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The River otter is adapted for both terrestrial and aquatic environments. The heavily muscled, somewhat cylindrical body is thickest at the thorax and tapers posteriorly to a thick, flattened tail. The body tapers to a blunt and slightly flattened head. The legs are short and powerful; and the toes are webbed. The eyes are small, forwardly directed and set high on the head. The underfur is grayish, short, and dense, and overlain by longer, stiff and shiny guard hairs. The dorsum is brown and the venter a lighter brown or tan; the lower jaw and throat are whitish. In Oregon

The Northern harrier is a slender, medium-sized hawk characterized by a noticeably long tail, bold white rump patch, and owl-like face. Commonly encountered in large expanses of open country, its main hunting technique is through use of a distinctive buoyant, gliding flight low over the ground that relies heavily on visual as well as auditory cues to detect prey. The larger females have rich brown upperparts while adult males are mostly light to medium gray, sometimes appearing almost ghostly silvery-white. Males are noted for their high-spirited and acrobatic courtship displays, in particular a series of dives and barrel rolls in

The Caspian tern nests on flat sandy or gravelly areas on islands, or on the margins of lakes, rivers, and marshes. It is always near water, and forages both in nearby water bodies and on prey exposed in nearby open areas. Breeding colonies in recent years have been on islands in the Columbia River east of the Cascades in north central Oregon; Malheur and Harney lakes in southeast Oregon; Summer Lake and lakes in the Warner Valley in south central Oregon. Most colonies have a history of intermittent use. It is a locally common summer resident during breeding season within

Features: Greater sage-grouse are a large grouse species. They are mottled gray-brown with black undersides. Males have black on the head and throat, while females have white behind their eyes. Habitat: Sage-grouse were originally found through much of the sagebrush dominated areas of eastern Oregon, but were eliminated from large areas by the mid 1900s through conversion of land for agricultural purposes. There has been little change in sage-grouse range, however since the 1950s. They live exclusively in sagebrush steppe habitat. During dry years, they may be concentrated in the vicinity of water sources. Technique: Due to greater sage-grouse fluctuating

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

The coyote is a typical canid intermediate in size between the foxes and the gray wolf. The pelage of the coyote is grayish, buff, pinkish cinnamon, or brownish, or a combination of those colors, often overlain by blackish tipped hairs on the ears, muzzle feet, and dorsum. The lips and eyelids are black, accentuated by contrasting borders of white fur. The underparts are paler than the remainder of the body. Considerable variation in color and markings of coyotes is evident among individuals and regionally east and west of the Cascade Range. True albinos with pink eyes and pink foot pads

The Short-eared owl is one of our most conspicuous owls owing to its use of open country and crepuscular habits. It is often seen hunting low over the ground across marshes, fields, and other open areas on its buoyant, long wings, flying slowly and irregularly like a giant moth. This owl also differs from most other owls as it seldom vocalizes and is more often seen than heard. It was named for its inconspicuous "ear" tufts arising from the center of the forehead, though field observers rarely see these tufts. Distinguishing characteristics include a pale buff facial disk and a

This cavity-nesting thrush is one of three bluebird species found only in North America. Previously abundant in western Oregon, the Western bluebird suffered a precipitous decline through degradation of habitat and avian competition. The male has a cobalt blue head and throat, blue wings and tail edged with dusky brown, russet breast and flanks, gray-blue belly and undertail coverts. Female colorations are subdued: head and throat gray, back gray-brown, wings and tail pale blue, breast and flanks pale russet. The amount and brightness of blue and russet are brighter on older birds. The Western bluebird breeds in open habitats with

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

The common muskrat is the largest arvicoline rodent on Oregon. The body is heavy and rounded, and except for the tail and feet, heavily furred. The eyes are beady; the ears are rounded and almost covered with fur; the tail is flattened laterally, scaly, keeled, and naked except for a few hairs on the keel. The forefeet are relatively small, but the hind feet are large and partly webbed. The pelage consists of an exceedingly dense underfur usually overlain by glossy dark-brown guard hairs; the underfur is waterproof. Reddish, blackish, silvery, and white individuals have been recorded. In Oregon, muskrats