Search myodfw.com

The brush rabbit rarely ventures more than a few meters from the extremely dense brush that constitutes the requisite component of their habitat. Runways are interlaced through brushy clumps into surrounding grassy areas and are kept clear of vegetation for easy and quick access to and from foraging areas. In Oregon, the brush rabbit occurs in the Willamette Valley and other interior valleys, in coastal areas, and in valleys along coastal streams from the Columbia River south, and from the foothills of the Cascade Range west. Photo by ©Keith Kohl, ODFW

The Wyoming ground squirrel is a medium-sized ground squirrel without spots, stripes, or splotches. The dorsal pelage is grayish with a slight buffy wash. In the field, it appears distinctly more yellowish than other ground squirrels that it might be confused with. The tail is usually longer, as well. This ground squirrel is found in southeastern Oregon and emerges from hibernacula in the spring and by late July has again entered torpor. During the active season, individuals usually become active within an hour after sunrise. Photo by Andrew Hoffman, Flickr

The Western harvest mouse is the smallest sigmodontine rodent in Oregon. It occurs east of the Cascade Range, except it is absent from the Blue and Wallowa mountains; it also occurs in the southern parts of Josephine and Jackson counties west of the Cascades. The Western harvest mouse commonly uses runways. It is active nocturnally with its greatest activity between sunset and sunrise. They spend periods of inactivity in ball-shaped nests constructed on the surface of the ground; nests are sometimes placed beneath shrubs or debris. Photo by J. N. Stuart, Flickr

The presence of this medium-sized shorebird often is announced by its high-pitched ringing call as it forages along rocky coastlines amid crashing waves. Unlike most shorebirds, Wandering tattler is a loner and is rarely encountered in flocks. Loose aggregations may sometimes be found together strung out along jetties in migration. The Wandering tattler is a fairly common migrant during spring and fall along the entire Oregon Coast. Hear the call of the Wandering tattler Photo by Dave Budeau, ODFW

This inhabitant of riparian thickets and brushy clear-cuts and pastures breeds from northeast British Columbia across southern Canada to the east coast and south to Georgia. The main migratory route is east of the Rocky Mountains, but small numbers of transients are reported almost yearly in Oregon. Spring records are between mid-May and mid-July. There are fewer fall records than in spring most occurring between mid-August and mid-October. Hear the song of the Chestnut-sided warbler Photo by Yankech Gary, Flickr

The golden-yellow face and breast of the male Wilson's warbler distinguish it as one of the brightest of Oregon's breeding warblers. Adult females are similar in plumage to males, and may even have a full black cap; however, the caps of females are smaller and duller than those of males, and are flecked with olive green. These lively warblers nest and forage for insects in tall, dense shrub growth, understory, or riparian thickets. It is an abundant breeder in woods and tall shrubs in the Coast Range, and is common in the Willamette Valley and west Cascades. Hear the song…

This winter visitor is a study in gray and tan, with a small dark spot on an otherwise gray breast, dull rufous stripes on the side of the head and crown, and brown wings with distinct white stripes. Tree sparrows visit Oregon only in winter, mainly in lowlands within the Blue Mountains and Owyhee upland regions with a few farther west in some years. They frequent willow clumps in grassy areas and occur occasionally at feeders. Hear the song of the American tree sparrow Photo by Eric Began, Flickr

This bat is brown to reddish brown and has relatively long forearms. It gets its name from the fringe of hairs along the bottom of its tail. It roosts in trees, snags, buildings, caves, rocks, cliffs and bridges. It likes beetles and moths but will eat spiders and crickets. The fringed myotis occurs in the Coast Range from Jackson County to Clatsop County and in the northeastern corner of the state. It's an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in seven of the nine ecoregions. Photo by ©Michael Durham

The Mink is a semiaquatic species. The body is elongate and cylindrical, the legs are short and stout, the tail is bushy and about half as long as the head and body. The head is flattened, the ears small and rounded, and the nose is pointed. The pelage consists of dense grayish underfur and long lustrous guard hairs. Dorsally, it is dark brown to blackish but somewhat lighter on the venter. In Oregon, the mink is found throughout the state and is associated with river, lake, pond, or marsh environments. They forage along overhanging banks, and in holes and crevices…

As their common name implies, these lizards are found in sagebrush habitats, but also occur in chaparral, juniper woodlands, and coniferous forests. They require well-illuminated open ground near cover and are primarily ground dwellers. They eat a variety of small invertebrates, including crickets, beetles, flies, ants, wasps, bees, mites, ticks, and spiders. Also called the Northern sagebrush lizard, it is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Columbia Plateau ecoregion. Photo by ©Keith Kohl, ODFW

Popularly called "Gooneybird" for its elaborate mating antics and clumsy takeoffs and landings and breeding islands, this is a large, spectacular seabird. Though small for an albatross, it glides on wind currents just above the ocean waves on long narrow wings which span approximately six-and-a-half feet. The dark gray wings, back and tail contrast with a white body and upper tail coverts. Singles or small groups are reported occasionally on offshore Oregon birding trips, primarily in winter. Hear the call of the Laysan albatross Photo by ©Greg Gilson

Chestnut-backed chickadees are one of the most common species of bird in conifer forests of western Oregon. They are distinguished from other chickadees by their chestnut-colored back, lack of an eye-line, and their wheezy song. Like other chickadees, they are frequently observed performing acrobatic maneuvers such as hanging from branch tips while foraging high in the canopy. They also frequent bird feeders for suet and sunflower seeds, and will nest in boxes if they are placed near groves of conifers. Hear the call of the Chestnut-backed chickadee Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW

For many, the rich, melodious song of the Black-headed grosbeak is the music of springtime in Oregon. The handsome males, with their bold pattern of cinnamon, black, and white, are among our most striking songbirds, and area familiar site in parks and gardens as well as in almost every forest type in the state. The buffy, streaked females are less conspicuous, but are also accomplished singers. The Black-headed grosbeak is a common to fairly common breeder and common migrant in forested regions throughout the state. Hear the song of the Black-headed grosbeak Photo by David Bronson

The mountain beaver is a medium-sized, muskrat-like rodent often lacking a visible tail. It is not related to other beavers or rodents but are called beavers because of their habit of gnawing down young trees. The mountain beaver has an extremely short, fur-covered tail, and otherwise differs from the muskrat by possessing five-toed feet. It is dark brown with a small white spot at the base of each ear. In Oregon, are common in forested areas on the west slope of the Cascade Range west to the Pacific Ocean. They are, however, rarely seen as they spend most of their…

The California vole is a medium-sized vole with a cinnamon-brown to tawny-olive dorsum overlain by dark brown or black hairs. The underparts are medium gray, sometimes washed with buff; the tail is bi-colored, black above and gray below. The feet are grayish. It occurs from near Eugene south through the interior valleys of Oregon and most of California. It has been found in the drainages of the upper Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue rivers in Lane, Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine counties. This vole spend most of the time underground in its burrows or in those of other species; it makes only…

The sagebrush vole is among the smaller voles in the state. The tail does not exceed the length of the hind feet. The long, soft, and dense dorsal pelage is grayish tan; the bases of the hairs are lead colored and the tips are black. The ventral pelage is pale buff, the feet light gray, and the tail slightly bicolored. In Oregon, it occurs mostly east of a line connecting The Dalles, Bend, and Klamath Falls, except it is absent from the Columbia Basin and most of the Blue and Wallowa mountains. Clustering of burrows tends to indicate that the…

Western pond turtles prefer marshes, streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. They need sparse vegetation nearby for digging nests and like to bask on logs. Population declines are due to habitat loss, degradation of nesting areas by invasive plants, competition from non-native turtles and disease. Predators include raccoons and invasive bullfrogs and fish. Western pond turtles are Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Coast Range, East and West Cascades, Klamath Mountains and Willamette Valley ecoregions. Photo by Simon Wray, ODFW

This species is found in a variety of habitats. To make matters more confusing, four subspecies are found in Oregon, each of which has somewhat different habitat preferences. All can be found in moist areas such as marshes and lake or stream margins, but two may occur some distance from water. The diet varies among subspecies; the more aquatic forms feed on fish, frogs, tadpoles, and leeches, which are eaten in the water. Terrestrial forms take frogs and toads, but also lizards, small mammals, salamanders and slugs. Photo by David Bronson, ODFW

Features: Greenish or bluish above with dark wavy worm-like marks along the back; shading to silvery below, usually with dusky spots on the lower side. Mackerel grow to be 25-inches long. Habitat: Pacific mackerel are usually found close to shore, but are not typically associated with any bottom structure. Technique: Mackerel are not usually targeted by Oregon’s anglers, but are often caught incidentally by salmon anglers. Small shiny spoon or baited hooks are good methods to use to catch mackerel.

This foreign visitor is regularly found in Oregon among wintering flocks of American widgeon. Drakes are easily distinguished from American wigeon drakes by reddish brown head, gray flank, and lack of green eye stripe. Hens are similar to American Wigeon hens and difficult to distinguish. The call of the male is a shrill whistling, whe'e you; the female's voice a low purr or croak. It is a rare to uncommon visitant east of the Cascades. Hear the call of the eurasian wigeon Photo by ©Greg Gilson