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Much variability in coloration exists in the common garter snake but the best identifying characteristic is a stripe down the middle of the snake's back. While the common garter snake frequents wet meadows and forest edges, it occurs in a variety of habitats far from water, including open valleys and moist coniferous forest. Smaller snakes eat earthworms, but adults feed on a variety of vertebrate prey, including frogs, toads, salamanders, birds, fish, reptiles, and small mammals. Invertebrates, including slugs and leeches, are also eaten. Photo by Dave Budeau, ODFW

Often mistaken for a duck, the American coot is actually a member of the rail family. It is a smallish, slate-gray water bird with a white bill. At home swimming in ponds and marshes, it seems to propel itself through the water by rhythmically extending its neck. During the nesting season it can be seen enthroned on a sizable nesting platform built from marsh vegetation. It has the largest Oregon breeding population of any waterfowl. Rafts of thousands of coots stage for migration in spring and fall on lakes throughout Oregon. Hear the call of the American coot Photo by

Spirited vocalizations make this handsome clown-faced woodpecker one of the more conspicuous residents of much of Oregon's oak woodland. It is unique among Oregon woodpeckers with its habits of communal living and acorn storage. It is fairly common in the Rogue Valley and adjacent hills and locally common in the Klamath River Canyon in southwest Klamath county and the southern part of the Willamette Valley. Acorn woodpeckers are Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in both the Klamath Mountains and Willamette Valley ecoregions. Loss of oak woodlands poses a major threat to this bird. Hear the call of the Acorn woodpecker Photo

When walking through riparian areas in certain parts of Oregon in summer, one can often hear a song which suggests the Robin's but with less volume and energy, and with a greater variety of phrase. Yet, when one looks up, the bird is often hidden within the canopy foliage. The Red-eyed vireo is a fairly common summer breeder in Wallowa County and an uncommon to rare breeder in Union County, Baker County, and eastern Grant and Umatilla counties, and northern Malheur County. Hear the song of the Red-eyed vireo Photo by John Sutton, Flickr

This is a sparrow of the dry brushlands. The Clay-colored sparrow breeds chiefly across the northern prairies from northeast British Columbia east to Michigan and south into Colorado. It winters in the southern United States and Mexico. It has expanded its range westward and northward in recent years and is now nesting in small numbers in eastern Washington. It was seldom reported west of the Rocky Mountains prior to 1960. Since that time, it has become a regular migrant and wintering bird along the west coast. Hear the song of the Clay-colored sparrow Clay-colored sparrow. Photo by "Always a birder"

The Black oystercatcher is easily recognized with its black plumage, long, strait, laterally compressed, orange-red bill with a yellow tip, orange-red eye ring, yellow iris, and pale pink legs. These birds are restricted to rocky coastal shorelines where they feed in the intertidal zone. They are an uncommon to fairly common resident on rocky shores and sand/gravel beaches along the entire coast. Along the sandy central coast, they are present only as an occasional dispersing or wandering individual, typically on jetties. Black oystercatchers are Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Nearshore ecoregion. Hear the call of the Black oystercatcher Photo

The Snowy owl is the largest North American owl. Its white plumage makes it uniquely adapted for life in the arctic and sub-arctic. Adult males are nearly pure white, females have black spots and some barring. Young birds can be strongly barred. Every few years, for reasons which are still not fully understood, Snowy owls move south of their normal winter range into Oregon. During these irruptive events, they can be found on coastal dunes, open high desert, agricultural areas, airport margins, and occasionally atop buildings in populated areas. Hear the call of the Snowy owl Photo by Charlotte Ganskopp

This tiny jewel is the smallest breeding bird in North America and the smallest long-distance avian migrant in the world. The average weight of males is approximately 0.09 oz, about half of that of an Anna's hummingbird, and a little more than the weight of a penny. It breeds predominantly in mountain habitats, and despite its diminutive size, successfully withstands the chilly summer nights at high elevations. It is a common summer resident of the Blue and Wallowa Mountains and other high ranges east of the Cascade summit. Spring and fall migrants are rare at lower elevations east of 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

This species reaches the northern limit of its range in southwest Oregon. Oak and Juniper titmice were formerly in the same species as the Plain titmouse but were recognized as a separate species in 1997. The drab, gray color with distinct crest and chickadee-like calls and behavior characterizes these species. Plumage of sexes is identical. The Oak titmouse is a friendly, high-spirited, and melodious bird of oak-dominated habitats of interior valleys and lowlands. It is a common resident in oak woodlands of the interior Rogue Valley, and a rare but permanent resident in Illinois Valley. Hear the call and song

The bold eye-ring, white outer rectrices, and intricate buff wing pattern distinguish this elegant gray thrush at close range. The scaly patterned brown juveniles are quite unique in appearance. The complex song is varied, soft and flute-like at times, strong and powerful at others. The call carries well, and is a characteristic sound of the winter bird community in juniper woodlands east of the Cascades. It is a summer resident in the Coast Range. It breeds in and near open coniferous forest stands, natural forest openings, burned areas, shelterwood cuts and clearcuts to the timberline. Hear the song of the

Few seabirds have been labeled "stunning;" but with their graceful flight, boldly patterned upperparts, and brilliant white underparts, these birds truly are one of the most beautiful in Oregon waters. They have a black cap, wings angled forward, long body and tail, and a unique dark 'M' pattern against light gray back and wings. Often seen in small groups mixed among other more abundant shearwaters, they sometimes form pure flocks all flying in gracefully synchronized flight. While regular in Oregon in late fall, they are still uncommon enough to excite observers when encountered at sea. Photo by Tony Morris, Flickr

Adaptable and opportunistic, the double-crested is the most abundant and widespread of the three cormorant species found in Oregon, occurring inland and on the coast. Adults have deep, coppery feathers, bordered in black, that glisten with a green iridescent and offset a rich orange throat atop a long curved neck. The bird earns its name from plumes, ranging from white to black, that crown either side of the head during the breeding season. The double-crested cormorant is a common breeder in spring and summer at bays and estuaries, and on islands and cliffs along the coast and lower Columbia River

This unusual shorebird breeds along rivers, streams, and lakes in a variety of habitat types throughout the state, from sea level to near timberline. Conspicuous by its distinctive teetering behavior, boldly spotted underparts, and noisy alarm calls, it is usually the only breeding shorebird present in its preferred habitat. The appearance of a sandpiper along a tiny tributary in the upper reaches of a heavily forested watershed can be startling to one unfamiliar with the species' ubiquitous nature. The Spotted sandpiper is a widespread transient and breeder throughout the state, found in nearly every county in Oregon. Most birds depart

This gull nests on offshore islands, rocky coastal cliffs, and sometimes in grass on level parts of headlands. It forages in the marine and intertidal environments. Glaucous-winged gulls eat just about any animal material they find. They take small fish, barnacles, molluscs, sea urchins, bird eggs, carrion and animal waste discarded from fishing boats. It is rare but regular along the coast and the Columbia River; local and rare in the Willamette Valley. In can be uncommon midwinter at Sauvie Island. Most Glaucous-winged gulls in Oregon nest in the mouth of the Columbia River. Hear the call of the Glaucous-winged

This graceful tern, with its aerodynamic body and streamlined wings, is infrequently seen from land in Oregon. It is most often encountered at sea as it makes one of the most incredible journeys in the animal kingdom, migrating from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again each year, a journey of nearly 22,000 miles. A medium-sized bird with a reddish bill, it has a black cap and nape, and a white throat and cheek shading to a light gray body. It is a common offshore transient in Oregon waters and an occasional migrant along the coast. The bulk of

The Pileated woodpecker was the model for the cartoon character, Woody Woodpecker. It is a large black-and-white bird with a bold red feathered crest and distinctive call. You may hear its powerful drumming before you see it. In Oregon, its habitat includes older forests in the Blue Mountains, East and West Cascades, Klamath Mountains, Willamette Valley and Coast Range ecoregions. They prefer mature forests and younger forests with large snags and logs, requiring large diameter snags for nesting and foraging. Pileated woodpeckers are an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Blue Mountains ecoregion. Hear the call and the drumming of