Bird watching is a great way to get closer to nature. What better way than watching birds from the comfort of your backyard!
Utah is home to a variety of bird species. A number of these birds live in Utah year-round while others are migratory birds and thus, only appear during certain seasons.
So, if you are wondering, what birds are in my backyard in Utah, read on to find out how to attract and identify these beautiful birds to your backyard.
Lazuli Bunting
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 5.1-5.9 in (13-15 cm)
Weight: 0.5-0.6 oz (13-18 g)
Wingspan: 8.7 in (22 cm)
The Lazuli Bunting is a small bird that is found in the US. It is named for the gemstone lapis lazuli. The scientific name is the Passerina amoena.
Description
The Lazuli Bunting is small. Finchlike, a songbird with a bill that is cone-shaped and a forehead that is gently sloppy. The tail is notched or slightly forked. The adult breeding males are brilliant blue along with a pumpkin-colored breast and white belly. The adult males have a white shoulder parch that stands out on perched and flying birds.
The females are warm grayish brown above with a blue tinge on the wings and tail, two buffy wing bars, and an unstreamed pale cinnamon tan breast. The average weight of these birds is 13 to 18 grams with a length of 13 to 15 cm. The wingspan average is 22 cm.
Habitat
The Lazuli Bunting lives in brushy hillsides, areas near streams, wooded valleys, thickets, and hedges, along with agricultural fields, recently burned areas, and residential areas.
Food
These birds pick caterpillars, spiders, grasshoppers, ants, butterflies, beetles, and other insects. They also fed on berries and seeds from serviceberry, chokeberry, wild oats, chickweed, and other grasses. If you want to attract these birds, you can use feeders such as the platform and ground and put in some foods such as millet.
Nesting
The Lazuli Buntings lay a clutch of 3 to 4 eggs and incubate them for 11 to 14 days. The eggs are pale blue to faint greenish-blue or white. They experience one to two broods a year. The hatched chicks are usually naked with sparse down scattered along the spine and head.
Cliff Swallow
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 5.1 in (13 cm)
Weight: 0.7-1.2 oz (19-34 g)
Wingspan: 11.0-11.8 in (28-30 cm)
The Cliff Swallow, also known as the America Cliff Swallow, is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae. The scientific name of this bird is the Petrochelidon pyrrhonota. The scientific name was derived from ancient Greek. They are extremely social.
Description
These compact Swallows have rounded, broad-based wings, a small head, and a medium-length squared tail. Whenever there is poor lighting, the Cliff Swallow looks brownish with dark throat and white underparts, while in proper; lighting, you will see their metallic, dark-blue backs and pale, pumpkin-colored rumps.
They also have rich, brick red faces and a bright buff-white forehead patch like a headlamp. Some young chicks show whitish throats in summer and fall. The average weight of the bird is 19 to 34 grams with a length of 13 cm. The wingspan ranges between 28 and 30 cm.
Habitat
The Cliff Swallows initially opted to build their nests on raised cliffs, but due to the expansion of roads, they now opt to build in the bridges, overpasses, and culverts. They mainly feed in areas near and over water, frequently mixing with other species of Swallow.
Food
Cliff Swallow eats flying insects almost all year round, and they do so in groups. They feed on the wing above grassy pastures, plowed fields, and other open places. If you want to attract these birds, you can keep some shrubs around for the insects to be available. This will consequently attract the birds.
Nesting
The Cliff Swallow lays a clutch of 1 to 6 eggs and incubates it for between 10 to 19 days. The eggs are white, creamy, or pinkish with brown speckles or blotches. They experience 1 or 2 broods a year. The hatched chicks are usually helpless with bare pink skin.
Mountain Chickadee
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 4.3-5.5 in (11-14 cm)
Weight: 0.4 oz (11 g)
Wingspan: 7.5 in (19cm)
A Mountain Chickadee is a small songbird in the Paridae family. The scientific name for Mountain Chickadee is Poecile gambeli.
Description
Mountain Chickadees are tiny and have large heads. The birds have small bills, rounded wings, and long narrow tails.
Mountain Chickadees are grey with a striking black and white on the head. Mountain Chickadees have a distinct white stripe over their eye that separates them from other Chickadees.
Mountain Chickadees’ overall weight is 11grams, and the overall length is 11 to 14 cm. the wingspan of the bird is approximately 19 cm. They are relatively the same size as the Black-capped Chickadees.
Habitat
Mountain Chickadees are common in evergreen forests with pine, spruce-fir, pinyon-juniper, and mixed conifer. The birds inhabit the higher slopes conifers except when nesting when they seek out any available aspen trees for their soft and easily excavated wood.
Food
To attract Mountain Chickadees, the ideal feeders to use are large tube feeders, small tube feeders, large hopper, small hopper, platform feeder, and suet cage. In these feeders, you can put black oil sunflower, hulled sunflower seeds, safflower, peanuts, suet, peanut hearts, and mealworms. The birds also feed on protein-rich insects and spiders.
Nesting
Mountain Chickadees lay 5 to 9 eggs and incubate them for 12 to 15 days. The eggs are flat white, sometimes with red speckles. The birds have 1 or 2 broods in a year. The chicks are hatched naked, eyes closed, and with tufts down on the head and along the spine. The young Mountain Chickadees stay in the nest for 17 to 23 days while being fed by both parents.
Black-billed Magpie
Length: 17.7-23.6 in (45-60 cm)
Weight: 5.1-7.4 oz (145-210 g)
Wingspan: 22.1-24.0 in (56-61 cm)
Description
The Black-billed Magpie, also referred to as the American Magpie, is a bird from the family of Corvidae, and they are found in most parts of the US. The scientific name of the bird is Pica Hudsonia.
The Black-billed Magpies are slightly bigger than the jays. However, they have longer, diamond-shaped tails and a heavier bill. Their wings are too short of supporting their graceful flights.
These birds are black and white in general but with a blue-green flash on the wings and tail. The upper part of this bird is usually black, with a white patch in the outer wing and two white stripes on the back.
The bird weighs approximately 145 to 210 grams with a length of between 45 to 60 cm. The wingspan ranges between 56 to 61 cm.
Habitat
The Black-billed Magpie is mainly found in the urban areas, fields, and stream corridors of the west. They can also be found in flocks at the feeding lots and other places that it is easy to find food.
Food
In order to attract the Black-billed Magpie, you need the platform and ground feeders. You can put the millets, peanuts, milo, cracked corn, peanuts hearts, hulled sunflower seeds, suet, and black oil sunflower seeds. These birds have alternative diets, such as beetles and grasshoppers, as the foliage on the ground. They also depend on small mammals such as squirrels and voles. They at times steal meat from the foxes and coyotes. And can sometimes land on the top of large animals as they pick ticks off them.
Nesting
The birds have a clutch size of 1 to 9 eggs, and they take 16 to 19 days to incubate. The eggs are tan or olive-brown with a variable amount of dark brown speckles—they experience one broom per year. The chicks are hatched naked with pink skin and remain with closed eyes for seven days.
Black-capped Chickadee
Length: 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz (9-14 g)
Wingspan: 6.3-8.3 in (16-21 cm)
Description
The Black-capped Chickadee is a small songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. It belongs to the Paridae family. Its scientific name is the Poecile atricapillus. It is famous for its ability to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights and a good memory to remember where it stores food.
This small bird has a large head with a short neck, and this gives it a unique, rather spherical shape. Its tail is long and narrow with a short bill that is a little thicker than warbler’s but thinner than a finch. The cap and the bill are black with white cheeks, soft gray back, and the wing feathers are gray-edged with white. The lower/ under part is soft buffy on the sides, grading to white beneath. It is difficult to see its small eyes because the cap extends down just beyond the black eyes.
The average weight of this bird is 9 to 14 grams with a length of between 12 to 15 cm. The wingspan ranges from between 16 to 21 cm.
Habitat
The Chickadees can mainly be found in places that contain trees or woody shrubs, from the forest and woodlot to the residential areas and parks. They can also be found in the weedy fields and marshes sometimes.
Food
If you want to attract the Black-capped Chickadees, the ideal feeders are the suet cage, large and small hopper, platform, large and small tube feeder. In these feeders, you can put food like the Nyjer, safflower, black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, suet, peanuts, and peanut hearts.
During the winter, they feed on seeds and berries, and insects in small quantities, but during the summer, these insects and spiders make 80 percent of their diet.
Nesting
The Black-capped Chickadees lay a clutch of between up to 13 eggs, and they incubate these eggs for 12 to 13 days. The eggs are whitish with fine reddish-brown dots. They experience one brood per year.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Western Meadowlark
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 6.3-10.2 in (16-26 cm)
Weight: 3.1-4.1 oz (89-115 g)
Wingspan: 16.1 in (41 cm)
The Western Meadowlark is a medium-sized icterid bird. The scientific name of the bird is the Sturnella neglecta.
Description
The Western Meadowlark is the same as the robin in size but a bit chunkier and shorter tail, long, slender bill, with a flat head.
For this bird size, the wings are round and short, and the tail is too short, stiff, and spiky. They have a yellow underpart with intricately patterned brown, black, and buff underparts. A bright V shape crosses the bright yellow breast. During the winter, it is gray.
Contrasting stripes of dark brown and light buff mark the head. During the flight, the feathers of the outer tail flash white. The average weight of this bird is 89 to 115 grams and has a length of 16 to 26 cm. The average wingspan is 41 cm.
Habitat
The Western Meadowlarks prefer the wide-open spaces of native grasslands, the agricultural fields for spring and summer breeding, and winter foraging. They can also be found in medium-height grasses and in tall fields.
Food
If you want to attract the Western Meadowlarks, the ideal feeder is the ground. On the ground, you can put food such as hulled sunflower seeds and cracked corn. These birds also feed on the insects to supplement their diet.
They feed on insects such as ants, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and cutworms during the late spring and summer. They also eat the eggs of other grassland birds occasionally, and also; they can feed on carcasses during the summer.
Nesting
The Western Meadowlarks lay a clutch of 5 to 6 eggs and incubate them for 13 to 16 days. The eggs are white spotted with brown, rust, and lavender. The hatched chicks have closed eyes, naked and with pinkish-orange skin. They experience one or two broods in a year.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.6 oz (10-18 g)
Wingspan: 10.6-11.8 in (27-30 cm)
The Northern Rough-winged Swallow is a tiny migratory swallow that is just the same as the Southern Rough-winged Swallow. Its scientific name is the Stelgidopteryx serripennis.
Description
The Northern Rough-winged Swallow is a small bodies bird that has a small head and bill. They fly on long and relatively broad pointed wings. The tail is square.
The bird is brown in entirety and has a dingy chest and throat that fades to white—both the male and female look similar. The only difference in the young ones is the cinnamon wing bars. The average weight of these birds is 10 to 18 grams with a length of 12 to 15 cm. The wingspan range is from 27 to 30 cm.
Habitat
These birds are commonly found in areas that are close to water, and they nest in burrows that have been excavated by other animals as well as in gutters, drainpipes, boxes, walls, and bridges.
Food
The Northern Rough-winged Swallows feed over water by taking small insects’ midair or sometimes picking them from water. If you want to attract them, you can create artificial waters like in a pond where its food will be readily available.
Nesting
These birds lay a clutch of 4 to 8 eggs and incubate them for 16 to 17 days. The eggs are white in color. They experience one brood in a year. The hatched chicks are usually naked, helpless with sparse down.
Brown-headed Cowbird
Male
Length: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm)
Weight: 1.5-1.8 oz. (42-50 g)
Wingspan: 14.2 in (36 cm)
Female
Length: 6.3-7.9 in (16-20 cm)
Weight: 1.3-1.6 Oz (38-45 g)
Wingspan: 12.6-15.0 in (32-38 cm)
The brown-headed Cowbird is a small parasitic bird that originates from the US. Its scientific name is the Molothrus later.
Description
The Brown-headed Cowbird is a small blackbird that has a shorter tail and a thicker head than most blackbirds. The bill has a unique shape, and it is much shorter and thicker as compared to other blackbirds, almost finch-like at first sight. In-flight, look for a shorter tail.
The male birds have black plumage and a thick brown head that sometimes look dark when there is not enough lighting or in a distance. The females are plain brown birds, lightest on the head and underparts, with the fine streaking on the belly and a dark eye.
The average weight of a male Cowbird is 42 to 50 grams, while the female is 38 to 45 grams. The average length is 16 to 20 cm for a female, while the male is 19 to 22 cm. The wingspan average is 36 cm.
Habitat
They mostly live in open areas such as the fields, pastures, meadows, forest edges, and lawns.
Food
If you want to attract the Brown-headed Cowbirds, the ideal feeders are platform, ground, and large hopper. Inside these feeders, you can put food such as cracked corn, milo, millet, oats, hulled sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, and black oil sunflower seeds.
These birds also feed on grasses and weeds. They also eat insects such as grasshoppers and beetles.
Nesting
These birds lay a clutch of 1 to 7 eggs and incubate them for 10 to 12 days. The eggs are white to grayish-white with brown or gray spots. The chicks are hatched naked with eyes closed.
Brewer’s Blackbird
Male measurements
Length: 8.3-9.8 in (21-25 cm)
Weight: 2.1-3.0 oz (60-86 g)
Wingspan: 14.6 in (37 cm)
Female measurements
Length: 7.9-8.7 in (20-22 cm)
Weight: 1.8-2.4 oz (50-67 g)
Wingspan: 14.6 in (37 cm)
Description
Brewer’s Blackbird is a small, long-legged songbird that looks like many blackbirds. The scientific name of this bird is Euphagus cyanocephalus. They have a long tail which is balanced by a full-body, round head, and long thick based beak. The tail of a male Brewer’s Blackbird, when it’s perched, appears widened and rounded toward the tip.
Male Brewer’s Blackbirds are black all over with a staring yellow eye and blue sheen on the head. The females are plain brown, have dark wings and tails, and have dark eyes. Immature Brewer’s Blackbirds look like washed-out light brown versions of the female Brewer’s Blackbirds.
Male Brewer’s Blackbirds weigh between 60 to 86 grams and are 21 to 25 cm long. They have a wingspan of 37cm. Female Brewer’s Blackbirds are 20 to 22 cm long and weigh 50 to 67 grams. The females have a wingspan averaging 37 cm. the birds are about the size of Red-winged Blackbirds.
Habitat
Brewer’s Blackbirds are common in towns and open habitats. The birds feed on open ground or underfoot in parks and busy streets. Their natural habitats include grasslands, meadows, woodlands, sagebrush, and marshes.
Food
The ideal feeder type to attract Brewer’s Blackbird is platform and ground feeders. In these feeders, you can put hulled sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and millet. Brewer’s Blackbirds also eat insects, small frogs, young voles, and some nesting birds like Brewer’s Sparrows.
Nesting
The Brewer’s Blackbird lay 3 to 7 eggs and have 1 to 2 brood in a year. The eggs are pale gray to greenish-white, clouded or spotted with brown, pink, violet, yellow and gray. The incubation period is 11 to 17 days. Nesting takes 12 to 16 days, after which the nestling fly out to forage by themselves.
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Downy Woodpecker
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 5.5-6.7 in (14-17 cm)
Weight: 0.7-1.0 oz (21-28 g)
Wingspan: 9.8-11.8 in (25-30 cm)
Description
The scientific name of Downy Woodpecker is Dryobates pubescens. They are small with a chisel-shaped straight bill, which appears too small for the bird’s size. The birds have blocky heads, wide shoulders, and straight-backed posture.
Downy Woodpeckers have a checkered black and white body. Their above is black checked with white on the wings, and the head is boldly striped. The back of a Downy Woodpecker has a broad white stripe down the center. The male Woodpeckers have a small red patch on the back of their heads, and the outer tail feathers are white with a few black spots.
Downy woodpeckers weigh 21 to 28 grams and are 14 to 17 cm long. The birds’ wingspan ranges between 25 to 30 cm.
Habitat
Downy Woodpeckers are often found in open woodlands, especially in the deciduous woods, brushy or weedy edges, and along the streams. They can also be found in orchards, city parks, backyards, and vacant lots.
Food
To attract Downy Woodpeckers, the ideal feeder types to use is platform feeder, large hopper, small hopper, or a suet cage. In the feeders, you can put peanut hearts, safflower, peanuts, mealworms, black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, and suet. The birds also feed on insects like beetle larvae, caterpillars, bark beetles, and apple borers.
Nesting
Downy Woodpeckers lay 3 to 8 white eggs and have one brood in a year. The eggs are 1.9 to 2 cm long and 1.4 to 1.5 cm wide. Incubation takes 12 days, and nesting takes 18 to 21 days. The nestlings are hatched naked with pink skin, eyes closed, and with a sharp egg tooth at the tip of the bill.
Say’s Phoebe
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 6.7 in (17 cm)
Weight: 0.7-0.8 oz (21-22 g)
The Say’s Phoebe is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family that is commonly found in the United States. The scientific name of the bird is Sayornis says.
Description
The Say’s Phoebe is a slender, long-tailed flycatcher that appears large-headed for a bird of its size. The head of this bird often looks flat at the top, but they sometimes raise their head feathers into a small peak at the back.
These birds are pale brownish-gray above with a cinnamon belly, a blackish tail, and a gray breast. The chicks look the same as the adults but browner, and they may have buffy wing bars.
The average weight of these birds is 21 to 22 grams, with an average length of 17 cm.
Habitat
The Say’s Phoebes prefer living in an open country, sage bush, foothills, dry barrens, badlands, canyons, and borders of the deserts. They avoid forests. They often gravitate to buildings that are not closely tied to watercourses like other phoebes.
Food
The diet of the Say’s Phoebes entirely consists of insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, bees, crickets, and flies. They sally from low perches to catch the insects, midair or pounce on them on the ground.
Nesting
The Say’s Phoebes lay a clutch of 3 to 6 eggs and incubate them for 12 to 18 days. The eggs are pure white and unmarked and may sometimes contain reddish spots. These birds experience one or two broods a year. The chicks are hatched with closed eyes and naked.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 3.1-3.5 in (8-9 cm)
Weight: 0.1-0.2 oz (2.8-4.5 g)
Wingspan: 5.25 in (13.3 cm)
Description
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are medium-sized hummingbirds widely distributed in North America. Its scientific name is Selasphorus platycercus. They have a lean body with a big head. They have a long bill and a long tail. The tail extends beyond the wingtips when perched, making them relatively long for a hummingbird.
The broad-tailed Hummingbird is shimmering green above with greenish or buffy flanks. The birds have a white chest and a line down their belly. Adult males have risen magenta throat patches, whereas the females and immature Broad-tailed Hummingbirds have green spots on their throats and cheeks and a pale eye-ring. The birds flash white tail tips when they spread their tails while flying.
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds have a length of 8 to 9 cm and a weight ranging from 2.8 to 4.5 grams. The birds have an average wingspan of 13.3 centimeters.
Habitat
Broad-tailed hummingbirds breed in high elevation meadows, shrubby habitats, and evergreen forests. Common habitats include pine-oak, evergreen, pinyon-juniper, and montane scrub and thickets. During migration, they move through highland meadows to the lowlands, where there are abundant flowers.
Food
The ideal feeder type to attract Broad-tailed Hummingbirds is the nectar feeder. In the nectar, the feeder put a sugar-water solution with a ratio of 1:4. The Broad-tailed Hummingbirds also feed on small insects, especially when they are nesting. They sometimes use the sap as a nectar substitute.
Nesting
Broad-tailed Hummingbirds lay two white eggs and incubate them for 16 to 19 days. The eggs are 1.2 to 1.5 cm long and 0.8 to 1 cm wide. Nesting takes 21 to 26 days, and the nestlings are helpless and naked when hatched.
Chipping Sparrow
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm)
Weight: 0.4-0.6 oz (11-16 g)
Wingspan: 8.3 in (21 cm)
Description
The scientific name of Chipping Sparrow is Spizella passerine. The chipping sparrow is a slender, long-tailed sparrow. The bird has a medium-sized bill which is a little bit small for a sparrow. Chipping sparrows are clean and crisp, have frosty underparts, and have a pale face. They have a black line through the eye and a bright rusty crown.
During winters, the birds are subdued, buff-brown, and have darkly streaked upper parts. The black line through their eye is still visible in winter, and the cap is still warm but more subdued reddish brown. Non-breeding birds are paler than breeding birds.
Chipping Sparrows weigh between 11 to 16 grams and are 12 to 15 centimeters long. The wingspan of the bird is 21 centimeters.
Habitat
The Chipping Sparrow is mostly found in open woodlands and forests with grassy clearings. They can also be found in parks, along roadsides, and residential areas, especially in shrubby and tree-lined backyards. The birds mostly inhabit trees like birch, oak, eucalyptus, aspen, and pecan tree.
Food
To attract Chipping Sparrows, you can use a large hopper, small hopper, platform, or ground feeders. In the feeders, you can put hulled sunflower seeds, Nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and milo. Chipping Sparrows also feed on protein-rich insects and small fruits like cherries.
Nesting
Chipping Sparrows lay 2 to 7 eggs and have 1 to 3 broods per year. The eggs are pale blue to white, lightly streaked or spotted with black, brown, or purplish in color. The incubation period is 0 to 15 days, while nesting takes 9 to 12 days. Hatched nestlings are naked, helpless, eyes closed with a few feathers on the head and body.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 4.3 in (11 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz (8-13 g)
Wingspan: 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)
Red-breasted Nuthatch is a small active songbird in North America. The scientific name of Red-breasted Nuthatch is Sitta canadensis.
Description
Red-breasted Nuthatches are compact birds with a sharp appearance and a prominent long pointed bill. The birds have very short tails and very short necks. The body of red-breasted Nuthatches is plump or barrel-chested, and their wings are short and very broad.
Red-breasted Nuthatches are blue-gray with greatly patterned heads. The birds have a black cap and stripe through their eyes, broken up by a white stripe over the eye. The birds have black eyebrows and white eyebrows. The underparts of the bird are rich rusty cinnamon and paler in female Nuthatches.
Red-breasted Nuthatches weigh eight to13 grams and are approximately 11 cm long. The birds have a wingspan of 18 to 20 cm.
Habitat
Red-breasted Nuthatches mainly occur in coniferous forests of spruce, pine, fir, larch, hemlock, and western red cedar. During winter, the birds inhabit the orchards, scrubs, parks, shade trees, and plantations.
Food
Red-breasted Nuthatches are attracted by large tube feeders, small tube feeders, large hopper, small hopper, suet cage, and platform feeders. In these feeders, you can put foods such as black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, peanuts, mealworms, peanut hearts, and suet. The birds also feed on insects and other arthropods such as beetles, caterpillars, ants, spiders, and earwigs.
Nesting
Red-breasted Nuthatches lay 2 to 8 eggs and incubate them for 12 to 13 days. The eggs are white, creamy, or pinkish-white with reddish-brown speckles. The birds experience only one brood in a year. The chicks hatched are naked and helpless and are nestled for 18 to 21 days.
Tree Swallow
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm)
Weight: 0.6-0.9 Oz (16-25 g)
Wingspan: 11.8-13.8 in (30-35 cm)
The Tree Swallow is a migratory bird that belongs to the family of Hurundinidae. The scientific name of this bird is the Tachycineta bicolor.
Description
The Tree Swallows are tiny songbirds that are usually streamlined and have both a squared or notched tail and long, pointed wings. They have very short and flat bills.
The adult male species of this bird are blue-green above and white below with blackish flight feathers and a thin black eye mask. The females are duller with more brown in their upper parts, while the young ones are completely brown above. The young ones and some females can show a weak, blurry grey-brown breast band.
Habitat
The Tree Swallows breed in open habitats such as the wetlands, usually adjacent to the water. They nest in artificial nest boxes as well as in tree cavities. Foraging flocks can be seen frequently over wetlands, water, and agricultural fields.
Food
The Tree Swallows live on a diet of insects, but they occasionally catch other small animals and may also eat plant food during the bad weather when the preys are scarce. In the east, all kinds of insects, including sawflies, bees, ants, wasps, beetles, stoneflies, mayflies, and more.
During the breeding season, they eat high calcium items such as fish bones, clamshells, and others.
Nesting
The Tree Swallows lay a clutch of 4 to 7 eggs and incubate them for 11 to 20 days. The eggs are pale pink, turning to pure white within four days. They experience one or two broods every year. The hatched chicks are helpless, with closed eyes and pink skin sparsely covered with down.
Violet-green Swallow
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 4.7 in (12 cm)
Weight: 0.5 oz (14 g)
Wingspan: 10.6 in (27 cm)
The Violet-green Swallow is a small passerine bird that belongs to the swallow family and lives in the US. The scientific name of this bird is the Tachycineta thalassina.
Description
The Violet-green Swallow is a small, sleek bird with long pointed wings and slightly forked tails. Their wingtip extends beyond their short tail, especially noticeable when perched.
At first sight, they appear dark above the crisp white below. When exposed to light, the back that is usually greenish-bronze together with the violet rump come to life. Al, the birds have a white belly that wraps around to the upper side of the rump, creating saddlebags. The male species usually have white cheek patches, while the females and the chicks have dusty cheeks.
The average weight of these birds is 14 grams, with a length of 12 cm. The average wingspan is 27 cm.
Habitat
Violent-green Swallows breed in open woodlands, including deciduous evergreen and mixed-species woodlands, especially where old cavity-filled trees occur. They also visit the lakes and streams where they feed on the flying insects.
Food
The Violet-green Swallows feed on flying insects such as leafhoppers, flies, aphids, leaf bugs, and beetles. They also catch small insects’ midair. They also fly low above the water bodies and fields as they catch insects, and they also forage high above the ground. To attract them, you can ensure there are shrubs around the garden that will attract the insects hence attracting the birds.
Nesting
These birds lay a clutch of 4 to 6 eggs and incubate them for 14 to 15 days. The eggs are pure white with no marking. They experience one or two broods a year. The hatched chicks are usually naked with their eyes closed with bits of fluffy down on the back.
American Robin
Length: 7.9-11.0 in (20-28 cm)
Weight: 2.7-3.0 oz (77-85 g)
Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 in (31-40 cm)
Description
The American Robin is a migratory songbird named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast. The scientific name of the American Robin is Turdus migratorius. The bird is largely distributed in the north.
There are seven subspecies of the American Robin, namely, the eastern Robin, the Newfoundland Robin, the Southern Robin, the Western Robin, the Northwestern Robin, the Mexican Robin, and the San Lucas Robin.
The American Robins are large songbirds with a round body, long legs, and a long tail. They are the largest North American thrushes. They are gray-brown in color with warm orange underparts. A white patch on the lower belly and under the tail is conspicuous when they are flying. They have pointed, thin beaks. Female American Robins have paler heads than the male.
The birds weigh between 72 to 94 grams for the male and females 59 to 91 grams. They are 20 to 28 centimeters long and have a wingspan ranging from 31 to 40 cm.
Feeding
American Robins are attracted by platform and ground feeders. They love feeding on peanut hearts, suet, sunflower seeds that have been hulled, fruits, and mealworms. The Robins feed mainly on fruit during the fall and winter. They sometimes become intoxicated when they feed exclusively on berries such as the honeysuckle.
Habitat
The birds usually breed in woodlands, open farmlands, and urban areas. The birds prefer large shade trees on lawns. During winter, they inhabit more open areas.
Nesting
American Robins construct their nests 1.5 to 4.5 meters above the ground in the dense bush. The female Robin lays a clutch of 3 to 5 light blue eggs and incubates them for 14 days.
House Finch
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm)
Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (16-27 g)
Wingspan: 7.9-9.8 in (20-25 cm)
The House Finch is a small bird in the finch family, which is common in the US. The scientific name of the bird is the Haemorhous mexicanus.
Description
These birds are small in body size, and they too have a fairly large beak and a long flat head. The wings are short, making their tail seem long by comparison. The majority of the finches have uniquely notched tails, but the house finch has a relatively shallow notch in its tail.
On the face side and upper breasts, the male Finches are rosy with streaky brown back, belly, and tail. During the flight, the red rump is conspicuous. The adult females are not red, and they are grayish-brown with thick, blurry streaks and an indistinctly marked face.
The average weight of the bird is 16 to 27 grams and has a length of 3 to 14 cm. Its wingspan ranges from 20 to 25 cm.
Habitat
The House Finches are mainly found in the city parks, backyards, urban centers, farms, and forest edges across the US. They are also found in their native habitats of deserts, grasslands, chaparral, and open woods.
Food
If you want to attract the House Finches, the ideal feeders to use are the small and large hoppers, large and smaller tube feeders, and the platform. The ideal food to put inside these feeders includes the black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, Nyjer, and safflower.
They also feed in insects, buds, and fruits. Some of the wild foods they feed on are mulberry, cherries, peaches, pears, blackberries, plums, strawberries, and figs.
Nesting
The House Finches lay a clutch of 2 to 6 eggs and incubate them for 13 to 14 days. The eggs are pale blue to white, speckled with fine, black, and pale purple. Within a year, they experience 1 to 6 broods. The chicks are hatched naked except for the sparse white down along feather tracts with the eyes closed.
Red-winged Blackbird
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 6.7-9.1 in (17-23 cm)
Weight: 1.1-2.7 oz (32-77 g)
Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 in (31-40 cm)
Red-winged Blackbirds are passerine birds of the Icteridae family. The scientific name for Red-winged Blackbird is Agelaius phoeniceus.
Description
Red-winged Blackbirds have broad shoulders and slender conical bills. The birds have a medium-length tail. The birds usually show a hump-backed silhouette while perched. The male Blackbirds sit with their tail slightly flared.
Male species of this bird are glossy black with shoulder badges that are red and yellow in color. The females are crispy-streaked and dark brownish with paler breasts. The birds have a whitish eyebrow and a yellowish wash around the bill.
Red-winged Blackbirds weigh 32 to 77 grams and are 17 to 23 cm long. The wingspan of the birds is 31 to 40 cm.
Habitat
Red-winged Blackbirds usually breed in wet places like fresh or saltwater marshes and rice paddies. They also breed in dry places such as the sedge meadows, fallow fields, and alfalfa fields. The birds occasionally nest in wooded areas along waterways. During winter, the birds can be found in feedlots, pastures, grasslands, and agricultural fields.
Food
To attract red-winged Blackbirds, you can use large tube feeders, large hopper, platform, and ground feeders. In these feeders, you can put foods such as oats, millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, and milo. Red-winged Blackbirds also feed on insects.
Nesting
Red-winged Blackbirds lay 2 to 4 eggs and incubate them for 11 to 14 days. The eggs are pale blue-green to gray speckled with black or brown. The birds experience 1 or 2 broods in a year. The chicks are hatched blind, clumsy, and naked with scant buffy or grayish down. The nesting period is 11 to 14 days.
House Sparrow
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 5.9-6.7 in (15-17 cm)
Weight: 0.9-1.1 oz (27-30 g)
Wingspan: 7.5-9.8 in (19-25 cm)
The House Sparrow is a small bird from the sparrow family Passalidae, and it is widespread through most parts of the world. The scientific name of the bird is Passer domesticus.
Description
The House Sparrows are chunkier compared to the North American Sparrows and fuller in the chest with a larger rounded head, shorter tail, and stouter bill than most American Sparrows.
The male Sparrows are bright-colored birds with gray heads, white cheeks, a black bib, and ferrous neck, although, in the urban areas, you may see some that are dull and grubby. The females are plain buffy-brown overall with dingy gray-brown underparts. Their backs are noticeably striped with buff, black and brown.
The average weight of this bird is 27 to 30 grams with a length of 15 to 17 cm. The wingspan ranges from 19 to 25 cm.
Habitat
The House Sparrows are known to love living around people. They are mainly found in the city streets, taking handouts in parks and zoos, or cheeping from a perch on your roof or trees in your yard. They are also in the countryside around the farmsteads.
Food
If you want to attract the House Sparrows, the ideal feeders are the platform, ground, large hoppers, and large tube feeders. In these feeders, you can put foods such as millet, milo, cracked corn, hulled sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, and the black oil sunflower seeds.
During the summer, they also feed on insects and also feed them to their chicks.
Nesting
These birds lay a clutch of v1 to 8 eggs and incubate them for 10 to 14 days. The eggs are light white to grayish-white or bluish-white with some gray or brown spots. They experience 1 to 4 broods a year. The hatched chicks are usually naked with bright pink skin and closed eyes.
Spotted Towhee
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 6.7-8.3 in (17-21 cm)
Weight: 1.2-1.7 oz (33-49 g)
Wingspan: 11.0 in (28 cm)
Spotted Towhee are large New World Sparrows in the Passerellidae family. The scientific name for Spotted Towhee is Pipilo maculatus.
Description
Spotted Towhees are large sparrows with heavily built bodies. The birds have thick pointed bills, short necks, and long rounded tails.
Male Spotted Towhees have jet-black on the head, upperparts, and throat with bright white spots on the wings and back. The birds have warm rufous flanks and a white belly. Female Spotted Towhees are grayish-brown on the head, throat, and upperparts with the same patterns as the male. White corners in their black tails are visible when the birds fly.
Spotted Towhees weigh 33 to 49 grams and are 17 to 21 cm long. The birds have a wingspan of 28 cm.
Habitat
Spotted Towhees occur in dry thickets, forest edges, old fields, brushy tangles, chappal, shrubby backyards, canyon bottoms, and coulees. The birds feel at home in areas with dense shrub cover and plenty of leaf litter where they can scratch around.
Food
To attract Spotted Towhees, the ideal feeders are ground and platform feeders. In these feeders, you can put foods such as milo, millet, peanut hearts, cracked corn, hulled sunflower seeds, and black oil sunflower seeds. The birds also feed on insects and leaf-litter arthropods like sowbugs, millipedes, and spiders.
Nesting
Spotted Towhees lay 2 to 6 eggs and incubate them for 12 to 13 days. The eggs are white, gray, green, or pinkish with reddish, brown, gray, or purple speckles. The birds experience 1 to 3 broods in a year. Chicks are hatched blind, clumsy, and naked except for the sparse tufts of grayish down and are nestled for 10 to 12 days.
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay
Yellow Warbler
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 4.7-5.1 in (12-13 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (9-11 g)
Wingspan: 6.3-7.9 in (16-20 cm)
The Yellow Warblers is a new world warblers’ species mainly found in the US. The scientific name of this bird is the Setophaga petechia.
Description
The Yellow Warblers are small, evenly proportioned songbirds that have a medium-length tail and a rounded head. The straight, thin bi is relatively large for a warbler. These birds are uniformly yellow in color. The males are bright and egg York yellows with reddish streaks on the underparts. Both the male and female flash yellow patches in the tail. The face is unmarked, accentuating the large black eye.
The average weight of this bird is 9 to 11 grams with an average length of 12 to 13 cm. The wingspan ranges from 16 to 20 cm.
Habitat
The Yellow Warblers breed mainly in shrubby thickets and woods, particularly along the watercourses and in wetlands. During the winter, they can be found in mangrove forests.
Food
The Yellow Warblers mainly feed on insects that they pick from the foliage or capture on short flights or as they hover to reach leaves. Some of the insects they feed on include wasps, beetles, leafhoppers, caterpillars, bugs, and midges.
Nesting
These birds lay a clutch of 1 to 7 eggs and incubate them for 10 to 13 days. The eggs are grayish or greenish-white with dark spots. The average length of the eggs is 1.5 to 2.1 cm, with a width of 1.2 to 1.6 cm. The hatched chicks are usually helpless, with light gray down.
Western Kingbird
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 7.9-9.4 in (20-24 cm)
Weight: 1.3-1.6 oz (37-46 g)
Wingspan: 15.0-16.1 in (38-41 cm)
The Western Kingbird is a large tyrant flycatcher that is found in most parts of the US. Its scientific name is the Tyrannus verticalis.
Description
The Western Kingbirds are somehow large birds with broad shoulders and large heads. They have long wings, heavy and straight bills, and a medium-length, square-tipped tail. These birds have a gray head with a belly that is yellowish in color and a throat and chest that is somehow white. The tail is black with white outer tail feathers that are especially conspicuous in flight.
The average weight of the bird is 37 to 46 grams with an average length of 20 to 24 cm. The wingspan ranges from 38 to 41 cm.
Habitat
The Western Kingbirds live in open habitats where they perch on utility lines, fences, and trees. They prefer valleys and lowlands, including grasslands, deserts, sagebrush, agricultural fields, and open woodlands. Mainly they are found in areas of below 7000 feet in elevation.
Food
The Western Kingbirds are insectivores, just like other flycatchers. They hunt by sight during the day, and they perform some maneuvers as they catch the prey midair. They catch more than one insect before returning to the perch, and they hit them against the perch to subdue them. Some insects they feed on include wasps, bees, grasshoppers, spiders, caterpillars, moths, and butterflies.
Nesting
These birds lay a clutch of 2 to 7 eggs and incubate them for 12 to 19 days. The eggs are white, creamy, or pinkish with heavy blotches of black, brown, or lavender. They experience one or two broods in a year.
The hatched chicks are usually helpless and sparsely covered in a white down, and their eyes are closed.
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Length: 3.5 in (9 cm)
Weight: 0.1-0.2 oz (2.3-4.9 g)
Wingspan: 4.3 in (11 cm)
Description
The Black-chinned Hummingbird is a small migratory bird that is distributed in a wide range of habitats. Its scientific name is Archilochus alexandri.
This is a small and fairly sledder hummingbird with a straight bill. The bird is dull metallic green on the upper side while it is grayish-white on the lower side. The male Black-Chinned Hummingbirds have a velvety black throat with a thin iridescent purple on the base. The females have pale throats. The three outer tails of the female have broad white tips, and for both, the bills are black.
The average weight of this bird is 2.3 to 4.9 grams, with a length of about 9 cm. The average wingspan is 11 cm.
Habitat
The Black-chinned Hummingbirds are mostly seen at the feeders or perched on the dead branches of tall trees. This bird is viewed as a habitat generalist since it can be found in lowland deserts, urban areas, mountainous forests, and in natural habitats as long as there are flowering shrubs, vines, and ta trees.
Food
If you want to attract a Black-chinned Hummingbird, the idea feeder is the nectar feeder. In this feeder, you can put the sugar water. These birds mainly feed on the nectar from the flowers and sometimes can supplement with insects and spiders.
Nesting
This bird lays a clutch of 2 eggs which are incubated for a period of between 12 to 16 days. The eggs are white in color, and they have an average length of 1.2 to 1.4 cm and a width of 0.8 cm. They have up to 3 broods in a year.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm)
Weight: 0.2-0.3 oz (5-10 g)
Wingspan: 6.3-7.1 in (16-18 cm)
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a tiny passerine bird that is spread in most parts of the US. It belongs to the family of a kinglet. The scientific name of this bird is the Corthylio calendula.
Description
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a small songbird with a relatively large head, almost no neck, and thin tails. They have a bill that is very small, thin, and straight. These birds are olive green with an outstanding white eye-ring and white wing bars.
The average weight of this bird is 5 to 10 grams with an average length of 9 to 11 cm. The wingspan ranges from 16 to 18 cm.
Habitat
The Ruby-crowned Kinglets mainly inhabit tall, dense conifers forests such as spruce, fir, and tamarack. You can also easily find them in shrubby places, deciduous forests, suburbs, and parks.
Food
To attract t the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, the ideal feeders include the suet cage and platform. Inside these feeders, you can put foods such as hulled sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, and suet.
These birds also feed on spiders. Pseudoscorpions and other types of insects such as wasps, aphids, ants, and bark beetles. They also feed on fruits and berries such as the poison-oak berries and the dogwood berries.
Nesting
The Ruby-crowned Kinglets lay a clutch of 5 to 12 eggs and incubate them for 12 to 14 days. The eggs are drab white spotted with red-brown. These birds experience one brood a year. The egg usually has a length of 1.3 to 1.5 cm and a width of 1 to 1.2 cm. The hatched chicks are usually helpless and completely naked without any down.
European Starling
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 7.9-9.1 in (20-23 cm)
Weight: 2.1-3.4 oz (60-96 g)
Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 in (31-40 cm)
Description
The Common Starling, also known as the European Starling, is a medium-sized bird that belongs to the family of Sturnidae. In Great Britain, it is simply known as the Starling. Its scientific name is the Sturnus vulgaris.
The Starlings are chunky and blackbird-sized but with short tails and long slender beaks. During the flights, their wings are short and pointed, which makes them look like small, four-pointed stars.
The Starlings look black when viewed from a distance. They are purplish-green during the summer with yellow beaks. While In winter, they are brown covered in brilliant white spots. The average weight of these birds is 60 to 96 grams and an average length of 10 to 23 cm. The wingspan ranges from 31 to 40 cm.
Habitat
The Starlings are mainly found in the urban areas, suburbs, and countryside near human settlements. They feed on the ground on lawns, fields, sidewalks, and parking lots. They perch and roost high on wires, trees, and buildings.
Food
If you want to attract the Starlings, the ideal feeders include the large hopper, suet cage, platform, ground, and large tube feeder. Inside these feeders, you can put foods such as oats, milo, peanuts, cracked corn, suet, millet, black oil sunflower seeds, and hulled sunflower seeds.
The Starlings eat almost everything, but mainly they eat the insects, invertebrates when they are available. The common preys include grasshoppers, flies, spiders, millipedes, snails, earthworms, and beetles. They also feed on fruits and wild berries.
Nesting
The Starlings lay a clutch of 3 to 6 eggs and incubate them for 12 days. The eggs are bluish or greenish-white. They experience 1 to 2 broods a year. The hatched chicks are usually helpless with sparse grayish down.
Eurasian Collared-Dove
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 11.4-11.8 in (29-30 cm)
Weight: 4.9-6.3 oz (140-180 g)
Wingspan: 13.8 in (35 cm)
Description
The Eurasian Collared-Dove is a species of doves that are found in parts of the US. Its scientific name is the Streptopelia decaocto. It is not listed as an endangered species due to an increase in its population.
The Eurasian Collared-Doves have a plumb body, a small head, and a long tail. Compared to the Morning Doves, they are larger but slimmer and larger tailed than the rock pigeon. They have broad and slightly rounded. The tail is squared off the tip.
The birds are chalky light brown to gray buff birds with broad white patches at the tail. The collar of the bird is a narrow black crescent around the nape of the neck. Whenever the bird is perched, or it is on flight, the wingtip is darker than the rest of the wing.
The average weight of the bird is 140 to 180 grams with a length of 29 to 30 cm. The average wingspan is 35 cm.
Habitat
The Eurasian Collared Doves mainly live in the urban and suburban areas in many parts of the US. In the rural areas, you will easily find them on the farms and in livestock yards where grains are available. During the cold seasons, the flocks might roost together in large trees.
Food
If you want to attract these birds, the appropriate feeders are the platform, ground, and large hopper. Inside these feeders, you can put foods such as milo, millets, black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corns, peanut hearts, and hulled sunflower seeds.
They also eat some berries and green plants as well as small invertebrates.
Nesting
The Eurasian Collared Doves lay a clutch of 1 to 2 eggs and incubate them for 14 to 19 days. The eggs are smooth, white, and slightly glossy. They experience 3 to 6 broods in a year. The hatched chicks are covered in down.
Song Sparrow
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 4.7-6.7 in (12-17 cm)
Weight: 0.4-1.9 oz (12-53 g)
Wingspan: 7.1-9.4 in (18-24 cm)
Song sparrows are medium-sized New World Sparrow. The name Song Sparrow is derived from its colorful collection of songs. The scientific name of Song Sparrow is Melospiza melodia.
Description
A song sparrow is a bulky, medium-sized sparrow with a long round tail. The birds have a heavily built bill that is considered short for a Sparrow and a round head. The birds have broad wings.
Song sparrows are brown and heavily streaked on their white chest and flanks. The birds have an attractive mix of warm red-brown and slaty gray on their head. The shade of the colors and the amount of streaking varies extensively across North America. The coarse streaks on the breast of the birds converge into a central spot. The birds have russet stripes on the crown and through their eyes and broad mustache stripe.
Song Sparrows weigh 12 to 53 grams and are 12 to 17 cm long. The wingspan of the birds is 18 to 24 cm.
Habitat
Song Sparrows occur in an enormous variety of open habitats like tidal marshes, desert scrub, pinyon pine, arctic grasslands, prairie shelterbelts, pacific rain forests, aspen parklands, chapparal, agricultural fields, overgrown pastures, forest edges, freshwater marsh, lake edges, and the suburbs. The birds can also be found in mixed woodlands of deciduous woodlands.
Food
Song Sparrows are attracted by ground and platform feeders. In these feeders, you can put foods such as milo, peanut hearts, cracked corn, millet, Nyjer, safflower, black oil sunflower seeds, or hulled sunflower seeds. The birds also feed on weevils, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, spiders, snails, earthworms, and midges, among others.
Nesting
Song Sparrows lay 1 to 6 eggs and incubate them for 12 to 15 days. The eggs are blue, blue-green, or gray-green with brown, red-brown, or lilac speckles. The birds experience 1 to 7 broods in a year. The chicks are hatched blind, clumsy, and naked with sparse blackish down and are nestled for 9 to 12 days.
American Goldfinch
Length: 4.3-5.1 in (11-14 cm)
Weight: 0.4-0.7 oz (11-20 g)
Wingspan: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm)
The American Goldfinch is a migratory bird widely distributed in North America. The scientific name of the American Goldfinch is Spinus tristis. There are four subspecies of the American Goldfinch, namely, the Eastern Goldfinch, the Pale Goldfinch, the NorthWestern Goldfinch, and the Willow Goldfinch.
The American Goldfinch is the only Finch in its subfamily that undergoes complete sloughing twice a year. The bird sheds all its feathers apart from the wing and the tail feathers in the autumn and spring seasons of the year.
Description
The adult male American Goldfinch is vibrant yellow with a black forehead and black wings with white marks in summer and olive in color during the winter season. The female American Goldfinch is dull yellow with two distinct wing bars in the summer and buffy brown during winter.
The birds have a short conical bill, long wings, a small head, and a small tail with notches.
The American Goldfinch weighs between 11 to 20 grams and has a length of between 11 to 14 centimeters. The birds have a wingspan of 19 to 22 centimeters.
Habitat
The birds are mostly found in weedy fields, cultivated areas, roadsides, backyards, floodplains, gardens, and orchards where thistles and asters are common.
Feeding
American Goldfinches are attracted by almost all bird feeders, including tube, platform, hanging, ground, and hopper feeders. To be able to attract these birds, feed them on sunflower seeds that have bee hulled, Nyjer, and black oil sunflower seeds. American Goldfinches are strict vegetarians and feed on a vegetable diet only, and swallow insects occasionally only by accident.
Nesting
The birds build their nests on branches of trees or shrubs at a height of up to 10 meters. The female American Goldfinch lays 4 to 6 bluish-white peanut size oval eggs. Incubation takes 12 to 14 days.
Bullock’s Oriole
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 6.7-7.5 in (17-19 cm)
Weight: 1.0-1.5 Oz (29-43 g)
Wingspan: 12.2 in (31 cm)
Description
The Bullock’s Oriole is a small New World blackbird. It is named after an English amateur and naturalist called William Bullock. The scientific name of this bird is Icterus bullockii.
Bullock’s Oriole is a medium-sized songbird with a slim but sturdy body and medium-long tails. The Orioles are related to the blackbirds, and they share long, thick-based, sharply pointed bills.
The adults are bright orange with a black back and a large white wing patch. The face is orange with a backline through the eyes and a black throat. The females and the chicks have a head and tail that is yellowish-orange with a grayish back and white-edged wing coverts. The young male Orioles show a black throat patch.
The average weight of a Bullock’s Oriole is 29 to 43 grams with a length of 17 to 19 cm. The average wingspan is 31 cm.
Habitat
If you want to find these birds, look for them in open woodlands along streams, particularly among cottonwoods. They occur in orchards, parks, and oaks or mesquite woodlands.
Food
The Bullock’s Orioles feed mainly on fruits, insects, and nectar. To attract them, you can allow shrubs to grow, which will attract the insects and subsequently attract the birds. They get the insects from the leaves, branches, and trunks, and they also pluck insects from spider webs or in the air.
Nesting
These birds lay a clutch of 3 to 7 eggs. The eggs are pale bluish or gray-white splotched with purplish-brown lines. The hatched chicks are usually helpless with long, sparse white down.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Length: 3.9-4.3 in (10-11 cm)
Weight: 0.2-0.3 oz (4.8-8.9 g)
Wingspan: 6.3 in (16 cm)
Description
This Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is a tiny songbird that is mainly found in parts of the US. Its scientific name is the Polioptila caerulea.
This bird is generally small in size, slim, and with long legs. This bird has a long tail with a thin, straight bill. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is a pale bluebird with grayish-white underparts, and the tail is usually black with white edges. The below area is mainly white, while the face is highlighted by a thin eye-ring. These birds have a dark V on their foreheads extending above their eyes.
The average weight of the birds is between 4.8 to 8.9 grams, with a length of between 10 to 11 cm. The average wingspan of this bird is 16 cm.
Habitat
The Gnatcatchers can inhabit the deciduous forest and near edges, often in moister areas. They can also be found in woodlands, the shrublands, which include the oak woodlands.
Food
Mainly the Blue-gray Gnatcatchers feed on insects, spiders, and other invertebrates. In order to attract them, you can plant shrubs and other areas where the insects will be attracted, and this will consequently attract the birds. They feed on prey such as the leafhoppers, plant bugs, leaf beetles, grasshoppers, froghoppers, and weevils. TheThe young chicks are also fed with these same foods by their parents.
Nesting
The Blue-gray Gnatcatchers lay a clutch of about 3 to 5 eggs which are incubated for a period of 11 to 15 days. The eggs are pale blue with some reddish to dark brown spots. They usually have 1 to 2 broods in a year. The hatched chicks are hatched helpless and naked with their eyes closed and can have little movements.
Steller’s Jay
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 11.8-13.4 in (30-34 cm)
Weight: 3.5-4.9 oz (100-140 g)
Wingspan: 17.3 in (44 cm)
The Steller’s Jay is a North American bird closely related to the Blue Jay but with a black head and upper body. The bird is also referred to as the Long-crested Jay, Pine Jay, or the Mountain Jay. The scientific name for Steller’s Jay is Cyanocitta stelleri.
Description
Steller’s Jay is a large songbird with a chunky body and a large head. The birds have round wings and long full tails. Steller’s Jays have long, straight, slightly hooked, and powerful bills. The birds have a projecting triangular crest that stands nearly straight up from their head.
Steller’s Jays appear very dark from a distance and lack the white underparts of most species of Jays. The head of the bird is charcoal black, and the body is blue with almost sparkling light blue on the wings. The birds have conspicuous white markings above their eyes.
Steller’s Jay weighs 100 to 140 grams and is 30 to 34 cm long. The wingspan of the birds is approximately 44 cm. Steller’s Jays are about the size of the Western Scrub-Jay.
Habitat
Steller’s Jays are mostly found in coniferous and coniferous-deciduous forests. The birds are also found in arid pine-oak woodlands and lower evergreen forests and in deserts during winter. The birds are also a familiar sight in campgrounds, picnic areas, parks, and backyards.
Food
Steller’s Jays are attracted by feeders like the large tube feeder, large hopper, suet cage, platform, and ground feeders. In these feeders, you can put foods such as black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, cracked corn, peanuts, peanut hearts, milo, millet, or suet. The birds also feed on insects, small animals, eggs, and nestlings.
Nesting
Steller’s Jays lay 2 to 6 eggs and incubate them for 16 days. The eggs are bluish-green with dark brown, purplish, or olive spots. The birds experience only one brood in a year. Hatched chicks stay in the nest for 16 days while being fed by their parents.
Mourning Dove
MEASUREMENTS
Male
Length: 9.1-13.4 in (23-34 cm)
Weight: 3.4-6.0 oz (96-170 g)
Wingspan: 17.7 in (45 cm)
Female
Weight: 3.0-5.5 oz (86-156 g)
Wingspan: 17.7 in (45 cm)
Mourning Dove, also known as the American Mourning Dove or the Rain Dove, is a medium-sized member of the dove family, Columbidae. Other names used to refer to the Mourning Dove are the Turtle Dove, Carolina Pigeon, and Carolina Turtledove. The scientific name for the Mourning Dove is Zenaida macroura.
Description
Mourning Doves have plump bodies with short legs and small bills. The head of the bird appears small in comparison to the body. They have a long, pointed tail that is unique among other North American Doves.
Mourning Doves are grey to delicate brown above with large black spots on their wings and a black-bordered white tip to the tail feathers. They have a pale peach-colored below. The birds have a long thin tail and a thin black bill. The legs of the birds are pinkish. The eyes are dark, surrounded by light skin. Adult male Mourning Doves have a distinct bluish-grey color on their crowns. Females have more brown coloring and are a little smaller than males.
Male Mourning Doves weigh 96 to 170 grams and are 23 to 24 cm long. Their wingspan is approximately 45 cm. Females weigh 86 to 156 grams and have a wingspan of 45 cm.
Habitat
Mountain Doves live in the open country, scattered trees, and woodland edges. You will rarely find these birds in the deep woods. The birds feed on the ground in grasslands, agricultural fields, roadsides, and backyards.
Food
To attract Mourning Dove, you can use a large hopper, platform, and ground feeders. In these feeders, you can put milo, oats, Nyjer, cracked corn, millet, peanut hearts, black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, and safflower. The birds sometimes eat snails, weeds, herbs, and berries.
Nesting
Mourning Doves lay two white eggs and incubate them for 14 days. The birds have 1 to 6 broods in a year. The chicks are hatched with their eyes closed, helpless, sparsely covered in cream-colored down, and dependent on the adults for warmth. The young doves stay in the nest for 12 to 15 days.
Dark-eyed Junco
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 5.5-6.3 in (14-16 cm)
Weight: 0.6-1.1 oz (18-30 g)
Wingspan: 7.1-9.8 in (18-25 cm)
Description
The Dark-eyed Junco is a species of the junco, a group of small, grayish new world sparrows. This bird is common in some parts of the United States. The scientific name of this bird is the Junco hyemalis.
The Dark-eyed Junco is a medium-sized sparrow that has a rounded head, a short, stout bill, and a fairly long tail. The Juncos vary according to regions, but in general, they are dark gray or brown birds with a pink bill and outer tail feathers that are white and periodically flash open, on flight.
The average weight of the bird is 18 to 30 grams with an average length of 14 to 16 cm. The wingspan ranges from 18 to 25 cm.
Habitat
The Dark-eyed Juncos bred in coniferous or mixed coniferous forests in Most parts of America. You can likely find these birds in woodlands, fields, parks, and roadsides.
Food
If you want to attract the Dark-eyed Junco, the ideal feeders are the Platform, ground, and the large hopper. Some of the foods you can put inside these feeders are milo, oats, millets, safflower, Nyjer, peanut hearts, hulled sunflower seeds, and black oil sunflower seeds.
During the breeding season, these also eat insects, including butterflies, beetles, caterpillars, ants, wasps, and flies.
Nesting
These birds lay a clutch of 3 to 6 eggs and incubate them for 12 to 13 days. The eggs are white, gray, pale bluish-white, or pale greenish-white with brown, gray, and green speckles. They experience 1 to 3 broods a year. The chicks are hatched naked except for the dark gray down on the back, and their eyes are closed.
White-crowned Sparrow
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 5.9-6.3 in (15-16 cm)
Weight: 0.9-1.0 oz (25-28 g)
Wingspan: 8.3-9.4 in (21-24 cm)
The White-crowned Sparrow is a medium-sized bird that is a member of the new world sparrow family. It is a species of the passerine. The scientific name of this bird is the Zonotrichia leucophrys.
Description
This is a large sparrow that has a long tail and a small bill. The head can look smooth and flat, depending on the bird’s altitude. The first impression of this bird tends to be a plain, pale gray bird; next, your eye is drawn to the very bold black and white stripes on the head and pale pink or yellow bill.
Then you’d birds of this species have a brown marking on the head. The average weight of this bird is 25 to 28 grams with an average length of 15 to 16 cm. The wingspan ranges from 21 to 24 cm.
Habitat
The White-crowned Sparrows are mainly found in places where safe tangles of brush mix with the open or grassy ground for foraging.
Food
If you want to attract the White-crowned Sparrow, the ideal feeders include the platform and ground. Inside these feeders, you can put foods such as hulled sunflower seeds, cracked corn, millet, milo, and the black oil sunflower seeds.
These birds also feed on weeds, grasses, and insects such as beetles, wasp, caterpillars, and others.
Nesting
The White-crowned Sparrows lay a clutch of 3 to 7 eggs and incubate them for 10 to 14 days. The eggs are greenish, greenish-blue, or bluish spotted with reddish-brown. They experience one top three broods in a year. The hatched chicks are born with sparse down feathers with their eyes closed.
Lesser Goldfinch
MEASUREMENTS
Length: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (8-11.5 g)
Wingspan: 5.9-7.9 in (15-20 cm)
Lesser Goldfinch is small songbirds forming the American Goldfinches together with the American Goldfinch and Lawrence’s Goldfinch. The scientific name of Lesser Goldfinch is Spinus psaltria.
Description
Lesser Goldfinch is tiny and has stub-bills. The birds have long pointed wings and short tails with notches.
The male Lesser Goldfinch is bright yellow below with a glossy black cap and white patches in the wings. The backs of the birds can be glossy black or dull green. Males also have a black tail with large white corners. Female and immature Lesser Goldfinches have olive backs, dull yellow underparts, and black wings marked by two whitish wing bars.
Lesser Goldfinch has an average weight of 8 to 11.5 grams and are 9 to 11 cm long. The birds have a wingspan of 15 to 20 cm.
Habitat
Lesser Goldfinch mostly feeds in weedy fields, budding treetops, and brush of open areas and edges. They also live in mountain canyons, desert oases, and the suburbs. The common habitats include pinyon-juniper, cottonwood, cedar, pine woodlands, oak, chaparral, and willows.
Food
To attract Lesser Goldfinch, the ideal feeders to use are large tube feeders, small tube feeders, large and small hoppers, and platform feeders. In these feeders, you can put black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, and Nyjer. The birds occasionally supplement their diet with insects such as plant lice.
Nesting
Lesser Goldfinches lay 3 to 6 pale blue-white and unmarked eggs and incubate them for 12 to 13 days. The birds have only one brood in a year. The nestlings are hatched naked, blind, and totally dependent on their parents for food. The nesting period is 12 to 14 days.
