingbirds. They may also feed at hummingbird feeders and on small insects. Males establish territories and then perform courtship rituals by displaying throat feathers and flying in a U-shape while diving and making a popping sound. After mating, the females will build a nest in a tree or shrub made from plant down, spider webs, and moss. The females provide parental care. They will have one brood with two white eggs.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/calliope-hummingbird

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper’s Hawks have brown bodies with white specks and white chests. They have yellow talons and black, sharp beaks. They weigh one pound and have a three-foot wingspan. The females are larger and more powerful, making the males submissive. Cooper’s Hawks can be found in forests, woodlands, and urban areas. They prey upon smaller birds, such as starlings and blackbirds, but will also eat small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. They are active during the day and will ambush prey after waiting on tree branches to swoop down and grab it. These hawks will watch bird feeders for an easy meal. Cooper’s Hawks are solitary birds but will mate with the same partner every year. After mating, males will collect the nesting material and bring it to the females to build their nest. Females will lay four or five eggs and incubate them while the males bring the females food. Both the males and females will provide parental care to the young after hatching.

https://animals.net/coopers-hawk/

Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpeckers have white bodies with black streaks, a small red spot on their heads, and black wings. They are nine inches tall. These birds can be found in forests, woodlands, shrublands, mountains, savannas, and urban areas. They do not migrate. Their diet mainly includes wood-boring insects, but they will also eat seeds, nuts, and berries. Hairy Woodpeckers will forage on trees or shrubs. Their calls include chirps, drums, trills, and rattles.  The males and females will have separate territories throughout the year. During the breeding season, they will pair up with the same mate from the year before. The males and females will perform a courtship ritual by drumming in a duet at the nest site. They will build a nest together in a tree cavity in the female’s territory. The males will incubate at night, and the females will incubate during the day. Hairy Woodpeckers will have one brood per year with three to six white eggs. Both the males and females will provide parental care.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/hairy-woodpecker

Killdeer

Killdeers have brown heads and backs and long, orange tail feathers. They have white bellies, throats, and chests, with two black bands across their chests. They are nine to 11 inches tall. These birds can be found along the water near fields, grasslands, meadows, wetlands, and urban areas or in ponds, rivers, and lakes. They will migrate in the fall and early spring. Killdeers will feed mostly on insects and seeds. They are opportunistic feeders and will run along the ground foraging for food. Their calls include trills and whistles. The males will perform a courtship ritual of flying high and repeatedly calling “kill-deer”, giving them their name. They will build a nest on the ground in a field or along a road. Killdeers will pretend to be hurt to lure predators and humans away from their nests. They will have two broods per year of three to five brown and black eggs. Both females and males will provide parental care, but the young will feed themselves after receiving the food. 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/killdeer

Lazuli Bunting

Lazuli Buntings are dimorphous. Males are blue with a rusty orange chest and light grey bellies and wing-bars. The females are brown with wing streaks. They are five inches tall. These birds can be found in deserts, fields, grasslands, meadows, forests, mountains, shrub-lands, and savannas. During the breeding season, they will mainly be found in thickets and along streams. The males will be out in the open singing, while females remain hidden in the bushes with their nests. They will migrate in flocks at the end of summer. Lazuli Buntings mainly feed on insects and seeds. They will forage on the ground and in low plants. Their calls include buzzing, chirps, and whistles. The male will sing to defend his territory and attract a mate. After mating, the nest is built in shrubs or low trees by the females and made of grass, leaves, weeds, and animal hair. They will have two to three broods per year with three to five pale blue eggs, and the females will incubate them. After hatching, the young will feed on insects.The females will always provide parental care, while the males may choose to help.  The males are more likely to help when the females begin to make nest number two or three. 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/lazuli-bunting

Osprey

Ospreys have brown backs, white chests, and white heads with a black streak by their yellow eyes. They have powerful wings that extend five feet and are half black and half white. They are 21 to 23 inches long and weigh three to four pounds, with the females being larger than the males. These birds have a black bill with a sharp hook, long legs, and feet with hooked talons and barbs on their pads to help them catch fish. They have a waterproof coating and can close their nostrils while on the water. Ospreys are also known as Fish Hawks due to their adaptations and diet being almost entirely fish. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica along rivers, lakes, marshes, and wetlands. These birds have multiple calls used for alarm, territory defending, and courtship. During the breeding season, they will migrate to find their mate and are often monogamous. The males will find a nesting site along the water in a tree, cliff, or man-made structure. Both the males and females will build their large nest that they will use for several years. The females will lay two to four eggs that they will both incubate. Both the males and females will provide parental care. They can live up to 25 years but will likely live much less. 

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Osprey

Red-tailed Hawk

  

Red-tailed Hawks have rust-brown backs with speckles of white, white chests with dark streaks, and red tails, giving them their name. They are 18 to 25 inches tall. They can be found in fields, grasslands, meadows, forests, woodlands, savannas, and urban areas but prefer open terrain with some trees or telephone poles to rest on. These birds will migrate in the late fall and early spring to the south. Red-tailed Hawks will hunt by watching from above, then swoop down and capture prey. They prey upon small mammals, reptiles, and birds and may also feed on carrion. Their call type is screaming. During courtship, the males and females will fly in circles while screaming. The males may dive and bring food to the females. After mating, the nest will be made of sticks and leaves, built by both the males and females on a tree, cliff edge, or tall building. Red-tailed Hawks will have two to four white eggs with brown spots that both the males and females will incubate. After hatching, the females will watch the young while the males bring food.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/red-tailed-hawk

Red-winged Blackbird

A Red-winged Blackbird is a common North American bird easily recognized by the bright red and yellow shoulder patches on the male, which are visible when perched or in flight; females are a more subdued brown and streaky, resembling a large sparrow; both sexes are black with a glossy sheen, and they often inhabit wetland areas like marshes and cattails, where males aggressively defend their territory with loud calls; they primarily eat insects and seeds, forming large flocks during the winter months. 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/red-winged-blackbird

Rufous Hummingbird

The Rufous Hummingbird is one of the smaller members in a family of very small birds. The male Rufous, glowing like a new copper penny, often defends a patch of flowers in a mountain meadow, vigorously chasing away all intruders (including larger birds). The Rufous also nests farther north than any other hummingbird: up to south-central Alaska. Of the various typically western hummingbirds, this is the one that wanders most often to eastern North America, with many now found east of the Mississippi every fall and winter. Adult male bright coppery rufous above, with dark throat shining red in good light. Females and young have green back, spotted throat, orange-buff wash on sides and at base of tail. They are about 3 1/2" (9 cm). Mostly nectar and insects. Takes nectar from flowers, and will feed on tiny insects as well. Often visits red tubular flowers such as penstemons, red columbines, paintbrush, scarlet sage, gilia, and many others. Will also feed on sugar-water mixtures in hummingbird feeders. 

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rufous_Hummingbird/overview

Sharp-shinned Hawk

The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a small, agile hawk with a long tail, typically found in dense forests, known for its quick, erratic flight pattern as it hunts smaller birds like songbirds; they are most easily spotted during migration, with adults displaying slate blue-gray upperparts and reddish-orange bars on their chests, while immature birds appear mostly brown with white underparts streaked with brown; a key identifying feature is their relatively short, squared-off tail compared to similar-looking Cooper's Hawks. Some places in the northwest the Sharp-skinned hawk may be permanent residents, but most are migratory. Large numbers may concentrate at some points along coasts or ridges during migration, especially in certain weather conditions, but the birds are traveling as individuals, not in flocks.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/netn-species-spotlight-sharp-shinned-hawk.htm

Western Bluebird

Western Bluebirds are blue with rusty orange chests and grey bellies. The females have much duller colors. They are six to seven inches tall. Western Bluebirds look similar to Lazuli Buntings, but they do not have the light grey wing-bars and have thicker bills. They can be found in deserts, meadows, grasslands, fields, woodlands, forests, shrublands, and mountains. They migrate in late fall and early spring. These birds feed mainly on insects and berries. They will forage by fluttering and eating berries, or perching low and then capturing insects on the ground or in foliage. Their call types are chirps and whistles. The males will find a nesting site and defend it by singing, then perform a courtship ritual of singing and fluttering their wings in front of the female, potentially offering food as well. The females, and sometimes the males, will build a nest in a tree cavity made of twigs and weeds. They have two broods per year of four to six pale blue eggs. The females incubate, but both the males and females provide parental care. 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/western-bluebird

Western Meadowlark

Western Meadowlarks have yellow chests and throats and brown and tan speckled bodies. There is a black V shape on the male’s chests. They are eight to 11 inches tall. Western Meadowlarks can be found in grasslands, meadows, fields, shrublands, deserts, and savannas. They will migrate in the fall and spring. These birds will feed on invertebrates, mainly insects, and seeds by foraging on the ground. Their call types include flutes and whistles. The males perform a courtship ritual by puffing their chests and showing off the black V shape. They may mate with more than one female. After mating, the females will build a nest made of grass on the ground. The males will guard their nesting territories by singing.  Both males and females will provide parental care, but the females will incubate the eggs and feed the young more. They will have two broods per year with three to seven white eggs covered in brown and purple spots. 

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/western-meadowlark

Western Screech Owl

Western Screech Owls are brown or dark grey with black streaks. Their coloring helps them blend into tree bark, which they use as a defense mechanism. They have yellow eyes and bills, round heads, and ear tufts. They are small owls, with females being considerably larger. Western Screech Owls can be found in forests, deserts, shrublands, fields, and parks. They are active at night until dawn. These birds prey upon mice, rats, birds, fish, and large insects. When hunting, they will wait on perches, and then swoop down and grab their prey. Their calls include whistles, trills, chuckling, and often screeches, which gives them their name. They live in pairs all year but sometimes may mate outside their pair. Their courtship ritual includes preening and singing duets. After mating, they will lay two to five white eggs in a nest. These nests are built in holes made by woodpeckers. The females will incubate the eggs while the males will bring them food and aggressively guard the nest. Both females and males will provide parental care until the owlets become independent in five to six weeks. 

https://animalia.bio/western-screech-owl

Wood Duck

Wood Ducks have red bills and eyes and greyish-brown bodies most of the year. During the breeding season, the males will have colorful feathers to attract females. They will have green and purple heads and chests with white stripes, dark red rumps, yellow sides with white stripes, and blue wings and backs. They lose their colorful feathers at the beginning of autumn and return to greyish-brown with blue on the wings. The females have white rings around their eyes and white feathers on the throat and chin. They are 19 inches long with a wingspan of 28 to 39 inches. Wood Ducks can be found in ponds, streams, rivers, lakes, and marshes, often near forests. They eat invertebrates but mostly seeds, nuts, and plants as adults. As juveniles, they will mainly eat invertebrates and some small fish. Their call is a whistle. Males will perform a courtship ritual of calling and displaying their colorful feathers. The ducks will pair up and build a nest in a tree cavity near the water. They will have between six and 15 eggs. If the females cannot find a suitable nest site, they will lay their eggs in another female’s nest. The nest can have up to 40 eggs from multiple females. The ducklings are raised on the water instead of in the nest. Wood Ducks have a high mortality rate, especially as ducklings but even into adulthood. They will live for four years.

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Birds/Wood-Duck

Yellow Warbler

Yellow Warblers have greyish-yellow bodies, bright yellow throats, and greyish-yellow wings and tails with black streaks. The females are duller in color, and the males will have red stripes on their chests once mature.  They are four to five inches tall. Yellow Warblers can be found in forests, woodlands, wetlands, swamps, savannas, and shrublands. They will breed along streams, lakes, marshes, or swamps on riparian trees. They migrate in the fall to Mexico at night. Yellow Warblers feed upon various aquatic and terrestrial insects but mainly on caterpillars. Their calls are chirps or whistles. Males will defend their territories and display a courtship ritual by singing and performing a flight display for one to four days. After mating, their nests are built by the females in small trees or shrubs and made from weeds, grass, and plant down. The females will incubate the eggs while the males bring food. Cowbirds will often lay eggs inside their nests. After hatching, both the males and females will provide parental care. They can have multiple broods, especially when they realize there are cowbird eggs in their nests, of three to six greenish-white eggs with darker specks.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-warbler