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The Steller's jay is unmistakable with its charcoal and blue plumage, distinctive crest, and raucous call announcing its presence. Steller's jays forage on the ground and in trees and bushes. Omnivorous, they eat a variety of animal and plant food. This jay nests in trees or shrubs and often places the nest near the trunk and within 10-16 feet from the ground. In Oregon, it is a common resident in mesic and dry conifer and mixed conifer-hardwood forests from valley floors to near timberline. It is found in forests of the Coast and Cascade ranges during breeding season. Hear the

One of the characteristic birds of woodlands and city streets is this loud, colorful jay. Its bright blue-and-white-plumage and shrill calls are quite distinctive. It is closely related to the Steller's jay and hybrid individuals have been noted where their ranges overlap. It is an opportunistic forager of small animals and invertebrates, but is predominantly a vegetarian. It is a rare to regular visitor to eastern and western Oregon from late September to late April. The Blue jay prefers open mixed forests or deciduous groves and is often found in orchards and parks and along wooded city streets. Hear the

The name of the Western scrub-jay derives from its preference for "scrub" habitat, consisting chiefly of shrubs or brush intermixed with sparse trees. It calls attention to itself with its raspy metallic shriek. Its harsh voice and fussy, boisterous behavior might lead some to consider the scrub-jay a nuisance, but this bird also possesses abundant character and is considered to be uncommonly smart and adaptable. The Western scrub-jay is a common permanent resident in western interior valleys and foothills between the Coast Range and the Cascades, especially in the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue valleys. Hear the call of the Western

The haunting cries of these wanderers evoke a variety of reactions from curiosity to wonder. Highly social, the Pinyon jay epitomizes the dynamics of flock behavior such as colonial nesting, communal feeding of young and non-territoriality. Although Pinyon jays are nomadic and unpredictable, each flock is a tight-knit, integrated unit occupying a home range that does not overlap with other flocks. Flocks may wander widely outside their home range if sufficient food is not available. The Pinyon jay is a permanent resident in juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands of central Oregon. Oregon's known breeding population is confined to the Metolius

On his historic expedition with Meriwether Lewis, Captain William Clark, the bird's namesake, first mistook this species for a woodpecker undoubtedly because of its long, sharp beak. However, this most specialized member of the North American Crow family uses this apparatus to pry loose its favored seeds from unrelenting cones of several pines with which the nutcracker has a symbiotic relationship. The whitebark pine, in particular, is totally reliant on Clark's nutcrackers for seed dispersal and germination. In Oregon the Clark's nutcracker is a resident along the crest of the Cascades, usually above 4,000 feet, lower on the east slope

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

So familiar is the American crow that it has been said if a person knows only three species of birds, one of them will be the crow. Recognized by its coal-black plumage, fan-shaped tail, and nasal caw call, it is found throughout most of North America, and its seemingly mischievous character has been immortalized in folk tales and fables. These shrewd birds possess a superior intelligence and an ability to learn and make decisions. They are also sociable, joining together in large roosts, especially in fall and winter. Able to thrive in a wide variety of environments, crows are expanding

Ravens are clever, innovative, and entertaining. They quickly exploit human-created opportunities for food and shelter. Their spectacular aerial acrobatics conducted under windy or thermal conditions appear to be an act of fun. The Common raven's plumage is entirely shiny black like the American crow, but the ravens appear 25 percent larger, have a wedge-shaped tail and have deeper croaks and other calls than the American crow. In Oregon, the Common raven is a fairly common, widespread resident in many habitats throughout the state; population densities are highest east of the Cascades. Hear the call of the Common raven Photo by

Swallows and martins have smooth flights patterns, pointed wings, forked tails and feed almost entirely on the wing.

All have cause to marvel at the sight of a gorgeous male Purple martin. Adult males are entirely glossy bluish-purple, although they may look black in poor light. Females and yearling males are grayish below and darker above with a paler forehead and nape. The world's largest swallow, martins are uncommon in Oregon. They nest both solitarily and colonially in nest boxes specially put up for them, in crevices in human-made structures, and in cavities in snags and pilings. They are an uncommon local summer resident, principally inhabiting the Coast Range and Willamette Valley. They are also locally common at

A colorful harbinger of spring, the hardy Tree swallow arrives from the south during February each year. It is a highly social species that is usually observed in large flocks often with Violet-green and other swallow species. It is not colonial but several pairs may nest together if available cavities are clustered. The Tree swallow is a bird of open places near water and is seldom seen in residential neighborhoods or built-up urban areas. It is the only swallow that eats berries and small seeds as well as insects. In Oregon, it is a locally abundant summer resident and breeding

Dashing and darting about, flashing its bright white underparts, the Violet-green Swallow is one of the characteristic birds of summer. Unlike the Tree Swallow it commonly nests in niches and cavities on urban buildings and readily uses nesting boxes in residential areas. Its soft twittery call notes are a familiar pre-dawn sound as they fly about overhead. The Violet-green swallow is a very early spring migrant concentrating about streams and wetlands where emerging insects can be found until warmer weather allows them to move into more upland areas. It is a common to abundant summer resident and breeding species throughout

Rich, warm, unpatterned brown above and dull white below with a dusky throat and breast, the Rough-winged swallow is inconspicuous and often overlooked when flying with other, more brightly colored swallows. It is often confused with the similarly plumaged Bank and immature Tree swallows. It is most often observed flying low over rivers and lakes, rarely high overhead. It is a locally common summer resident statewide, most abundant at low to moderate elevations, usually near water. It usually nests singly, but sometimes in small loose colonies, rarely more than three pairs. Distribution is limited in many areas by lack of

This colonial-nesting swallow places its nest at the end of a burrow dug into a soft cliff or bank. The nesting cliff often appears riddled with holes, but not all burrows are used for nesting. A highly social species, the Bank swallow is usually observed in flocks of its own or with other swallow species. It has dark wings and tail that contrast with the paler brown back. The underparts are whitish except for a distinct brown breastband. It is a generally uncommon, but locally common to abundant summer resident at mid- to low elevations east of the Cascades. Numerous

This chunky swallow is readily recognized by its square tail and orangish rump patch. It nests colonially and has taken to human-made structures so well that it has greatly expanded its range into many areas otherwise not suitable for it. It does not do well in urban settings, however, and quickly disappears when areas become densely settled. The unique gourd-shaped mud nest is often usurped by other species for nesting and is often used for protective roosting sites by rosy-finches and other wintering species. It is a locally common to abundant breeding bird near water throughout most of Oregon. Its

With its long, forked tail and long wings, it is the most graceful of all land birds and reminds one of the smaller terns not only in shape but in behavior. The Barn swallow has taken so completely to nesting on human-made structures that one forgets they were once restricted to caves and rock crevices. Almost every farm in the state has a pair or two nesting in an outbuilding, and very few bridges do not have a pair or two. It is the best known of the swallows. It is a fairly common to locally abundant summer resident and

Adult clouded salamanders are generally brown with brassy patches on their backs and gray bellies. As salamanders age, the brassy color fades. The clouded salamander is one of the lungless salamander species; they breathe through their moist skin. Mature adults can grow to just over five inches in total length. Clouded salamanders prefer forest habitats or burned areas that provide large decaying logs or stumps. They are often found in Douglas fir trees where they can find burrows in the wood, or spaces just under the bark to hide. They may also hide deep in rock crevices during dry and

Adult Klamath black salamanders that live in Oregon are fully black with a smattering of bronze or green specks across the top of their heads, backs, tails and legs. The black salamander is one of the lungless salamander species and it breathes through its skin. Female black salamanders are generally larger than males and grow up to five-and-a-half inches in total length. Black salamanders live in forest, open woodland, moist talus (rock fragment piles) and streamside habitats. They use crevices in moist decaying logs or stumps, wet talus slopes or just under surface debris for cover during warm wet weather

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

California slender salamanders are a lungless species that has an especially long and slender worm-like body. They have reddish-brown stripes along their backs from head to tail. This stripe fades as the animal ages. Mature adults can grow to five-and-a-half inches in total length. In Oregon, this salamander usually lives in humid coastal conifer forests. In redwood forests, this salamander easily blends in with bark and other debris. During warm wet weather, California slender salamanders take cover just beneath the surface; if conditions are especially dry, salamanders may retreat deep into crevices, logs, stumps, or insect and worm burrows underground