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This active and often unwary woodpecker, the smallest in North America, is generally the most often seen black and white woodpecker in human-settled areas. A preference is shown for decayed wood for nesting, though sound wood is also utilized. Nest sites are usually 10 to 12 feet off of the ground. It is found mostly at low to moderate elevations in deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests throughout much of the state, and less often in coniferous forests. Hear the call of the Downy woodpecker Photo by ©Keith Kohl, ODFW

Noted for its familiar call, chick-a-dee-dee-dee, the Black-capped chickadee is widely heralded as one of Oregon's friendliest and cheeriest residents. Even in the midst of winter, this bird "fairly overflows with good spirits." The Black-capped chickadee is resident at low to moderate elevations in western Oregon from the Willamette Valley and coastal counties to Douglas County and in most of eastern Oregon with the exception of the southeastern corner of the state. Hear the song of the Black-capped chickadee Photo by Dave Budeau, ODFW

The Northern shoveler's specialized bill earned it in the nickname "spoonbill" among waterfowl hunters. The drake is strikingly handsome with a dark head, white breast, reddish belly, blue wing coverts and an iridescent green speculum. Brown hens also have blue wing patches similar to that of the cinnamon and blue-wing teal. This duck is locally common in summer in eastern Oregon and uncommon in western Oregon. It is a common spring and fall migrant statewide. Hear the call of the Northern shoveler Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW

The buzzy, insect-like song of the Savannah sparrow is a characteristic sound of open landscapes dominated by grasslands throughout Oregon. Savannah sparrows are usually heard or seen when perched atop a fence post, small shrub, or tall weed, or running on the ground between openings in vegetation until the bird abruptly drops down into cover. The Savannah sparrow nests on the ground, often in a slight depression and well concealed by a canopy of dead vegetation or partially tucked under a clump of vegetation. Hear the song of the Savannah sparrow Photo by Dave Budeau, ODFW

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 Western gray squirrel is the largest tree squirrel in the state. It occurs from central Wasco, Jefferson, Deschutes, and Klamath counties west, except for unforested portions of the Willamette Valley, to central Washington, Benton, Lane, Douglas, Coos, and Curry counties. It is commonly associated with mixed forest communities. These squirrels are wary and secretive, but curious; they examine new objects placed in their environment but, once captured, they often avoid live traps. Western gray squirrels are an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Willamette Valley ecoregion. Photo from ODFW

Much variability in coloration exists in the common garter snake but the best identifying characteristic is a stripe down the middle of the snake's back. While the common garter snake frequents wet meadows and forest edges, it occurs in a variety of habitats far from water, including open valleys and moist coniferous forest. Smaller snakes eat earthworms, but adults feed on a variety of vertebrate prey, including frogs, toads, salamanders, birds, fish, reptiles, and small mammals. Invertebrates, including slugs and leeches, are also eaten. Photo by Dave Budeau, ODFW

Graceful and tern-like in many of its actions, this striking little gull displays flashing white outer primaries that contrast with a gray back. The Bonaparte's gull is an abundant spring and fall transient along the coast, primarily over the ocean just offshore and is fairly common and widespread elsewhere in Oregon, usually in flocks of less than 100. Larger flocks of up to 1,000 have occurred at Fern Ridge Reservoir in Lane County, during extreme storm conditions, and in the Klamath Basin. Hear the call of the Bonaparte's gull Photo by Martyne Reesman, ODFW

These, the most numerous jaegers off Oregon, are slightly smaller than Herring gulls. Gull-like and graceful, these piratical birds steal food from smaller seabirds. They come in a bewildering array of light and dark individuals, confounded by age and sexual differences. The Pomarine jaeger is an uncommon spring and fairly common fall transient offshore two to 50 miles, following shearwaters. Sightings have been centered near the continental shelf edge. They are occasionally observed from shore in fall. Hear the call of the Pomarine jaeger Photo by Martyne Reesman, ODFW

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

This is one of the most audacious of Oregon's resident avifauna both in appearance and behavior. Its black coat and streaming tail dappled in blue-green iridescence contrasts starkly with its flashing white wing feathers during flight. Common and conspicuous east of the Cascades, the magpie prefers open areas stippled with dense thickets or trees. They are highly social, often gathering in large flocks. Historically despised and persecuted by hunters, farmers, and ranchers, this trickster has flourished in the tradition of the coyote. Hear the call of the Black-billed magpie Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW

Chestnut-backed chickadees are one of the most common species of bird in conifer forests of western Oregon. They are distinguished from other chickadees by their chestnut-colored back, lack of an eye-line, and their wheezy song. Like other chickadees, they are frequently observed performing acrobatic maneuvers such as hanging from branch tips while foraging high in the canopy. They also frequent bird feeders for suet and sunflower seeds, and will nest in boxes if they are placed near groves of conifers. Hear the call of the Chestnut-backed chickadee Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW

Adult Northern leopard frogs have smooth skin that is green or brown and covered with dark brown spots outlined with white rings. Females grow to just over four inches in length; males are slightly smaller at just over three inches. They live in and near various water sources with abundant vegetation such as wet meadows, marshes, riparian areas and moist, open woodlands. These frogs use the vegetation, such as grasses, sedge, weeds or brush, as cover from predators. During the winter, they need ponds or slow-running streams for hibernation. Photo from ODFW

The song of this bird is one of the characteristic sounds of spring evenings in much of the high desert country of eastern Oregon. This temperate migrant is a ground-nesting, ground-foraging bird of most of the grassland, agricultural land, and shrubs steppe habitats of Oregon. The streaked brownish plumage of the Vesper sparrow is similar to that of several small to medium-sized sparrows, except for white outer tail feathers, shown most conspicuously in flight. The Oregon vesper sparrow is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Klamath Mountains and Willamette Valley ecoregions. Hear the song of the Vesper sparrow Photo

Familiar to anyone from the eastern United States and Canada, this sparrow is much less common in Oregon. Adults show both a white-striped and tan-striped morph, while first year birds resemble tan-striped adults but are typically more heavily streaked underneath. Even the dullest first-year birds have a distinct rectangular white throat patch, often set off with a partial black border. The White-throated sparrow is an uncommon migrant and winter visitor, mainly in western Oregon. Hear the call of the White-throated sparrow Photo by ©Keith Kohl, ODFW

The Mink is a semiaquatic species. The body is elongate and cylindrical, the legs are short and stout, the tail is bushy and about half as long as the head and body. The head is flattened, the ears small and rounded, and the nose is pointed. The pelage consists of dense grayish underfur and long lustrous guard hairs. Dorsally, it is dark brown to blackish but somewhat lighter on the venter. In Oregon, the mink is found throughout the state and is associated with river, lake, pond, or marsh environments. They forage along overhanging banks, and in holes and crevices

One of Oregon's most efficient fruit-eaters and a perennial irritant to cherry, blueberry, and grape growers, the Cedar waxwing is a sleek, social resident of mixed forests and urban areas throughout the state. Smooth, tan-brown plumage, a black mask with a mall head crest, red waxy wingtips, and a yellow tipped tail give Cedar waxwings a distinctive appearance. The breeding range of the Cedar waxwing covers most of Oregon, except for the extensive conifer forests and expansive treeless areas with greater breeding populations reported in lowlands. Hear the call of the Cedar waxwing Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW

This species is found in a variety of habitats. To make matters more confusing, four subspecies are found in Oregon, each of which has somewhat different habitat preferences. All can be found in moist areas such as marshes and lake or stream margins, but two may occur some distance from water. The diet varies among subspecies; the more aquatic forms feed on fish, frogs, tadpoles, and leeches, which are eaten in the water. Terrestrial forms take frogs and toads, but also lizards, small mammals, salamanders and slugs. Photo by David Bronson, ODFW

One of Oregon's characteristic offshore seabirds, these stocky gull-like birds with steep foreheads come in a broad range of color morphs from white to slate gray, with buffy, bluish-gray, mottled and brown intermediates. The round head and pecking motion of birds feeding on the water is reminiscent of the shape and behavior of pigeons. The heavy hooked bills are divided into colorful plates of green, yellow, and orange, with large tubed nostrils atop. They are irregularly common to abundant in Oregon in winter, especially beyond five miles from shore. Hear the call of the Northern fulmar Photo by Martyne Reesman