Birds

Birds are flying vertebrates. They're built to fly with feathers and a strong but lightweight skeleton. All birds have beaks, whose shapes are specialized to the food they eat. For example, predatory birds (raptors) like hawks have hooked beaks to kill and dismember prey. Hummingbirds and other nectar feeders have bills designed to fit into flowers. Although bird songs can sound melodic and simple, they are very specific calls used to attract a mate or warn other birds.

Arizona is a bird-watcher’s paradise. Saguaro National Park contains many species seen in few other places in the United States, such as vermilion flycatchers and whiskered screech owls. The diversity of habitats in the park ranges from lowland desert up to pine forests. These diverse ecosystems support a surprising array of bird life. Common desert birds include greater roadrunners, Gila woodpeckers, and Gambel’s quail. Northern goshawks, yellow-eyed juncos, and Mexican jays can be found in the park's higher elevations.

Saguaro National Park is also a seasonal home to neotropical migratory birds!

 

Common Birds in the Park

 

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Roadrunner (Geococcyx californicus)

This large member of the cuckoo family is probably the most famous bird of the Southwest. It is also an effective predator. Though it rarely flies, the roadrunner can reach speeds of 15 mph, which allow it to catch fast moving prey like lizards and rodents. When moving at high speeds, the roadrunner uses its tail as a rudder.The female lays eggs at intervals so that if there is a shortage of food, the younger birds are fed to the older hatchlings.

Length: 23 in. Wingspan: 22 in.

Diet: Small mammals, small birds, snakes, lizards, as well as some fruit and seeds

 

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Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus)

The Northern cardinal and the pyrrhuloxia are very closely related. They have extremely similar songs and habits. Because they are similar in color, the male Pyrrhuloxia is often mistaken for a female cardinal. One easy way to tell them apart is the yellowish parrot-like bill of the pyrrhuloxia, versus the cardinal's red bill.

Length: 8.75 in. Wingspan: 12 in.

Diet: Seeds, berries, and insects

 

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Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens)

The phainopepla belongs to a small group of birds known as the silky flycatchers, but they are not related to true flycatchers. Their diet is primarily desert mistletoe. It disperses mistletoe seeds to host plants as the seeds pass through the birds’ digestive system.

The male is shiny and black with a crest and bright red eyes, while the female is gray and also has red eyes.

Length: 7.75 in. Wingspan: 11 in.

Diet: Berries (especially mistletoe) and insects

 

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Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus)

This common Sonoran Desert hawk is often seen in saguaro forests. Unlike most other hawks, the Harris’s hawk lives and hunts in social groups. Most groups consist of a breeding pair and several non-breeding adult birds that help in feeding the young, defending the nest, and hunting. They hunt in groups to increase hunting success, sometimes surrounding prey to flush it out of deep brush.

Length: 20 in. Wingspan: 42 in.

Diet: Rodents, rabbits, snakes, lizards, and birds

 

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Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis)

This common Sonoran Desert woodpecker makes nest cavities in the sides of saguaros inbetween the skin and the inner ribs (the outer cortex) of the cactus. With the saguaro tissue serving as insulation, these cavities provide safety from predators and refuge from extreme temperatures. Abandoned woodpecker holes make great nests for elf owls, kestrels, and purple martins.

Length: 9.25 in. Wingspan: 16 in.

Diet: Insects, cactus fruit, and berries

 

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Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii)

The Gambel’s quail is easy recognized by the black, comma-shaped top-knot protruding from its forehead. This bird avoids extreme summer temperatures by being most active during the early mornings and late afternoons. It spends the hottest part of the day in the shade. If water is available, the Gambel’s quail will drink daily; otherwise, it gets enough water to survive from eating insects and cactus fruit.

Gambel’s quail usually nest on the ground, which can be a dangerous place for baby birds. All young hatch on the same day with their eyes open and covered with down. From that day forward, they are ready to follow (and keep up with) their parents.

Length: 10 in. Wingspan: 14 in.

Diet: Mostly seeds, some insects and fruit

 

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Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi)

This tiny, nocturnal hunter is also the world’s smallest owl. Because of their size, elf owls feed chiefly on insects - usually beetles and moths. Elf owls nest in former woodpecker holes or cavities in trees and saguaros. Elf owls migrate to southern Mexico before the end of October and return to the Sonoran desert by March to breed.

Length: 5.75 in. Wingspan: 13 in.

Diet: Insects and arthropods

 

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Curve-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre)

The curve-billed thrasher is a large, grayish-brown bird with yellow eyes and a noticeably curved bill. A ground forager, the curve-billed thrasher uses its bill to flick aside and dig in the soil for insects and seeds. It builds a nest of twigs in cholla cactus, yucca, or mesquite and has been known to destroy cactus wren nests when nesting sites are in demand.

Length: 11 in. Wingspan: 13.5 in.

Diet: Insects, berries, and fruit

 

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Common Raven (Corvus corax)

The common raven is the largest member of the corvid family (jays, magpies, crows, and ravens). Although the common raven is extremely difficult to tell apart from the Chihuahuan raven by sight, the Chihuahuan raven is often found in groups, while the common raven is often seen alone or in pairs. Extremely adaptable birds, they are found in diverse habitats from forests to cities to Arctic ice flows.

Length: 24 in. Wingspan: 53 in.

Diet: Carrion

 

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Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)

Thanks to its curious nature and rough, abrasive calls, the cactus wren is one of the best known birds of the Sonoran Desert. It’s the state bird of Arizona!

Both male and female birds construct the first breeding nest. Then, while the female is incubating the eggs, the male will construct a new nest that serves as a roosting nest for the adults. These roosting nests are important because they protect adult birds from predators and extreme weather. Roosting nests may be used as brood nests for later clutches, as cactus wrens often raise several broods a year.

Length: 8.5 in. Wingspan: 11in.

Diet: Insects and other arthropods, fruit, and seeds

 

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Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna)

This beautiful hummingbird is present year round in the northern regions of the Sonoran Desert. Adult males have a rose/reddish-orange iridescent helmet. They can easily be lured to backyard hummingbird feeders.

Length: 4 in.

Diet: Nectar and small insects

 

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Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

The red-tailed hawk is one of the most common and widespread hawks in North America. It can be found year-round in the Sonoran Desert. Although they are named for the rusty-red tail feathers most adults have, their plumage colors are extremely variable. Some red-tailed hawks are rufous or almost completely black, while others can be mostly white.

Length: 19 in. Wingspan: 49 in.

Diet: Mostly rodents, rabbits

 

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Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

During the warmer months of the year, turkey vultures can often be spotted soaring over the Sonoran Desert. They search for food while soaring on thermals. If conditions are right, they can go for hours without flapping their wings. They locate food using their incredible sense of smell (which is unusual for birds) and by sight. Their featherless heads keep them clean, as they stick their entire head into the body cavities of dead animals to feast.

Length: 26 in. Wingspan: 67 in.

Diet: Carrion

 

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White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)

During spring in the Sonoran Desert, the air is filled with the mating call of the white-winged dove. Their hoots and coos are so abundant that they sometimes drown out the sounds of other birds.

However noisy the white-winged dove might be, they play a very important role in the life cycle of the saguaro cactus. When saguaros flower, white-winged doves move from flower to flower, sipping nectar and pollinating the plant. Once the flowers become fruit, the doves have a new food source. The sweet fruit is filled with thousands of tiny seeds, which are consumed and digested. However, occasionally a dove feeding her young may inadvertantly drop a seed. If that seed is dropped while the dove is perched on a tree or bush, that tree or bush might become a nurse plant to the growing saguaro. Such a plant protects the young saguaro from extreme weather and animals and greatly increases its chances of survival.

Size: 11.5 in. Wingspan: 19 in.

Diet: Seeds and fruit

 

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Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps)

The tiny verdin is not a close relative of any other bird in the Western Hemisphere. Instead, it is believed to belong to a group of small, inconspicuous birds from Eurasia and Africa.

The male verdin may build several spherical nests of bulky twigs before the female chooses one in which to lay her eggs. Young verdins are ready to fledge about three weeks after hatching but still return to the nest at night.

Length: 4.5 in. Wingspan: 6.5 in.

Diet: Insects and nectar