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This medium-sized flycatcher has expanded its breeding range from northern California to southwestern Oregon and continues to expand its range in Oregon. First experiences with the species may bring to mind a Slate-colored Junco behaving like a flycatcher. The Black phoebe is dull, sooty black overall, somewhat paler on the back, with a white belly contrasting with the black breast and sides. Bill, legs, and feet are black. The phoebe dips its tail repeatedly. Black phoebes are associated with water. Slow-flowing, idle, or slack water of large rivers, streams, and creeks, ephemeral and permanent ponds, lake shorelines, irrigation ditches, and…

Seeing killer whales off the Oregon coast is a rare treat, but whale watchers can usually count on a pod of orca’s patrolling the coast in mid-April – just in time to intercept baby gray whales. Orcas are most often seen in the ocean off Depoe Bay and Newport, but can be spotted coastwide. The first thing you are likely to see when sighting killer whales is their dorsal fin. Male orcas have a dorsal fin that can be six feet in height, juveniles and females have shorter fins. These large fins can be seen from quite a distance. There…

Preble's shrew is the smallest shrew in Oregon; adults commonly weigh less than a dime. The pelage is medium dark-brown to very dark-gray on the dorsum and silvery gray on the venter. The tail is bicolored, medium dark-brown on the dorsal surface, white on the ventral surface and darkening toward the tip. In Oregon, it has been found in Deschutes, Grant, Klamath, Lake, Harney, Malheur, and Wallowa counties. Its habitats include marshes, along streams, dry bunchgrass, and wet, alkaline habitat. Grasses and sagebrush are common to most habitats.

With four wing-beats each second pushing them to 62 miles per hour, brant are the fastest and strongest geese in flight and among the swiftest of all large birds. Black brant comprise the vast majority of brant occurring in Oregon. These small geese have smoky black backs and bellies, and dissected white collars and white around the tails provide striking contrast. The black brant can live up to 20 years and are resilient enough to ride out storms on the open ocean. In Oregon, wintering numbers along the coast have seen a 50 percent reduction from previous years due to…

This large bird of prey has dark brown feathers above, white feathers below with a white head and prominent dark eye stripe as well as a visible dark spot at the wrist of the wing when flying. Juveniles have buffy-tipped dark feathers above. In flight, the wings have a noticeable angle or "crook." This highly migratory fish-eating species is frequently found nesting along larger rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. A large bulky nest at the very top of a live, broken top, or dead tree and more recently on utility poles, channel markers, pilings, and cell phone towers near fishable waters…

The gregarious Tricolored blackbird is one of North America's most intensely colonial breeders, forming dense, non-territorial, noisy colonies. A highly synchronized nesting system exploits secure nesting locations and rich food supplies that change from year to year. In Oregon, breeding colonies are scattered and intermittent at specific locations, though sites used during consecutive years may be in the same general area. The Tricolored blackbird breeds most consistently in Klamath and Jackson Counties. Small colonies and summering residents have been found in the Willamette Valley; during fall and winter they are rare. Most retreat south to California in winter, while some…

The black rat is slightly smaller than the Norway rat, but much larger than the house mouse, the only other members of the subfamily in Oregon. The black rat is similar to other members of the subfamily in that it possesses a scaly, scantily haired tail; membranous, nearly naked ears, and a soft pelage. It differs from the Norway rat in having a tail much longer than the length of its head and body and commonly having a darker-colored pelage. The pelage ranges from black to sandy brown dorsally and from lead colored to nearly white ventrally. The black rat…

This group of mammals is spread nearly worldwide and in Oregon, they are found throughout the state. Oregon is home to the American pika and seven species of rabbits and hares.

Oregon has two sea lion species and three seals. The Steller sea lion, Northern elephant seal and Pacific harbor seal are Oregon Conservation Strategy Species.

Features: Unlike gaper clams, softshell clams have no gape on their neck end. Softshell clams have a spoon like projection on the left valve, this feature is called a chondrophore. Habitat: Brackish, muddy areas all along Oregon's coastline. Find softshells 12-18" depth. Technique: Softshells can be harvested by digging with either a shovel or clam gun. As the name suggests, they have soft or thin shells which are easy to break.‌ Although a clam with a broken shell is still good to eat, sharp edges of a broken shell can be very dangerous. Until you've refined your shoveling skills you…

Oregon has two species of pelicans, American white and the Brown pelican, and three species of cormorants. All are fish-eating water birds with four toes joined by webbing. Depending on the species, pelicans and cormorants inhabit the Oregon coast, rivers or interior waterbodies.

Features: Sacramento perch are blackish above with about seven vertical dark bars that are irregular in form and position. They are not a true perch, but a sunfish. It is the only member of the sunfish family native to the west coast and, in Oregon, is found only in the Klamath Basin. Sacramento perch are distinguished from the other sunfish in Oregon by having 12 or 13 dorsal fin spines whereas all the others have 10 or fewer. Maximum size in Oregon is about 12-inches in length and a weight of about 3/4 pound, although in California they have been…

The enigmatic Solitary sandpiper may be one of the least understood of Oregon's regularly occurring shorebirds. As its name implies, the species is most often found singly, and it rarely occurs in groups of more than two individuals. The Solitary sandpiper frequents habitats not often utilized by other migrant shorebirds, such as smaller and often partly wooded patches of water, and high-altitude bogs and wet meadows. It is an uncommon to rare migrant in fresh water or brackish habitats throughout Oregon; rarest along outer coast and in alkali habitats. Spring adults more common in the western interior valleys; fall juveniles…

Townsend's mole is the largest talpid in Oregon. In Oregon, it is restricted to the interior valleys and coastal regions west of the foothills of the Cascade Range. It occupies pastures, prairies, and shrub habitats in lowlands and river flood plains. The highest densities were recorded in pasture areas in Tillamook County. Photo by J. Maughn, Flickr