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This small, brown, earless owl with a black framed, square face was long thought to be restricted to the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska but during the 1980s, it was found breeding in the Rocky Mountains of Idaho and Colorado. In Oregon, these shy owls are strictly nocturnal and live in remote mountain forests often covered by deep snows and with few passable roads. It is presumed to be a permanent resident in Oregon. It has been regularly observed about the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness in northeast Umatilla and northwest Wallowa counties and on the south slopes of South Sister Mountain…

The Northern saw-whet owl is on of the most common forest owls in Oregon, but like most other owls, it is more often heard than seen. It is a small owl, approximately eight inches long, with a large head, large yellow eyes, and no ear tufts. The facial disk is reddish brown with small white streaks radiating outward from the eyes and a prominent white V above the eyes and beak. The back and wings are brown with white spots. The breast is white with rust-colored vertical streaking. This owl breeds in low to mid-elevation coniferous and mixed deciduous/coniferous forests…

With long, pointed wings, nighthawks can sometimes be seen during the day catching insects while in flight although most are active at night. Nighthawks roost by scraping the ground or roost on low branches. Nestlings can fly at 10 days old. Swifts nest on vertical walls, such as chimneys or old smoke stacks, hollow trees or rock crevices. It's fun to watch them at dusk in summer, circling their nesting site. These birds are never seen perched, but only in flight.

The Common nighthawk is a migrant to Oregon with one of the longest migration distances of any North American bird. It is also one of the last to arrive in Oregon. Long, slender wings are marked by a white patch on the "hand" visible in flight from great distances. When perched on the ground, the cryptic brown, gray, and black mottling makes the bird almost invisible. This bird breeds and migrates at all elevations through the state. Its nesting habitat is characterized by open landscapes with little ground cover and is most abundant in sagebrush and rocky scablands and rimrock…

This nocturnal species is seldom-seen, sometimes known by its call on summer evenings or as a blur fluttering quickly up from secondary roads. Cryptic mottled, brownish-gray plumage helps it to blend in with dry, barren ground and to conceal it from predators. Common poorwills are smaller and shorter-tailed than other nightjars; when observed in the air, their flight resembles a moth or bat, noiseless and low over the ground. Locally common east of the Cascades, they are rare farther west in Josephine County. They are commonly found along the Snake, Wenaha and lower Grande Ronde rivers. Hear the call of…

Insects swept up in a rising air mass are favorite prey of this species nicknamed the "cloud swift." It prefers to nest near or even behind the curtain of a waterfall. This dark swift glides for long distances, often very high in the sky, with its wings held somewhat downward. It is larger and darker than the more common Vaux's swift, and has a slightly forked tail. The Black swift is a rare to uncommon spring and fall transient and summer visitant throughout the state. It's an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the West Cascades ecoregion. Hear the call of…

This small swift is best known for its quick flight and dazzling aerial agility, perching only when nesting or roosting. It is aerodynamically designed for fast speeds with long, pointed wings, short stout legs, and a compact body. The Vaux's swift is a transient and summer resident nesting in older forests and brick chimneys statewide except the southeast part of Oregon. Hear the call of the Vaux's swift Photo by Julio Mulero, Flickr

High overhead at the top of the rimrock in Oregon's desert country, the White-throated swift swoops, soars, and darts about erratically, hunting and catching insects. At great speed, it disappears into a crevice on a cliff without appearing to slow down. Its long, strong claws enable it to crawl deep inside these crevices to roosting and nesting areas, which often cannot be seen from the entrance. This bird is a locally common to abundant breeder, primarily on eastern Oregon cliffs. It is an occasional spring and sporadic fall migrant in western Oregon along the coast, in the Willamette Valley, and…

Hummingbirds are a popular backyard bird watching species, especially at hummingbird feeders. ODFW advises making your own feed to avoid commercial mixes that contain red dye. Hummingbirds swoop and dive with most performing a low back-and-forth movement called a shuttle display. Feeding on flower nectar, hummingbirds often are stained with pollen and are an important pollinator.

Noteworthy as a generalist, the Black-chinned hummingbird appears in a wide variety of habitats, including lush river bottoms, urban settings and desert canyons. Below the male's velvety black gorget is an iridescent purple band that can also look black in poor light. At rest, the wingtips are relatively broad and curved, unlike any other North American hummingbird. A rare to locally common resident east of the Cascades, it is least common in Klamath and Lake counties. Summer habitat in eastern Oregon includes canyons, juniper woodlands, and desert riparian zones. In the foothills of the Blue and Wallowa Mountains, it's found…

Anna's hummingbird is the largest hummingbird common to our region. It is the only hummingbird regularly found in Oregon in winter, during which time it is exposed to short day lengths, limited sources of food and periods of intense cold. It is more vocal than most hummingbirds with males uttering a dry, scratchy buzz of a song that can be heard throughout the year. It is a rare to locally uncommon summer resident west of the Cascades in interior valleys and along the coast; also along the Columbia River east to The Dalles. It occurs and probably breeds into the…

The Costa's hummingbird is a very rare spring and summer visitant to central and southwestern Oregon. Males are sometimes present for the entire year in the Rogue Valley. Males have been observed in canopy-free riparian habitat along Bear Creek and semi-open tall white oaks at the edge of Agate Lake. Many of these birds go undetected in Oregon because of their similarity with other hummingbird species. Hear the call of the Costa's hummingbird Photo by Mick Thompson, Flickr

This tiny jewel is the smallest breeding bird in North America and the smallest long-distance avian migrant in the world. The average weight of males is approximately 0.09 oz, about half of that of an Anna's hummingbird, and a little more than the weight of a penny. It breeds predominantly in mountain habitats, and despite its diminutive size, successfully withstands the chilly summer nights at high elevations. It is a common summer resident of the Blue and Wallowa Mountains and other high ranges east of the Cascade summit. Spring and fall migrants are rare at lower elevations east of the…

Perhaps the most enigmatic hummingbird found regularly in Oregon, the Broad-tailed hummingbird has so far eluded documentation of its breeding in the state, likely due to identification uncertainties and the remoteness of its preferred habitat. Primarily a Rocky Mountain species, its hard-to-define breeding range seems to reach its limit at Oregon's eastern edges where reports of this beautiful and rare species arise each summer. The relatively large adult male has a rose-red gorget and green plumage with no dorsal Rufous coloration. Females and immatures are nearly indistinguishable in the field from those of the more common Rufous hummingbird. Hear the…

The Rufous hummingbird is the most common and widespread of Oregon hummingbirds. This rusty-red and fearless nectar feeder is a popular yard bird, inspiring even the most modest of nature lovers to set up a feeder. It is a common transient and breeder throughout most of western Oregon, especially in forested regions. Hear the call of the Rufous hummingbird Photo by Charlotte Ganskopp

Allen's hummingbird is a common breeder in the coastal fog belt from California into southern Oregon. It is closely related to the more wide-ranging Rufous hummingbird with only subtle differences in plumage, behavior, and vocalization. This is a fairly common spring and summer resident along the southern Oregon coast as far north as Bandon. It occurs as a very rare vagrant in other parts of western Oregon. Hear the call of the Allen's hummingbird Photo by Trish Gussler, Flickr

Oregon has one species of kingfisher, the raucous Belted kingfisher and 12 woodpecker species. Six woodpeckers are Oregon Conservation Strategy Species of management concern and in need of conservation. Famous for their hammering and hole drilling, woodpeckers might decide your home looks like a good place to set up shop. Learn how to discourage this on our Living with Wildlife, Birds page.

This majestically crested bird is often heard before being seen due to its conspicuous harsh rattling call. Kingfishers are most frequently associated with lake and pond shorelines and islands, as well as coastal dunes with ponds and widely scattered shrubs and trees. They hunt from a vantage point above water such as an overhead branch, telephone wires along shore lines or pilings of piers. This is a common permanent resident throughout most of the state except in the north Lake and east Deschutes counties where open water is generally absent Hear the call of the belted kingfisher Photo from ODFW

The Lewis's woodpecker was named for Meriwether Lewis, who first described the species in 1805. This medium-sizesd vaguely crow-like woodpecker relies on flycatching during the spring and summer and store mast in the fall and winter. Formerly widespread in Oregon, it is currently common year-round only in the white oak-ponderosa pine belt east of Mt. Hood. It also breeds in low numbers in open habitat along east Oregon river and stream valleys. The Lewis's woodpecker is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in these ecoregions: Blue Mountains, Columbia Plateau, East Cascades, Klamath Mountains, West Cascades. Hear the call of the Lewis's…

Spirited vocalizations make this handsome clown-faced woodpecker one of the more conspicuous residents of much of Oregon's oak woodland. It is unique among Oregon woodpeckers with its habits of communal living and acorn storage. It is fairly common in the Rogue Valley and adjacent hills and locally common in the Klamath River Canyon in southwest Klamath county and the southern part of the Willamette Valley. Acorn woodpeckers are Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in both the Klamath Mountains and Willamette Valley ecoregions. Loss of oak woodlands poses a major threat to this bird. Hear the call of the Acorn woodpecker Photo…