Songbirds - Garden Companions

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Red-Breasted Nuthatch

The red-breasted nuthatch was previously known as the Canada Nuthatch. These are little birds—about 4.5 inches in length and a bit more than a third of an ounce in weight. The top of the head is black, bordered by a white stripe and a black stripe that extends from the base of the bill through the eye to the back of the neck. The upperparts are a bluish gray and the underparts are a rufous-cinnamon. 

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Bullock's Oriole

Males are a bright orange, with a dark stripe through the eye on an orange face, and a white wing patch on a black wing. Females are less dramatically colored with gray and a yellowish orange on head and tail. Orioles are related to blackbirds and have a similar long, thick and sharp-pointed bill.

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Yellow-Billed Magpie

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The yellow-billed magpie, so common to central and southern California, is found nowhere else in the world. It is “endemic” or restricted to a certain place.

West Nile Virus wiped out almost half of the population, almost 90,000 birds, in just two years. But the magpie has shown signs of rebounding.

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California Scrub Jay

Yes, they are loud. But that has its benefits for all the birds around. Jays will warn when the neighborhood cat comes near the feeders allowing all the birds to escape. Or they will harass the squirrels around the feeders until the squirrels depart and the birds can have breakfast in peace

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Acorn Woodpecker

There are a few birds one could consider as clowns either because of their actions or their appearance. The acorn woodpecker with its clown-face of bold black, red and yellowish white is our clown of the month.

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Barn Swallow

The barn swallow is the most common and widely found swallow in the world. The Northern Hemisphere is their breeding territory and they migrate to the Southern Hemisphere for the winter. They can be found from sea level up to 10,000 feet elevation.

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Tricolor Blackbird

Did you know there is more than one “blackbird”? The common Brewer’s Blackbird seen in parking lots and backyards is one, but there are two others that are closely related: Tricolored Blackbird and the Red-winged Blackbird. These two are more similar in appearance than different.

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House Finch

House Finches are one of the most common birds seen in backyards. Some captive house finches were released near New York City in 1941 after failed attempts to sell them illegally as caged birds. As a result, they have spread rapidly across the United States and Canada. The population in North America is estimated between 267 million and 1.4 billion individuals. You can’t miss these guys!

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American Robin

American Robins are widespread and familiar throughout North America. The American Robin is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin. Their song welcomes spring and is often the earliest song heard at dawn beginning just before first light. In fall and winter, they travel in large flocks looking for food.

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Rufous Hummingbird

One of the longest migrants, according to size, the Rufous Hummingbird travels from Alaska to Mexico for approximately 3,900 miles and they are only 3 inches long!

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Cliff Swallow

These are colorful swallows with deep blue on their backs, wings and crown of the head; a light underside and chestnut-colored face, dark throat and pale gray nape. They can be confused with a barn swallow.

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European Starling

You love them or you hate them. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground.

They are abundant and aggressive. They may chase away your favorite birds from your backyard feeder. They are noisy! But their coloration is dazzling and they have some fascinating talents.

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White-Crowned Sparrow

The white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) is a medium-sized sparrow native to North America.

Adults are 18 cm (7 in) long and have black and white stripes on their head, a gray face, brown streaked upper parts and a long tail. The wings are brown with bars and the underparts are gray. Their bill is pink or yellow. They are similar in appearance to the white-throated sparrow but do not have the white throat markings.

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Brewer's Blackbird

Brewer’s Blackbirds are everywhere you look. There are in the grocery store parking lot, at your backyard feeders, in the park, at the farm, and in the trees. We find them at sea level and up to 8000 feet elevation.

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Northern Mockingbird

Is that a dog barking? Honey, you need to fix the squeaky hinges! Darn those crickets chirping all night long. No, it isn’t a dog, a hinge nor a cricket, but our Northern Mockingbird doing his best imitations.

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The Meadowlark

Meadowlarks are seen in our area all year round. They like wide open spaces – native grasslands and agricultural fields – and sometimes along roads, edges of marshes and mountain meadows.

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Red Winged Blackbird

This very boldly colored bird is one of the most abundant birds in North America - the red-winged blackbird. We have three common blackbirds in this area: the red-winged, a very similar looking tri-colored, and the brewer's blackbird.

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Bewick's Wren

These are perky and busy little birds. They actively forage on branches and trunks of bushes and trees. You will also frequently see them on or near the ground, turning over leaves and looking for food

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Northern Flicker

The Northern Flicker is a type of woodpecker with bright flashes of color visible under its wings and tail in flight. There are two varieties – the yellow-shafted in the north and east areas of North America, and the red-shafted here in the West. On the Great Plains, the yellow-shafted and red-shafted interbreed.

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Common Poorwill

Hummingbirds go into torpor at night to conserve energy. But only one bird hibernates – the Common Poorwill. When weather is really cold, or food isn’t available, the poorwill will hibernate. It can even hibernate while waiting for chicks to hatch!

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Spotted Towhee

What’s black, white and rufous all over? The spotted towhee.

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Hermit Thrush

Hermit thrushes visit us during the winter. These thrushes have mainly brown upper parts, a distinctly reddish tail, and white underparts with dark spots on the breast.

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SORA

What is a rail? In this case, it isn’t the tracks the trains run on, but instead it is a group of slender, small to medium sized, chicken-shaped marsh birds in the Rallidae family. The most abundant rail in North America is right here – the Sora. They are also known as the Carolina Rail and the meadow chicken.

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American Crow

American CrowWhat group of birds is called a "murder?"

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Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's HummingbirdWho is the little jewel of the bird world? What bird can fly faster than a fighter jet (relative to size)? What group of birds is called a shimmer?  The answer to all of these is the hummingbird-- a brightly colored jewel that graces our gardens with their iridescence and busy buzzing