Birds of Whiskeytown

Bird Species of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area

Whiskeytown is home to approximately 160 resident and migratory bird species. Notably, Federally Threatened bald eagles and northern spotted owls are key focal species. Bald eagles were first documented nesting in the park in 1973, while the first northern spotted owl nest was discovered in 1994.

In addition to these focal species, several other notable birds have been documented in the park:

  • Federal Species of Concern: Northern goshawk, olive-sided flycatcher, rufous hummingbird, red-breasted sapsucker, and California thrasher.
  • California Threatened Species: Bank swallow.
  • California Species of Special Concern: Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, osprey, yellow-breasted chat, yellow warbler, common loon, California gull, double-crested cormorant, and merlin.
 

Bird Sightings at Whiskeytown

  • A = Abundant (seen daily in appropriate habitat/season; large numbers)
  • C = Common (seen daily in appropriate habitat/season; not in large numbers)
  • U = Uncommon (seen monthly in appropriate habitat/season; locally common)
  • R = Rare (seen only a few times each year)
  • O = Occasional (seen every few years, but not annually)

Swans, Geese, and Ducks

  • Canada Goose Branta canadensis (A)
  • Bufflehead Bucephala albeola (A)
  • Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (C)
  • Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris (C)
  • Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus (C)
  • Common Merganser Mergus merganser (C)
  • Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis (C)
  • Wood Duck Aix sponsa (U)
  • Northern Pintail Anas acuta (U)
  • American Wigeon Anas americana (U)
  • Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata (U)
  • Green-winged Teal Anas crecca (U)
  • Gadwall Anas strepera (U)
  • Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis (U)
  • Canvasback Aythya valisineria (U)
  • Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula (U)
  • Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons (R)
  • Redhead Aythya americana (R)
  • Greater Scaup Aythya marila (R)
  • Snow Goose Chen caerulescens (R)
  • Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus (R)
  • Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator (R)

Herons

  • Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias (C)
  • Green-backed Heron Butorides striatus (U)
  • Green Heron Butorides virescens (U)
  • Great Egret Casmerodius albus (R)

Waders and Gulls

  • Killdeer Charadrius vociferous (C)
  • California Gull Larus californicus (C)
  • Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis (C)
  • Herring Gull Larus argentatus (U)
  • Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia (U)
  • Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens (R)
  • Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago (R)
  • Thayer's Gull Larus thayeri (O)

Eagles, Hawks, and Vultures

  • Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura (A)
  • Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis (C)
  • Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus (C)
  • Osprey Pandion haliaetus (C)
  • Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii (U)
  • Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus (U)
  • Merlin Falco columbarius (R)
  • Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus (R)
  • American Kestrel Falco sparverius (R)
  • Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos (R)
  • Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentiles (O)

Loons

  • Common Loon Gavia immer (U)

Pelicans and Cormorants

  • Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus (C)
  • American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos (O)

Grebes

  • Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis (A)
  • Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps (A)
  • Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena (O)
  • Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis (C)
  • Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus (C)

Pigeons

  • Band-tailed Pigeon Columba fasciata (A)
  • Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura (C)
  • Rock Dove; Domestic Pigeon Columba livia (U)

Kingfishers

  • Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon (C)

Roadrunners

  • Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus (R)

Quail, Grouse, and Turkey

  • California Quail Callipepla californica (A)
  • Mountain Quail Oreortyx pictus (A)
  • Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo (U)
  • Blue Grouse Dendragapus obscurus (R)

Coots

  • American Coot Fulica americana (A)

Woodpeckers

  • Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus (A)
  • Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus (A)
  • Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens (C)
  • Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus (C)
  • Nuttall's Woodpecker Picoides nuttallii (U)
  • Red-breasted Sapsucker Sphyrapicus ruber (U)
  • Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus (R)
  • Lewis' Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis (O)

Night Birds

  • Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor (R)
  • Common Poorwill Phalaenoptilus nuttallii (R)

Owls

  • Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus (C)
  • Northern Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium gnoma (C)
  • Western Screech-Owl Otus kennicottii (C)
  • Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus (R)
  • Northern Spotted Owl Strix occidentalis caurina (R)

Hummingbirds

  • Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus (U)
  • Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna (C)

Perching Birds

Bushtits

  • Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus (C)
  • Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus minimus (C)

Waxwings

  • Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum (U)

Creepers

  • Brown Creeper Certhia americana (C)

Wrens

  • Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus (R)
  • Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii (C)
  • House Wren Troglodytes aedon (C)
  • Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes (C)

Dippers

  • American Dipper Cinclus mexicanus (C)

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

  • Western Scrub Jay Aphelocoma californica (A)
  • Common Raven Corvus corax (A)
  • Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri (A)
  • American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos (U)
  • Clark's Nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana (U)

New World Sparrows and Buntings

  • Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis (A)
  • Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus (A)
  • Rufous-sided (Spotted) Towhee Pipilo maculatus (A)
  • White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys (A)
  • Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia (C)
  • Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca (C)
  • Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena (C)
  • Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana (C)
  • Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus (U)
  • Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii (U)
  • California Towhee, Brown Towhee Pipilo crissalis (U)
  • Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina (U)
  • Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla (U)

Old World Sparrows

  • House Sparrow Passer domesticus (C)

New World Warblers

  • Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata (C)
  • Audobon's Warbler Dendroica coronata auduboni (C)
  • Black-throated Gray Warbler Dendroica nigrescens (C)
  • Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens (C)
  • Macgillivray's Warbler Oporornis tolmiei (C)
  • Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata (C)
  • Nashville Warbler Vermivora ruficapilla (C)
  • Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia (U)
  • Wilson's Warbler Wilsonia pusilla (U)

Old World Warblers

  • Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula (C)
  • Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa (C)
  • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea (U)

Blackbirds

  • Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus (A)
  • Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus (C)
  • Bullock's Oriole, Baltimore (Northern) Oriole Icterus galbula (C)
  • Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater (C)
  • Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta (U)

Finches

  • Lesser Goldfinch Carduelis psaltria (A)
  • American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis (C)
  • House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus (C)
  • Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus (C)
  • Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus (U)
  • Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus (U)
  • Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra (R)

Swallows

  • Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica (C)
  • Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (C)
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis (C)
  • Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor (C)
  • Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina (U)
  • Bank Swallow Riparia riparia (O)

Thrushes

  • American Robin Turdus migratorius (A)
  • Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana (C)
  • Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus (U)
  • Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius (U)
  • Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi (U)

Chickadees and Titmice

  • Oak Titmouse, Plain Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus (C)
  • Mountain Chickadee Poecile gambeli (C)
  • Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens (U)

Pipits

  • American Pipit Anthus rubescens (R)

Nuthatches

  • Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis (C)
  • White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis (C)
  • Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea (U)

Mockingbirds and Thrashers

  • Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos (U)
  • California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum (U)

Starlings

  • European Starling Sturnus vulgaris (C)

Babblers

  • Wrentit Chamaea fasciata (C)

Flycatchers

  • Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi (C)
  • Western Wood-Pewee Contopus sordidulus (C)
  • Pacific Slope (Western) Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis (C)
  • Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens (C)
  • Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans (C)
  • Dusky Flycatcher Empidonax oberholseri (U)

Vireos

  • Cassin's Vireo Vireo cassinii (C)
  • Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni (C)
  • Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus (U)

Last updated: October 4, 2024

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 188
Whiskeytown, CA 96095

Phone:

530 242-3400

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