Search myodfw.com
The Northern saw-whet owl is on of the most common forest owls in Oregon, but like most other owls, it is more often heard than seen. It is a small owl, approximately eight inches long, with a large head, large yellow eyes, and no ear tufts. The facial disk is reddish brown with small white streaks radiating outward from the eyes and a prominent white V above the eyes and beak. The back and wings are brown with white spots. The breast is white with rust-colored vertical streaking. This owl breeds in low to mid-elevation coniferous and mixed deciduous/coniferous forests
The Black-backed woodpecker can often be found in the open expanses of a recent forest fire or the twiggy closets of a bark beetle outbreak. It may be heard before seen, with its accelerating drum ringing from a prominent snag or its snarling call. Its nest is often low in a tree; both living and dead trees are used, but may require heartrot for excavation of nest cavities. Nest trees are often smaller in diameter than those used by other cavity nesters. It is a rare to locally common resident near the summit and on nearby plateaus and ridges on
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
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
The Juniper titmouse presents the demeanor of a miniature jay with its crest jutted proudly upright. It is a pale gray bird above and underneath, with little or no brown coloration. Songs and calls are useful in locating hidden titmice. The Juniper titmouse occurs in pinyon pine-juniper woodlands in the bulk of its range. This bird is a cavity nester. The nest is often placed in a crevice of a twisted trunk of large, older junipers. It primarily forages in junipers and juniper seed are important in the winter diet. An Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Northern Basin and
Siskiyou Mountains salamanders are similar to Del Norte salamanders, except they are a little shorter, growing to about five-and-a-half inches in total length. An adult salamander is brown with a light brown stripe along the back and a grayish-purple belly. It has light scattered flecks along the body. The Siskiyou Mountains salamander is a lungless salamander and breathes through its skin. Siskiyou Mountains salamanders require talus (rock fragment piles) or rock outcrops in older forests. This salamander retreats deep within rocky crevices that remain cool and moist during the dry summer. Even during the rainy season, Siskiyou Mountains salamanders typically
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
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
The ring-necked duck, which would have been better named "ring-billed duck" and is called "blackjack" in the southeastern United States, frequents different habits than the scaups with which is is often confused. The black back, white crescent on the side just in front of the wing, and white-ringed bill separate the drake ring-neck from the scaups. The brownish neck ring of the male in alternate plumage is not prominent. The hen is a small dark brown duck with a buff face. Drakes in courtship give a head-throw accompanied by a wow note while hens utter a growling purr. Ring-necks are
The bufflehead is North America's smallest diving duck, giving it the advantage of being able to nest in abandoned holes of northern flickers, a plentiful resource off limits to larger cavity-nesting ducks. It is a swift flyer and takes wing from water more easily and neatly than other diving ducks. Widely distributed throughout the state in winter, males attract attention with their striking white body, black back, and iridescent black head with a large notch of white; females and juveniles are dark charcoal-gray with a conspicuous white patch behind and below the eye. It is a local, uncommon breeder in
A white form on the distant water may be the sides and breast of an adult male, whose deep green head and dark back are less visable when far away. The pearl gray bodies and white breasts of females, subadults, and eclipse males are starkly delineated from their full-crested chestnut heads. Long, slender, saw-tooth bills are held horizontally during surface swimming and grip squirming prey after an underwater chase. From coastal bays to the high Cascades, in all corners of Oregon and far beyond, common mergansers ply the rivers and peer into still waters in their efficient pursuit of fish
Even in the most barren and desolate reaches of the Great Basin, the cheerful song of the hardy Rock wren will contradict any notion that the desert is devoid of life. This specialist of cracks and crevices can be found almost anywhere there is exposed rock. One of its most unique features is the mysterious pebble path is constructs from its stone-cave nest to the outside entrance. Drab and pale overall, the gray head and back, white to tawny underparts, and gray tail with buff-tipped corners distinguish this species from other wrens. The Rock wren is a common breeder in
The graceful short-distance flight of a bright male bluebird is a memorable sight. The Mountain bluebird haunts open country, providing an irreplaceable color note in the gray sagebrush landscape; particularly when in migration their brilliant blues flash in the desert sun in startling contrast to the prevailing dull colors of most other birds. Like other bluebirds, it readily accepts nest boxes. This accessibility, along with its sky-blue color, have always endeared it to nature lovers and made it a favorite of many. In Oregon, it is a common breeder and transient east of the Cascade summit except in treeless expanses
Shadow-colored skulkers in dense riparian growth, catbirds are among the often heard, less frequently seen denizens of northeast Oregon. They are all dark gray except for a black cap and russet undertail coverts. The sound has variable melodious warblings with occasional imitations of other birds and off-key noises. A distinct mewing call is often heard. The Gray catbird is a fairly common breeder in dense riparian zones of the northeast Blue Mountain ecoregion and is common in the Wallowa and Union counties and in east Umatilla County along the Umatilla River, Pine Creek and Meacham Creek. They breed locally in
One of the most numerous breeding birds in Douglas-fir and true fir forests of western Oregon is the Hermit warbler, yet it is often overlooked. This may be surprising, given the male's bold colors; however, it seldom descends from the higher reaches of the forest canopy. If you are familiar with its song, you can often hear three to five males singing on a spring morning from many places in appropriate habitat. The male Hermit warbler has a bright yellow head, set off by a black throat and nape. The gray back is marked with black stripes that vary in
This small, dark-headed sparrow flashing white outer tail feathers is one of the state's most abundant species and one of the easiest to identify. When not nesting, the Dark-eyed junco might be seen nearly anywhere in the state. It is a regular visitor to city parks and neighborhood bird feeders. Most juncos occurring in Oregon show dark hoods, dull rusty-brown backs, and pinkish brown below the wings. Some are grayish, lacking much of the brown tones. They are most often observed in single-species flocks but individuals and small groups often join mixed wintering sparrow flocks. It is resident from the
While in Oregon, the Pine grosbeak is tame and not suspicious, usually allowing a close approach as it feeds on buds or dried fruits. The soft-gray females and young males, the latter more or less washed with yellow on the head, far outnumber the rosy males, and observers should look carefully for these duller-colored birds. The song of the Pine grosbeak is often described as similar to the Purple finch, but fuller and with lower pitch. The flight is typically finch-like, but with broad, bounding undulations. The Pine grosbeak breeds in the Wallowas and is suspected to breed in the
Formerly known as the Green-backed goldfinch, this species was either not present or overlooked during the 19th century by most Oregon ornithologists. The male's black forecrown contrasts smartly with the greenish back and bright yellow underparts. Females lack the clear contrasting colors of the males, though the tips of the secondary coverts and the base of the primaries are white in both sexes. Often the plaintive tee-yee call reveals the presence of the bird long before it is seen. In the north Willamette Valley the Lesser goldfinch is a fairly common breeder along the western fringe. Scattered and local in
The long-eared myotis is pale brown to strawberry. It is a slow flier and hovers around trees and rocks to catch flies, moths and wasps. It is primarily a bat of coniferous forests in much of Oregon but may occur far from trees in shrub-steppe regions of the state. It forages in openings in dense forest, between the trees beneath the canopy in ponderosa pine, and over willow-bordered creeks. The species is known to enter dwellings and other buildings through open windows and doors, and to forage on moths therein. The long-eared myotis often day roosts in buildings, but may
The Northern flying squirrel is the smallest arboreal squirrel in Oregon. It is typically squirrel-like except that the fore- and hind legs are connected by a furred patagium that extends from the ankle to the wrist. It is lead colored with buffy brown to brown tips. It occurs in forested areas west of the Cascade Range and eastward to near Lakeview, Lake County and Paulina Lake, Deschutes County. The species also occurs in the Blue, Ochoco, and Wallowa mountains. Northern flying squirrels are mostly nocturnal although individuals may be observed abroad during light hours on rare occasions. They are usually
