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This northern grouse reaches Oregon only in the forests of the Wallowa Mountains in the northeastern part of the state. It is dusky and slightly smaller than the ruffed grouse. Sexes are different in coloration; males have a black breast with white spotting on the sides, white spots at the base of a black tail, and a red comb above the eye. Females are heavily barred with dark brown and white and have a dark tail. Hear the call of the spruce grouse Photo by Dave Budeau, ODFW

This popular upland game bird is the largest of Oregon's three forest grouse. It is well known for the distinctive hooting call emitted by courting males in the spring. This call is accompanied by an extravagant courtship display involving exposure of blood-engorged, featherless shoulder spots and eye combs, which are reddish to orange. It is a common resident in coniferous forests. Hear the call of the dusky grouse Photo by Jim Dollar, Flickr

An Oregon native, sooty grouse occupy the coniferous forests of western Oregon, the eastern slopes of the Cascades, the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon, and the Klamath Basin and South Warner Mountains. Preferred habitat includes timber edges, open timbered slopes and mountain meadows, often adjacent to springs or other sources of water. They are often associated with berry producing areas such as chokecherry thickets. Hear the call of the sooty grouse Photo by ©Keith Kohl, ODFW

Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, commonly called "prairie chickens" by early Oregon residents, were abundant in the grasslands and foothills of Oregon east of the Cascade Mountains prior to the late 1800s but were considered extirpated from the state by the 1970s. Recent reintroduction programs give a glimmer of hope that sharp-tails may once again hold their own in northeast Oregon. Males congregate on leks or dancing grounds in the spring and perform elaborate social displays. The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Blue Mountains ecoregion. Hear the call of the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse Photo by Mike

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

California quail are the most widely distributed upland game birds in Oregon. Most easily recognized by the comma-shaped, black, plume, or "topknot," which bends forward and is larger on the male. It has been a resident statewide since the early 1900s, except for most forests of the north Coast Range and west Cascades; it is generally absent along the coast north of Coos Bay. California quail is also absent from high-elevation areas of the east Cascade range. They are common residents in rural and even some suburban areas, particularly in eastern Oregon where many coveys gather at feeding stations during

A small loon holding its slender head erect and narrow, upswept bill upward is most always a red-throated. A quick flyer, it can be identified by rapid deep wing-beats, humpbacked body with head and neck extending below the body, and wings appearing far to the rear due to the usual invisibility of the small feet. Often feeding near the surf, it may be spotted by beachcombing humans. It can take flight from a small water area, and can also, if pressed, take flight from land. It is an abundant Oregon nearshore transient from fall through spring. Hear the call of

The flight of Pacific loons by the thousands along the coast each spring and fall is one of Oregon's most dramatic bird migrations. Stunning plumage often clothes these fast-flying travelers. The straight bill, distinguishing Pacific from red-throated and yellow-billed, is less robust than that of common loons. The Pacific's head is larger and its neck thicker than those of the red-throated. In flight, Pacific's wing-beats are faster than those of common, loons the feet appear larger, the forecrown is rounder, and the hindcrown more sloped than those of red-throated loons. This is the most abundant loon off the Oregon coast