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This large arctic gull visits the Northwest in winter where its pale bulk often stands out in gull flocks. Finding one is a highlight of winter birding. Even at a distance the size and frosty tones of this bird can be spotted in a flock. Most Oregon birds are in the whitish first-or-second-year plumage showing a pinkish bill with sharply delineated black tip, but third-year birds and adults occur now and then, mainly on the north coast and at Sauvie Island. They are rare but regular along the coast and the Columbia River, and rare in the Willamette Valley. It…

The House sparrow is an invasive species introduced from Europe. No other North American wild bird is so associated with human settlement as this introduced House sparrow. Its foods are nearly all imports, and its nesting and cover requirements are also human-derived. The House sparrow and European starling are the only introduced passerine birds that are thriving in Oregon. These birds can dominate bird feeders and utilize nest boxes that were intended for native species. The House sparrow can be found statewide around buildings at human developments of adequate size ranging from scattered farmsteads in remote and rural areas to…

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…

Greater scaup are almost the size of redheads. In hand, they are easily distinguishable from lesser scaup by size and by the white wing stripe extending beyond the secondaries into the primaries. In the field the two species are sometimes difficult to separate. Drakes are black on both ends and white in the middle. Hens are dark brown with a white mask around the base of the bill. The common vocalizations are the discordant scaup and purring pbbbrr of the female. Greater scaups form large flocks, sometimes mingling with lesser scaups in fall and winter. They are an abundant migrant…

These small, fast flying seabirds are unique among alcids in North America in their use of coastal coniferous forests, primarily old-growth trees, as nesting habitat. Their solitary nests are usually concealed within the forest canopy, and breeding birds are cryptic and primarily crepuscular at nest sites. Because of their secretive behavior and elusive nests, Marbled murrelets were considered the "enigma of the Pacific" and were one of the last ornithological mysteries in North America, as the first nest was not discovered until 1974. Distribution at inland nesting sites is fragmented, as birds occur only in areas where suitable habitat remains…

The pintail is a large, long-necked duck of open spaces. The long-tailed, full-plumaged drake is striking with a chestnut head, gray back and flanks, bright white breast and front of neck, and iridescent green bronze speculum. The brown hen is nondescript, but shares the long neck and graceful shape of the drake. Common vocalizations are the two-note flute-like whistle of the drake and harsh gaak, either single or in a series, of the hen. In fall and winter, pintails travel in medium to large flocks. In Oregon, flocks seem to fly exceptional distances in daily foraging and can be seen…

This small owl is unusual in that it nests in earthen burrows in open shrub-steppe regions and grasslands. This habit is even more curious in Oregon since most burrows used for nesting were previously excavated by badgers, a major predator of Burrowing owl eggs and young. These long-legged, short tailed owls are generally brownish buff with spots across the back and barring across the front. Males are usually lighter colored than females, possibly because they spend more time exposed to the elements. Males also average five percent larger than females, a situation rare among owls. The Burrowing owl is a…

The bright yellow, red, and black plumage of the male Western Tanager, so conspicuous in open situations is very obscure in forested areas where it tends to blend into the shaded foliage. The species perhaps is best known in migration when it visits city parks, orchards, and other open urban and suburban areas. It is attracted to birdbaths but seldom to bird feeders. It breeds in open coniferous forests and mixed coniferous and deciduous woodlands, primarily in mountains. They usually nest in conifers - rarely deciduous trees - at varying heights, usually well out on a branch, often at the…