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Although not as imposing as the Canvasback, the redhead is a large, handsome, fast-flying diver. The drake has a red head, black breast and tail coverts, and steel gray back, flanks and tail. Hens are a medium brown. During courtship, the drake utters a very un-duck-like meow. Known for nest parasitism - laying eggs in the nests of other birds, usually other diving ducks - redhead eggs have also been found in the nests of a variety of species. It is an uncommon summer resident in northeast Oregon, but commonly breeds at Batch and Bogus lakes and locally elsewhere in…

While not as abundant or conspicuous as the more familiar Canada and snow geese, the great white-fronted goose represents one of the first signs of fall. The greater white-fronted goose is gray-brown in body color and has orange feet. Adults have the namesake white forehead, pinkish-orange bill, and black speckled/barred breast and belly. Laugh-like calls from small skeins of these birds are heard high overhead in August through September in the north Willamette Valley and across the Cascades to south central Oregon and northeast California. Hear the call of the greater white-fronted goose Photo by Dave Budeau, ODFW

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 rat-sized American pika is characterized by rounded ears, no external tail, bare planter pads, and hind feed scarcely longer than the front feet. The pika requires talus, creviced rock, and other high elevation microhabitats that provide cool microclimates. Adequate forage close to rocky crevices is needed. In Oregon, the species is limited to suitable habitats in the Cascade Range and the Wallowa, Blue, Strawberry, Steens, Hart, and Warner mountains, and at Newberry Crater in Deschutes County and Grizzly and Cougar peaks in western Lake County. The American pika is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species and is limited by its…

The pelage of this chipmunk is marked with five dark and four light stripes on the dorsum; the middorsal stripe is usually black and nearly always darker than the other four dark stripes. The sides of the face are marked with three brown and two light gray stripes, a patch behind the ear is light gray. The tail is blackish frosted with ochre dorsally and rusty brown ventrally. Allen's chipmunk produces a call of a rapid series of three or four to as many as 10 syllables. In Oregon, it occurs in forested areas along the eastern part of the…

Belding's ground squirrel is a medium-sized ground squirrel without spots, stripes, or splotches. The pelage is smoky gray with some pinkish on the face, feet, and venter, and with a more or less well-defined reddish or brownish band in the middorsal region. The tail is cinnamon on the ventral surface. This squirrel occurs south and east of a line connecting Enterprise, Heppner, Maupin, Wasco Sisters, Diamond Lake, and south to Fish Lake. It may occur in steppe and shrub-steppe area, particularly in meadows; sagebrush flats; and small-grain pasture , and hay-crop fields, and sometimes in openings in woodlands. The Belding's…

The Washington ground squirrel is the smaller of the two short-tailed, spotted ground squirrels in Oregon. The dorsum has squarish grayish-white spots on a background of pale smoky-gray with a pinkish wash to brownish gray. This squirrel is endemic to the Deschutes-Columbia Plateau Province east and south of the Columbia River and east of the John Day River. A colonial species, it emerges from dormancy in January to early March, males before females. At the approach of a potential threat, the Washington ground squirrel produces a soft, lisping whistle. Other members of the colony respond by standing upright, repeating the…

Cattle egrets are the smallest of Oregon's three egret species, with short, stout neck and legs, and white body with orange-buff plumes on the head and nape in spring and early summer. They are named for their association with livestock, consuming insects on their backs or stirred up by their hooves. In Oregon, the Cattle egret is a casual transient in spring in the Klamath Basin and rarely in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The least widespread of the state's egrets during the breeding season; a rare breeder in the Great Basin and a few pairs occasionally nesting at Malheur…

At first look, the Willet is a rather drab and nondescript medium-sized shorebird found in wetland habitats and nearby uplands. However, further observation reveals subtle patterning in its relatively uniform grayish plumage and birds in flight expose a distinct, bold white wing bar that contrasts with a black border. Sexes are similar in appearance at all times of the year. Willet are present on breeding grounds in Oregon for a short period of time during spring and summer, but displaying birds are conspicuous and emit a loud and persistent "pill-will-willet" call. These vigilant and vocal individuals often hover overhead and…

This medium-sized shorebird is the most common dowitcher in eastern Oregon and inland locations, where it sometimes gathers in large flocks feeding in shallow water. It is also the only dowitcher in the state that regularly winters. Although breeding plumage adults are reddish below and heavily patterned above, most birds seen in Oregon are duller postbreeding adults or browner immatures. During winter, when shorebirds are hard to find, a small flock of chattering dowitchers, even in plain gray basic plumage, often brightens a day in western Oregon. In migration, it can be found at almost any shallow water site in…

The nasal meow of the Franklin's gull can be heard as it soars above wetlands and meadows, and colonies of this species are reported to be the loudest of all the gulls. In breeding plumage, the black hood contrasts sharply with the white breast and bright red bill. This species depends much more on insects and other invertebrates than do other gulls, and is therefore considered economically beneficial and favored by farmers. The Franklin's gull occurs in the southeast portion of the state in spring and summer, especially Harney Basin. It is rare west of the Cascades. It nests locally…

This diminutive owl is one of the smallest in North America, with a body mass of about 1.9 ounces. It has dark eyes, brown plumage with darker and reddish variegations, and small ear tufts. The Flammulated owl is unique among owls in the Pacific Northwest in that it preys almost exclusively on insects and is a neotropical migrant. Additionally, the pitch of its rather ventriloquial hoot is among the lowest of all North American owls. The Flammulated owl breeds on the eastern slope of the Cascades, in the Blue and Wallowa mountains, and in small numbers in the mountains of…

Almost strictly nocturnal, the Western screech-owl hunts discreetly at night and roosts during the day in dense woodlands, its perfectly streaked plumage allows it to pass as tree bark. These habits make it difficult to see, and it is more common than many are aware. It is a small owl with yellow eyes and feathered ear tufts. It exhibits geographic variation in plumage color and pattern: both gray morphs and brown morphs occur in the Pacific Northwest. Sexes are alike. The Western screech-owl is a fairly common year-round resident in lower-elevation woodlands throughout Oregon. It is usually found below 3,000…

This tiny owl has a reputation as an aggressive predator on everything from mice and voles to birds and mammals over twice its size. Coloration is highly variable with brown and gray morphs. In Oregon, color varies from dark brown in coastal mountains to gray in eastern Oregon, with an intermediate pale grayish-brown form in the Cascade mountains. About the length of a White-crowned sparrow, it has striking yellow eyes, dark vertical streaks on the breast and abdomen, and dark "eyespots" on the back of the head. It is primarily diurnal and can often be approached quite closely when it…

Because of its association with old forests, this inconspicuous, dark brown owl has become one of the most controversial birds in the Pacific Northwest. The dark eyes and creamy white mottling on the breast and abdomen are distinctive, as is the lack of fear of humans. Both adults and young will typically allow humans to approach within a few feet, and it is not unusual for curious juveniles to follow hikers through the woods. The Northern spotted owl is a permanent resident in forested regions of western Oregon, from the coastal mountains to the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range…

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…