Rhinoceros Auklet

Rhinoceros Auklets are Fairly Common/Common year round.

Habitat

Nearshore waters, deeper channels, and embayments.

Behavior

Behavior on land is difficult to observe because Rhinoceros Auklets are nocturnal at their nesting colonies. On water, the birds are excellent divers, swimming underwater using their wings like flippers. They can remain submerged for up to two minutes.

Breeding

Non Breeding

Ancient Murrelet

Ancient Murrelets are Fairly Uncommon from October-March.

Habitat

Puget Sound.

Behavior

The Ancient Murrelet is more agile in flight than most alcids and will often plunge directly from the air into the water to forage. Swimming underwater, using its wings as flippers, it catches most of its food within sixty feet of the surface. Its breeding behavior is unusual among seabirds in that, at night, in the nesting colonies, males sing from tree branches and other high perches.

Marbled Murrlet

Marbled Murrlets are Uncommon year round.

Habitat

In Washington, Marbled Murrelets inhabit calm, shallow, coastal waters and bays, but breed inland, up to 45 miles from shore, in mature, wet forest.

Behavior

Often seen in pairs or small groups, Marbled Murrelets will fly low over the water with quick wing-beats when approached. They forage by swimming underwater, typically in water less than 100 feet deep, not far from shore.

Non Breeding

Breeding

Pigeon Guillemot

Pigeon Guillemots are Common in Western Washington Puget Sound year round.

Habitat

Pigeon Guillemots are found along rocky shores and inshore waters along the Pacific coast from Alaska to California. During the breeding season, they can be found on rocky islands and mainland cliffs that are protected from predators, as well as on a variety of man-made structures. In the water, they are usually close to rocky shorelines where the water is 30-90 feet deep.

Behavior

Pigeon Guillemots forage by diving and swimming underwater, propelled mostly by their wings, but, unlike most alcids, they also use their feet for propulsion. They forage by searching the bottom, diving up to 150 feet. They can also sometimes be seen on the surface of the water swimming with their heads submerged. They often sit on rocks with fish held crosswise between their bills until they swallow them.

Breeding

Not Breeding

Common Murre

Common Murre's are Common year round.

Habitat

Puget Sound.

Behavior

Outside of the breeding season, Common Murres are almost always seen in the water. On land, they sit upright. They swim and dive well, and can dive more than 150 feet below the water's surface. Their flight is labored.

Breeding

Changing into Non breeding

South Puget Sound

Merlin

Merlins are Fairly Common from August-May.

Habitat

During migration and winter, they are found in more diverse habitats, including coastal areas, estuaries, agricultural lands, cities, suburbs, small towns and bigger towns.

Behavior

Merlins capture airborne prey, employing a level sprint with abrupt turns. Rarely do they use the steep dive technique for which their larger relative, the Peregrine Falcon, is well known. They cache extra food on a branch or in an unused nest. Sometimes they fly low to the ground, surprising their prey. Merlins practice a variety of acrobatic, in-flight, courtship displays. They are cantankerous birds, seldom passing up a chance to hassle another raptor.

Taiga Merlin

Black Merlin

Prairie Merlin

American Kestrel

American Kestrel's are Uncommon year round.

Habitat

American Kestrels are found in a wide variety of open habitats, among them agricultural areas, grasslands, shrub-steppe. They take advantage of clear-cuts and are typically found where open areas are combined with perching spots, such as trees, utility wires, and fence posts.

Behavior

Kestrels are often seen hovering in flight or perched upon wires in open areas. An American Kestrel can often be identified from afar by its characteristic tail-bob and its hunched silhouette.

Female

Male

Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon's are Uncommon year round.

Habitat

Peregrine Falcons are typically found hunting in open areas, especially along bodies of water that provide habitat for their prey. cliff-like structures, man-made structures that are substitute.

Behavior

The Peregrine Falcon is the world's fastest bird. These aerial hunters are known for their steep power-dives, or stoops, sometimes reaching speeds up to 200 miles per hour. They dive from above to grab their prey out of the air with their strong talons. They also hunt closer to the ground, or from perches, overtaking their prey in flight.

North American Peregrine Falcon

Peale's Peregrine Falcon

Tundra Peregrine Falcon

House Sparrow

House Sparrows are Common year round.

Habitat

House Sparrows are closely tied to areas of human habitation, in either urban or rural settings. They can survive on city sidewalks or in farmlands.

Behavior

House Sparrows form large flocks throughout the state. They forage while hopping on the ground, at feeders, or by perching on weed stalks. These sparrows are opportunistic and eat whatever is available. While they are not highly territorial with their own species, they are aggressive toward other species and may drive native birds out of their nests.

Female

Male

Evening Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeaks are Common in from Late April-November.

Habitat

Evening Grosbeaks breed in mixed conifer forests, but will used broadleaved trees for nesting and foraging. During migration and winter they are often found in open, broadleaved forests, especially ones with fruiting shrubs.

Behavior

Outside of the breeding season, Evening Grosbeaks are usually in noisy flocks. They typically forage in trees and shrubs, at the tops and outer branches. They also forage on the ground and often gather at roadsides or in campground fire-pits, where they forage on minerals. Large numbers gather in areas with outbreaks of spruce budworms.

American Goldfinch

American Goldfinches are Common from Mid April-Mid October Uncommon rest of time.

Habitat

American Goldfinches can generally be found in brushy and weedy habitats at the edges of fields, rivers, and hedgerows, especially when thistle is present. Suburban gardens, poplar plantations, orchards, and other brushy areas with scattered deciduous trees are commonly used.

Behavior

Flocks are common outside of the breeding season, and American Goldfinches often flock with redpolls and Pine Siskins. They are active foragers, and climb about nimbly when foraging, often hanging from seed-heads and other objects. Like many finches, American Goldfinches have an undulating flight. They often give call notes on the upward strokes

Female

Non Breeding Male

Male

Pine Siskin

Pine Siskins are Common year round but are nomadic and depend's on food supply.

Habitat

Throughout their range, Pine Siskins typically breed in coniferous forests, although they are often found in mixed forests in the Puget Trough. During migration and winter, they can be found in many types of semi-open areas, including forest edges and weedy fields.

Behavior

Pine Siskins form flocks year round, and winter flocks may be quite large. They can be very common at bird feeders in urban areas. (Unfortunately, such dense concentrations may spread salmonella, especially when feeders are not properly cleaned.) Pine Siskins are active foragers and climb about nimbly when foraging in forest canopies and hedgerows, often hanging upside-down. They also occasionally forage on larger branches, much like a nuthatch. Like many finches, they have an undulating flight and often make aerial contact calls.

Male

Female

Common Redpoll

Common Redpolls are Abundant during irruptive year with birch catkins mainly from November-March very rare on non irruptive years during those months.

Habitat

Redpolls are Arctic and sub-Arctic breeders, and Common Redpolls typically breed in open coniferous forests and shrubby birch and alder thickets. During winter they inhabit various kinds of semi-open country, including woodland edges and brushy or weedy fields. They can often be found in birch, alder, or willow patches.

Behavior

Busy and acrobatic, Common Redpolls forage in flocks along hedgerows or in catkin-bearing trees. They are well adapted to feeding at the very tips of small branches, hanging upside-down, and using their feet to hold food items. They also forage on the ground, especially in winter, and move in rolling waves across ground-feeding areas. They have pouches in their throats that allow them to gather large amounts of food quickly, and then retreat to a safe place to process the food. In winter, they will drop from a tree into deep snow and make a tunnel about a foot long to a roosting chamber. Like many finches, they have an undulating flight pattern. They are quite vocal, making constant contact calls within their flocks, and are often located by their flight calls.

Female

Male

Red Crossbill

Red Crossbills are Common but nomadic meaning depending of food supply year round.

Habitat

Red Crossbills typically inhabit mature conifer forests, and the different types tend to specialize on preferred trees, including western hemlock, Ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, Sitka, and Engleman spruce.

Behavior

Red Crossbills are usually found in small flocks year round. They typically climb in mature conifers, using their bills to grab branches and cones. They will also occasionally land on deciduous trees and forage for aphids. Their bills are adapted for removing seeds from cones, and they start at the bottom of a cone and spiral upward, prying open each scale and removing the seeds with their tongues. The bills can cross in either direction, and the direction of the cross dictates the direction that the bird spirals up the cone. Each type has a distinct flight call, which is helpful in identification and may play a role in maintaining the isolation of each group.

Note 

Having just Type 3s Chewp of Western Hemlocks, Type 4s Plick of Douglas Firs and Rare Type 10s of Sitka Spruce.

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House Finch

House Finches are Common year round.

Habitat

Have expanded their range, naturally and through introductions, and now can be found in almost any kind of human-altered habitat. They prefer edge habitat and are absent from dense coniferous forests.

Behavior

Flocks of House Finches are common at bird feeders during the non-breeding season. Some flocks may stay together through the breeding season as well, and birds will use bird feeders year round. They often forage on the ground, but also perch on weeds, shrubs, or trees. Both males and females may sing during the breeding season, and males sing year round.

Male

Female

Yellow Male Variant 

Purple Finch

Purple Finches are Common from April-September some may winter.

Habitat

Purple Finches are generally found in moist coniferous and mixed-forest lowlands, especially those with many openings and edges, and an abundant understory. They are often found in revegetating clear-cuts, farmlands, and in rural residential areas. In wetter western Washington, they can be found in most forest types, During migration and winter, they use a broad range of forested and semi-open habitats.

Behavior

Small flocks form in late summer and early fall, and groups may visit bird feeders regularly in winter, when those feeders are not dominated by House Sparrows or House Finches. They usually forage on the outer portion of tree branches at various heights, and occasionally on the ground.

Male

Female

Bullock's Oriole

Bullock's Orioles are Common from Early May-Early August.

Habitat

The typical breeding habitat of Bullock's Orioles in Washington is forested streamside. They primarily inhabit hardwood trees and can often be found in large cottonwoods, willows, and oaks. Freshwater wetlands, irrigated farms, orchards, shrub-steppe, suburban areas, and other edge habitats are also used if there are suitable trees for nesting. During migration, Bullock's Orioles can be found in a wide variety of open woodlands, including urban parks. 

Behavior

While Bullock's Orioles may form small flocks during migration and winter, they generally forage alone. They forage mainly in the tree canopy, where they glean food from the foliage and occasionally fly out to catch aerial prey. 

Male

Female

Brown-headed Cowbird

Brown-headed Cowbirds are Common from Mid April-September.

Habitat

Brown-headed Cowbirds forage in open areas and breed in open woodlands or scattered trees, so they are most common at edge areas where they can be close to both types of habitat. They are particularly common in streamside thickets and woods adjacent to agricultural fields, although they can be found in most habitats with the exception of the forest interior. Historically, they inhabited short-grass prairies, but with development, agriculture, and forest fragmentation, they have been able to expand their range significantly and now prefer human-modified habitats.

Behavior

Historically, Brown-headed Cowbirds probably followed herds of bison, walking behind them to take advantage of food kicked up in the bison's wake. Now they follow cattle and other large grazers in much the same way. They almost always forage on the ground, but also lurk about in trees and bushes, mostly watching quietly for nests to parasitize.

Female

Juvenile on left

Male

Brewer's Blackbird

Brewer's Blackbirds are Common in year round.

Habitat

Brewer's Blackbirds are most often associated with agricultural fields that have brushy edges. They can be found in other open areas as well, including parks, campgrounds, parking lots, wetlands, and suburban and urban settings. 

Behavior

Brewer's Blackbirds form flocks outside of the breeding season, and may winter in mixed flocks with other blackbirds. They typically forage on the ground and often follow farm machinery, taking advantage of food turned up by plows.

Female

Male

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Yellow-headed Blackbirds are Uncommon May June and October.

Habitat

During the breeding season, Yellow-headed Blackbirds can be found in large wetlands with emergent vegetation. Their habitat requirements are similar to those of Red-winged Blackbirds, but Yellow-headed Blackbirds require larger wetlands with deeper water. Red-winged Blackbirds are often seen with Yellow-headed Blackbirds. When the two do occur together, the larger Yellow-headed Blackbirds generally inhabit the center of the marsh, and the smaller Red-winged Blackbirds inhabit the periphery. In the non-breeding season, they can be found in open fields.

Behavior

Outside of the breeding season, Yellow-headed Blackbirds are commonly found in flocks, often mixed with other blackbird species. In winter, single-species flocks may form, sometimes consisting of all males or all females. Large foraging flocks move in a rolling fashion: birds from the back of the flock fly over the rest of the flock to the front. They forage by walking on the ground or climbing on low marsh vegetation. They often forage beside bodies of water when insects are emerging from aquatic larval stages, and they follow behind farm machinery, taking advantage of food churned up by the equipment.

Western Meadowlarks

Western Meadowlarks are Uncommon from October-April.

Habitat

Meadowlarks are open-country birds. They inhabit grasslands, shrub-steppe, and agricultural areas. During winter, they can often be found in cultivated fields and wet grasslands.

Behavior

Western Meadowlarks flock in winter in single-species groups, or with other blackbirds and starlings. Meadowlarks forage mostly on the ground, running or walking, and probing the soil with their bills. In early spring, Western Meadowlarks sing continually from shrub tops, fence posts, utility poles, or any other high structure in their open-country habitat.

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Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbirds are Common year round.

Habitat

Cattail marsh is the quintessential Red-winged Blackbird habitat, although these birds will breed in wooded or brushy swamps, wet meadows, hay fields, salt marshes, irrigation canals, and roadside ditches. They prefer wetlands with emergent vegetation, but may nest in shrubby upland areas occasionally. They do not require large territories and are often seen in very small patches of habitat. In winter they often congregate in agricultural areas.

Behavior

Red-winged Blackbirds are among the most well studied birds, especially in regard to behavior. They form flocks outside of the breeding season and nest close together. Although they pack tightly into small areas, they are very territorial during the breeding season. Males often sit up high on tall cattails surveying their territories and will aggressively fly after intruders with their red wing-patches displayed boldly. They forage on the ground, but will also forage in shrubs and trees.

Female

Male

Lazuli Bunting

Lazuli Bunting are Uncommon from Mid May-September.

Habitat

Lazuli Buntings typically inhabit shrubby areas in forested zones. In Washington, they are often found along dry hillsides, at the lower edge of the ponderosa pine zone, or in streamside thickets, but can also be found occasionally at high elevations. Recently burned areas, agricultural hedgerows, and residential gardens all may provide shrubby habitats for Lazuli Buntings as well.

Behavior

When foraging, Lazuli Buntings glean food from the foliage, hop along the ground, or fly out to catch aerial prey. They also come to bird feeders. Males tend to fly-catch from exposed perches, while females typically fly-catch from lower, more sheltered perches. Although Lazuli Buntings forage on the ground or in low growth, they sing from prominent perches. Males are persistent singers, and each develops an individual song as a yearling that it will sing for the rest of its life. Many males learn their songs by listening to nearby males, resulting in 'song neighborhoods,' where the males in close proximity sing a similar song, but may sound very different from males in a different 'neighborhood.'

Female

Male

Black-headed Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeaks are Common from Mid May-Mid August some may stay till Early September.

Habitat

Black-headed Grosbeaks are typically found in broadleaved or mixed forests, and especially in brushy, riparian areas. They are generally not found in coniferous vegetation, but will inhabit patches of broadleaved trees and shrubs within conifer forests, including streamside corridors, wetlands, and suburban areas.

Behavior

Black-headed Grosbeaks sing their robin-like song from conspicuous perches, and forage in the foliage. They also forage on the ground or in low vegetation. During courtship, males fly with their wings and tails spread. Both sexes sing, but have different songs.

Female

Male

Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Juncos are Common in year round.

Habitat

During the breeding season, Dark-eyed Juncos use a variety of forested habitat, but prefer moist conifer or mixed forests with dense understory and forest opening, now known to nest in cities and suburbs, towns. During the winter, they can be found in open woodlands and brushy areas including cities, suburbs towns, villages, gardens.

Behavior

Dark-eyed Juncos are flocking birds with a distinct social hierarchy. They forage on the ground in these groups, scratching with their feet to find food. The flash of white tail feathers serve as a signal that alerts members of the flock when one is alarmed.

Male Slate

Female

Male Oregon