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In quiet backwaters and wooded wetlands, these stunning ducks can occasionally be seen skulking near the shoreline as they search for fish. The male with a striking black head and extensible white crest, white breast, black back, and chestnut sides is truly a sight to behold. Females and immatures are quite plain by comparison: dull grayish-brown except for a reddish brown crest. Hooded mergansers are surprisingly secretive and local during the breeding season. They breed locally throughout the Willamette Valley west to the coast and south to Coos County. They are casual from April to early October in the Umpqua…

The American badger is a medium-sized, powerfully built carnivore strongly adapted for digging. The body is flattened and the legs are short but stout; the toes of the forefeet are partly webbed and equipped with long, curved claws; the hind feet are shaped like miniature shovels; and each eye is equipped with a membrane that can be extended to cover it. The ears are rounded and densely covered with fur but seem large in comparison with those of many digging mammals. The tail is short and brushlike. Dorsally, the long, shaggy pelage is mottled grayish blending on the venter to…

Features: Adult males' plumage is black except for white patches on the forehead and nape. The most distinguishing feature is the bill, a swollen white, red-orange, yellow, and black wedge. This highly visible standard advertises male's presence for up to a mile. Dark-billed adult females and subadults are dark brown above and paler brown below, with two indistinct light patches on the cheeks and sometimes on the nape Habitat: The surf scoter does not breed in Oregon but is abundant on salt water along the coast from fall through spring. Look for surf scoters in the Columbia River estuary and…

Features: 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 can be difficult to separate. Drakes are black on both ends and white in the middle. Although not extremely reliable, in good light, generally the black head of drake grater scaup have a green sheen, while the head of a drake lesser scaup have a purple sheen. Hens are dark brown with a white mask around the base of the bill…

This is the largest native quail in North America and one of the least understood. Males and females have identical plumage characterized by distinctive white flank barring and prominent vertical head plumes. Their eastern Oregon range appears reduced from historical accounts. Mountain quail are considered occasional in Union and Wallowa counties. They have also been observed along many of the tributaries of the John Day River in Wheeler and Grant counties and some in Wasco, Jefferson, Deschutes and Crook counties. In western Oregon, they are found in most forested mountainous areas generally above 1,640 feet, but may move to valley…

The Northern elephant seal is the largest pinniped carnivore that occurs along the North Pacific coast. The flippers are relatively small, the rear ones directed posteriorly. Its most distinctive feature is the elongated tubular proboscis with a deep transverse cleft among adult males. This proboscis can be inflated and directed into the open mouth to produce vocalizations. Also among males, the neck and chest lose most of their hair and the skin becomes rough and thickened at puberty. The adult pelage consists of course grayish or brownish hairs without any underfur. During the molt, not only is the pelage shed…

Adult treefrogs have a dark mask that extends from the tip of the nose across the eyes to the shoulders. Coloration varies between individuals, ranging from green or reddish to brown or gray. Most have dark blotches along their sides with light colored bumpy undersides. They have special skin glands that produce a waxy coating to keep their skin moist. Male treefrogs have a dark gray, inflatable throat pouch during the breeding season. As the smallest frog species in Oregon, adult Northern Pacific treefrogs only grow to two inches in length. During the non-breeding season, this treefrog is found in…

Although the least numerous scoter on the continent, it is the most common scoter along the Pacific coast south of Alaska and winters by the thousands off Oregon. Adult males' plumage, black except for white patches on the forehead and nape, yields attention to the bill, a swollen white, red-orange, yellow, and black wedge feathered squarely along its base. The highly visible standard advertises male's presence for up to a mile. Dark-billed adult females and subadults are dark brown above and paler brown below, with two indistinct light patches on the cheeks and sometimes on the nape. A flattened head…

Wide open spaces generally surround these sparrow-sized, ground dwelling birds. The upperparts are mostly brownish and the underparts are generally buffy with varying amounts of yellow on the throat. There is black on the breast and side of the head, but the most unique features are small black "horns." Females and immature birds are duller. Interesting behavior includes aerial displays and "flight songs" during courtship, and the propensity to forage and loaf along dirt and gravel roads. In western Oregon, it breeds in small, scattered populations throughout the Willamette Valley, with concentrations in the central valley on and near Basket…

Features: The most distinguishing feature of white-tailed deer is the tail. Whitetails have long, wide tails that can easily be seen, especially when they are startled and raise their tails. White-tailed deer antlers differ from mule and black-tailed deer in that there is one main beam with points coming off. Mule and black-tailed deer have antlers that fork on the main beam. Habitat: White-tailed deer share the same habitat as eastern Oregon’s mule deer. Deer both graze and browse. Forbs and browse (stems and leaves of woody plants) are favored forage during the growing season. Grasses are consumed during some…

This dark colored salamander has a reddish-brown ragged edged stripe that runs along the top of the head to the tip of the tail with black or dark brown sides. It has a long body and tail and the belly is black with large white flecks. The Oregon slender salamander is a lungless salamander species, relying on its skin to breathe. Mature adults can grow to just under four inches in total length, with females about 12 percent larger than males. Oregon slender salamanders are most common in stable, moist old-growth (late successional and second-growth) forests where there are abundant…