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The gregarious Tricolored blackbird is one of North America's most intensely colonial breeders, forming dense, non-territorial, noisy colonies. A highly synchronized nesting system exploits secure nesting locations and rich food supplies that change from year to year. In Oregon, breeding colonies are scattered and intermittent at specific locations, though sites used during consecutive years may be in the same general area. The Tricolored blackbird breeds most consistently in Klamath and Jackson Counties. Small colonies and summering residents have been found in the Willamette Valley; during fall and winter they are rare. Most retreat south to California in winter, while some
In grass or sagebrush-dominated habitats throughout the state, the song and striking appearance of the Western meadowlark create one of the most familiar and endearing avian images in Oregon. It's one of Oregon's most recognizable birds with its bold yellow breast and belly with a distinct black V across the chest and its habit of perching on fences along roadsides. Fittingly, it was chosen as Oregon's state bird by a vote of Oregon schoolchildren ratified by the Legislature in 1927. It is one of the most widely distributed open-country species in the arid desert country of eastern Oregon. It can
The song of the Yellow-headed blackbird, if it can be called a song as it lacks any musical quality, is a familiar sound in the marshes particularly of central and southeastern Oregon. The male, with its yellow head, neck, and breast, black body and wings, and white wig patches, is unmistakable. The female is more subtle with its dusky or sooty brown body plumage and yellow cheeks, chin, throat and chest, but is also distinctive. It is an abundant spring and summer resident in marshes of large alkaline lakes and wetlands in southeast Oregon, most notably the Klamath, Summer, Malheur
Highly adaptable, this ubiquitous species may be found in habitats as diverse as coastal marshes, sagebrush, shrub-steppe, and urban supermarket parking lots. The adult male is blackish, showing a purplish sheen on the head and a greenish sheen on his back. Its eyes are yellowish to creamy white. Females and juveniles are dusky brown above and grayish brown below, with paler throat and eyebrows, and brown eyes. The Brewer's blackbird is a common permanent resident along the coast. West of the Cascades it is common to abundant in inland valleys. Within the Cascades, they are a migrant and summer resident
This is a bird of riparian thickets, farmlands, and towns. Since 1980, it has been observed almost annually in Harney County, usually in numbers less than five. A pair successfully fledged young near the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in 1994. Most Harney County records occur from early April to late October. Away from Harney county individuals have also been seen in the various eastern and southeastern counties of Oregon. Hear the song of the Great-tailed grackle Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW
The Brown-headed cowbird was referred to in early literature as the "buffalo bird" presumably because it commonly foraged on insects flushed under the feet of ungulates. It is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in nests of other species and leaving the rearing of young to surrogate parents. This has had serious consequences for many host species within the cowbirds' range. In Oregon, the Brown-headed cowbird is a common migrant and breeder in open habitats and woodland edges in all parts of the state. It is most abundant in agricultural land, sagebrush and juniper steppe, coastal scrub, riparian zones, and
A boldly colored medium-sized bird, the Bullock's oriole builds its characteristic hanging nest in broadleafed trees and tall shrubs, especially when the trees or shrubs are spaced widely and situated along the edges of streams and fields. In Oregon, the Bullock's oriole is a rare to fairly common breeder, especially along major rivers and around farmsteads. It is most widespread in southwest and northeast Oregon. In particular, on the Derby Road in Jackson County. It nests primarily in open spaced cottonwoods, maples, and other tall, forking broadleaf trees. The nest is constructed of plant fibers, hairs, fine grass, and moss
Small to medium-sized, finches have relatively pointed wings and sparrowlike bills. They have notched, short tails and and constantly give calls in flight.
Rosy-finches are the highest-altitude breeding birds throughout most of their range. They are long-winged and generally dull-looking unless seen at close range, when the pinkish hues and combinations of brown, gray, and black can be seen. Their conical bill is usually dark, during spring and early summer and yellowish especially in fall and winter. These birds usually perch on the ground, but occasionally alight on buildings, trees, bushes, phone, and fence wires. They typically walk rather than hop, but do the latter occasionally. They also swipe with their bill rather than digging with feet as some sparrows and finches do
This dark, medium-sized finch with gray and pink highlights is the darkest of the rosy-finches and one of Oregon's rarest breeding birds. It is found in summer in montane areas above timberline, where loose swarms of these birds seem to blow like leaves among isolated cirques, cliffs, and hanging snowfields. In Oregon it breeds on Steens Mountain and may breed occasionally in the Wallowa Mountains. Winter distribution is poorly known, but birds have been found on the lower east side of Steens Mountain and in the Alvord Desert in winter and rarely in central Wallowa County. Hear the song of
While in Oregon, the Pine grosbeak is tame and not suspicious, usually allowing a close approach as it feeds on buds or dried fruits. The soft-gray females and young males, the latter more or less washed with yellow on the head, far outnumber the rosy males, and observers should look carefully for these duller-colored birds. The song of the Pine grosbeak is often described as similar to the Purple finch, but fuller and with lower pitch. The flight is typically finch-like, but with broad, bounding undulations. The Pine grosbeak breeds in the Wallowas and is suspected to breed in the
The bubbly warble of this finch is common in western Oregon conifer forests in summer, while its Crossbill-like - but more delicate - pik call is heard in lowland valleys in the winter. Adult males have a distinctly reddish-colored head, face, rump, throat, and breast, broadly but very faintly streaked brownish-pink sides, and a diffused brownish-red nape, back, and wings. Females and immature males have brownish-olive upperparts, wings, and tail, with contrasting streaking. Underparts are buffy-white to off-white with fuzzy, brownish streaking; a dingy pale gray stripe is present above the eye. In Oregon, the Purple finch breeds west of
The bubbly warble of this finch is common in western Oregon conifer forests in summer, while its Crossbill-like - but more delicate - pik call is heard in lowland valleys in the winter. Adult males have a distinctly reddish-colored head, face, rump, throat, and breast, broadly but very faintly streaked brownish-pink sides, and a diffused brownish-red nape, back, and wings. Females and immature males have brownish-olive upperparts, wings, and tail, with contrasting streaking. Underparts are buffy-white to off-white with fuzzy, brownish streaking; a dingy pale gray stripe is present above the eye. In Oregon, the Purple finch breeds west of
The House finch is the most widespread of Oregon's "red finches." It is a congenial, cheerful singer from urban areas to desert plateaus. The male has a red forehead, throat, eyebrow, rump and varying amounts of red in the breast. It may have small amounts of reddish wash in its otherwise brownish cheek, hindcrown, nape,and streaked back. In some males, red is replaced with red-orange, orange, yellow-orange or yellow. The female is drab grayish-brown, overall, with indistinct streaking above and no red. The House finch is a fairly common resident in lowlands, urban, rural, and agricultural areas throughout Oregon. They
The Red crossbill is aptly named for its unusual bill configuration of crossed upper and lower tips of the mandibles which it uses to pry seeds primarily from native conifer cones. Degree of bill crossing is variable depending on wear, and it can have a right or left cross. Adaption to varied conifer cone structures and sizes has resulted in a diversity in body size, bill size and shape, and palate configurations in Red crossbills. Juveniles are brown with heavy streaked undersides and faint buff wing bars. Mature males are red with dark brown flight feathers and tail; first-year males
One of the "winter" finches that appear unpredictably in the state, the White-winged Crossbill wanders in flocks year-round searching for food, and may actually be seen in parts of Oregon in any month of the year. Its peculiar twisted bill, specialized for prying seeds out of conifer cones, is smaller than that of the Red Crossbill, and it prefers smaller, softer cones, mainly spruce. Males are a dull pinkish red, with distinctive broad with bars on black wings. Females are dusty brown and dull yellow with blurry streaks. The White-winged crossbill is a very rare and erratic visitor in Oregon
These tiny finches brighten the winter landscape of northeastern Oregon in some years. Their tan and ivory streaked with brown is plain enough, but the red forehead, black chin, and breast suffused in pink add a spot of color to snow-covered trees and shrubs. The Common redpoll is an uncommon to rare, irregular winter visitor, mainly in lowlands of the eastern Blue Mountain ecoregion. In peak years, this species can be locally common in Union, Wallowa, and Baker counties but in other years, it is essentially absent. It is an irregular visitant to Umatilla and Grant counties and in all
Although a common breeding bird throughout Oregon's mountains, the Pine siskin retains an air of mystery due to its highly nomadic and unpredictable movements and its fondness for the inaccessible conifer canopy. It is most familiar in winter through early spring when flocks descend to foothills and valleys to feed on alder catkin seeds and many mingle with goldfinches in weed patches and at feeders. It is readily identified by its heavily streaked plumage and by the yellow wing and tail bars that are especially prominent in flight. The Pine siskin is a generally common resident in conifer forests throughout
Formerly known as the Green-backed goldfinch, this species was either not present or overlooked during the 19th century by most Oregon ornithologists. The male's black forecrown contrasts smartly with the greenish back and bright yellow underparts. Females lack the clear contrasting colors of the males, though the tips of the secondary coverts and the base of the primaries are white in both sexes. Often the plaintive tee-yee call reveals the presence of the bird long before it is seen. In the north Willamette Valley the Lesser goldfinch is a fairly common breeder along the western fringe. Scattered and local in
The exuberant bounding flight, musical calls, and flashy yellow and black plumage of the American goldfinch in breeding-season make them one of the most recognized and welcome of Oregon birds. Found in flocks nearly year-round, these goldfinches are a familiar site in riparian woodlands, orchards, weedy fields, and agricultural land. They are among the last of Oregon's songbirds to nest and are highly nomadic in the nonbreeding season. They may form mixed flocks with Lesser goldfinches and Pine siskins at bird feeders and weed patches throughout Oregon, as well as with Common redpolls some years in northeast Oregon. Their diet
