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The arrival of this stalwart flycatcher in February prematurely announces spring east of the Cascades. It specializes in the capture of low-flying and ground-dwelling insects, enabling it to survive harsh conditions. Its near-ground niche allows it to reside from the arctic tundra to the deserts of southern Mexico. Its subtle song and coloration fit in well with the open country it occupies. Although not shy, it is easily passed unnoticed by the casual observer. The Say's phoebe breeds from the east base of the Cascades eastward in arid, sparsely treed, open country such as sagebrush plains, dry foothills, canyons, rimrock

With its erect posture and stately manner, the Ash-throated flycatcher brings a touch of elegance to the oak and juniper woodlands of Oregon. A medium-sized flycatcher, it has a puffy crest and generally pale coloration, sexes are similar. It has gray-brown upperparts and an ashy gray breast; the throat may appear whiter. Belly and undertail coverts are pale yellow. It has two whitish wing bars, and rufous-colored inner webs of the tail and primaries. Juveniles have more extensively reddish tails. It is an uncommon to locally common summer resident in the Rogue and Applegate valleys and a rare vagrant in

Individuals of this Mexican and South American resident regularly disperse northward in the fall. They occur in good numbers along the California coast, but become steadily scarcer northward. In Oregon, Tropical kingbirds are most often found in open situations close to the ocean, about an estuary, in pastures, in towns, sitting on a telephone wire or fence line, or on a bare tree branch. The majority of Oregon records occur from late September to late November. Hear the song of the Tropical kingbird Photo by Brian Garrett, Flickr

The vigilant Western kingbird is a summer resident of open country known for their fearless and aggressive nature in the nesting season. They are often seen perched on telephone wires, tall trees, fence posts, or any upright structure, surveying the surroundings and sallying out to capture airborne insects. They have adapted well to advancing human settlement and frequently nest on utility poles. The Western kingbird is a fairly common summer resident east of the Cascades. Range also extends westward through open valleys within the Siskiyou Mountains and into the Rogue and Umpqua valleys. Hear the song of the Western kingbird

The plumage and perching habits of the Eastern kingbird make it one of the more conspicuous birds in open habitats of eastern Oregon. The plumage is well defined: black on the upperparts and white on the underparts, and a white band on the terminal tip of the tail feathers. It is a relatively large flycatcher, often perching on powerlines, fences, or exposed perches on trees or snags. They hawk aerial insects during the breeding season. The Eastern kingbird breeds throughout non-forest of most of northeast Oregon lowlands with spotty distribution in central and southeast Oregon. They are most abundant in

Wide open spaces generally surround these sparrow-sized, ground dwelling birds. The upperparts are mostly brownish and the underparts are generally buffy with varying amounts of yellow on the throat. There is black on the breast and side of the head, but the most unique features are small black "horns." Females and immature birds are duller. Interesting behavior includes aerial displays and "flight songs" during courtship, and the propensity to forage and loaf along dirt and gravel roads. In western Oregon, it breeds in small, scattered populations throughout the Willamette Valley, with concentrations in the central valley on and near Basket

Vireos and shrikes are predatory song birds. Their bills are strong and hooked to kill and dismember prey including insects and small birds, mammals and reptiles. These birds hunt from fences, wires and treetops and sometimes hang captured prey on thorns to eat them later.

This striking songbird is best known for its habit of impaling prey on thorns and barbed wire, or wedging items in a v-shaped branch for easier handling and storage. The Loggerhead shrike breeds in open habitats east of the Cascades where they are rare but regular in the winter, especially at low-elevation sites. They are uncommon and declining in northeast Oregon. West of the Cascades, there are usually a few records each year during fall, winter, and spring in open habitats of the coast and the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue valleys. The Loggerhead shrike is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species

This is the larger of Oregon's two shrikes, and the more likely to be seen in winter. Most of those seen in Oregon are hatch-year birds wearing brownish plumage in the fall and graying as winter passes. Adults stand out from young of the year with more crisp gray, black, and white plumage. Shrikes inhabit open landscapes. They resemble and act like small raptors, however, they capture and kill prey with a hooked bill rather than with talons. The Northern shrike is an uncommon to locally common visitor in open habitats statewide. It is absent some years along the southern

The more distinctive features on this gray and greenish vireo are the bright eye rings and lores, together called "spectacles." This bird is often difficult to see as it forages among the foliage; identification is usually based on hearing its distinctive song. Widespread in migration, when its habitat includes city parks and heavily wooded neighborhoods. The Cassin's vireo is an uncommon to rarely common summer resident in forests and woodlands, except along the immediate coast. it is an uncommon transient throughout the state. Hear the song of the Cassin's vireo Photo by Trish Gussler, Flickr

A quiet, modest, unobtrusive little bird that must be sought to be seen in its shady retreats, this little-studied species can easily be overlooked. It is typically associated with oaks and mixed woodlands, where it hops along the foliage hunting for insects. In winter it forages with flocks of chickadees, kinglets, and nuthatches. This is Oregon's only resident vireo. Although it is sometimes referred to as non-migratory, some seasonal movement has been observed. Similar in appearance and behavior to the more common and widespread Ruby-crowned kinglet. Hear the song of the Hutton's vireo Photo by Greg Gilson

Despite being one of the most common songbirds in deciduous and riparian forests throughout Oregon, the Warbling vireo is frequently overlooked. Its plumage is indistinct. It tends to forage high in the treetops, moving slowly and deliberately among twigs and leaves gleaning insects. Despite its subtle plumage and habits, familiarity with its song makes this vireo easy to find, and a delight to listen to. The Warbling vireo breeds in moderate densities in deciduous habitat throughout Oregon from sea level to montane areas. It is most abundant in the central Coast Range. It is moderately abundant west of the Cascades

When walking through riparian areas in certain parts of Oregon in summer, one can often hear a song which suggests the Robin's but with less volume and energy, and with a greater variety of phrase. Yet, when one looks up, the bird is often hidden within the canopy foliage. The Red-eyed vireo is a fairly common summer breeder in Wallowa County and an uncommon to rare breeder in Union County, Baker County, and eastern Grant and Umatilla counties, and northern Malheur County. Hear the song of the Red-eyed vireo Photo by John Sutton, Flickr

These birds are intelligent, curious, social and have good memories. Members of this group are commonly called the crow family, and are the among the most intelligent birds studied so far.

Gray jays are common visitors at mountainous campsites and parks and are commonly known as "camp robbers" for their habit of taking food from humans. Gray jays in the Blue Mountains have the top of their heads white, while birds in the Cascades and Coast ranges have white restricted to the forehead. Coast Range birds are decidedly browner vs grayish overall. In Oregon, the Gray jay resides in conifer forests of the Coast and Cascade ranges, the eastern slope of the Cascades at Ft. Klamath and in the southwestern part of the state. Hear the call of the Gray jay

The Steller's jay is unmistakable with its charcoal and blue plumage, distinctive crest, and raucous call announcing its presence. Steller's jays forage on the ground and in trees and bushes. Omnivorous, they eat a variety of animal and plant food. This jay nests in trees or shrubs and often places the nest near the trunk and within 10-16 feet from the ground. In Oregon, it is a common resident in mesic and dry conifer and mixed conifer-hardwood forests from valley floors to near timberline. It is found in forests of the Coast and Cascade ranges during breeding season. Hear the

One of the characteristic birds of woodlands and city streets is this loud, colorful jay. Its bright blue-and-white-plumage and shrill calls are quite distinctive. It is closely related to the Steller's jay and hybrid individuals have been noted where their ranges overlap. It is an opportunistic forager of small animals and invertebrates, but is predominantly a vegetarian. It is a rare to regular visitor to eastern and western Oregon from late September to late April. The Blue jay prefers open mixed forests or deciduous groves and is often found in orchards and parks and along wooded city streets. Hear the

The name of the Western scrub-jay derives from its preference for "scrub" habitat, consisting chiefly of shrubs or brush intermixed with sparse trees. It calls attention to itself with its raspy metallic shriek. Its harsh voice and fussy, boisterous behavior might lead some to consider the scrub-jay a nuisance, but this bird also possesses abundant character and is considered to be uncommonly smart and adaptable. The Western scrub-jay is a common permanent resident in western interior valleys and foothills between the Coast Range and the Cascades, especially in the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue valleys. Hear the call of the Western

The haunting cries of these wanderers evoke a variety of reactions from curiosity to wonder. Highly social, the Pinyon jay epitomizes the dynamics of flock behavior such as colonial nesting, communal feeding of young and non-territoriality. Although Pinyon jays are nomadic and unpredictable, each flock is a tight-knit, integrated unit occupying a home range that does not overlap with other flocks. Flocks may wander widely outside their home range if sufficient food is not available. The Pinyon jay is a permanent resident in juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands of central Oregon. Oregon's known breeding population is confined to the Metolius

On his historic expedition with Meriwether Lewis, Captain William Clark, the bird's namesake, first mistook this species for a woodpecker undoubtedly because of its long, sharp beak. However, this most specialized member of the North American Crow family uses this apparatus to pry loose its favored seeds from unrelenting cones of several pines with which the nutcracker has a symbiotic relationship. The whitebark pine, in particular, is totally reliant on Clark's nutcrackers for seed dispersal and germination. In Oregon the Clark's nutcracker is a resident along the crest of the Cascades, usually above 4,000 feet, lower on the east slope