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The California kangaroo rat is the largest kangaroo rat in Oregon, but is only of moderate size within the genus. It has a moderately broad face, relatively large ears, and awl-shaped lower incisors. The tail is 150 percent of the length of the head and body. It is the darkest-colored kangaroo rat in Oregon. The pelage of the dorsum is composed of hairs with dark-gray bases, a narrow dark-buff band and black terminus. The venter, feet, upper lip,; and base, sides, and tip of tail are white and there is a white spot above each eye and behind each ear…

Features: Canary rockfish are named for their bright yellow to orange mottled bodies. They also have undertones of gray and three orange stripes across their heads. They grow to be 30-inches long, and have very firm and desirable meat. Habitat: Canary rockfish are a schooling fish, common along the Pacific Northwest coast over rocky reefs and pinnacles. Larger adults are usually further offshore, with younger fish sometimes common down to 100 feet. Yelloweye, canary and vermillion rockfish can look similar. See this rockfish identification article for distinguishing features for each species. Technique: They readily take both bait and lures. Locate…

The Western red-backed salamander is a woodland species and is small and slender. It has a wide stripe running from the head to the tip of the tail that can be yellow, orange, green or brown. Mature adults can grow up to just over four inches in total length. Western red-backed salamanders live in humid coniferous forests with mild winters. They find cover in rocky substrates, including talus (rock fragment piles), boulders and rock outcroppings. They may also hide under or in rotting logs, leaf litter and other forest debris. Like other woodland salamanders, this species breaths through its skin…

This largest of Oregon's hawks inhabits the most open country of the state's buteos, and watches over its home range on long, motionless wings for extended periods in search of prey. Ferruginous hawks are sensitive to human disturbance and tend to reside in remote areas. They occur in two color morphs, but dark-morph birds are rare in Oregon. Light-morph birds are white below with few markings except for the ruddy-colored leg feathers. The back and wing coverts are rust colored and the tips of the primaries and end of the tail tend toward dark smoky gray. It is an uncommon…

The Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat is an intermediate-sized kangaroo rat with a narrow face, small ears, and flat-faced, nearly square-edged lower incisors shaped like miniature chisels. Among kangaroo rats, the cheek pouches in relation to the size of the head are exceptionally large. The pelage on the dorsum is composed of hairs with medium-gray bases, a buffy band, and a tiny blackish tip, overall a dirty-sand color. The venter, upper lip, feet, and base and sides of the tail are white and there is a white spot above each eye and behind each ear. A black moustache, eyelids, ears and tail…

The dusky-footed woodrat is a medium-sized rat-like form with large, nearly naked ears, protruding eyes, and a long tail. The dorsal pelage consists of hairs with steel gray bases, a band of ocherous buff, and a tip of black. Hairs on the throat and belly are white. Although variably in extent, a dusky splotch occurs on the dorsal surface of the white feet. In Oregon, this woodrat occurs from the California border northward along the coast to near Bandon, northward inland through the Willamette Valley and other interior valleys to near Mollala and Monmouth, and northward to Brownsboro, Jackson County…

This sturdy-looking bird has a large head, short tail, and massive conical bill adapted for seed eating. The male plumage features bold patches of lemon yellow shading into olive, then brown and black, with white secondaries creating a flashy wing-patch easily seen in flight. The male's bill is chalky white in winter, but changes in early spring to a pale green that matches the new growth at the tips of spruce boughs, where they often nest. Many encounters with this species are of individuals heard flying high overhead, leaving the observer with little else to note. The Evening grosbeak is…

ODFW's Living with bears page has tips on living, working, and recreating in bear country and more. Oregon is Black Bear Country Brochure (pdf) Be Wildlife Smart When Working in the Woods (pdf) Electric Fences Keep Bears Out - BearWise Bulletin (pdf) Follow these "bear" essentials on working or recreating in bear country, print this homeowner checklist to keep bears at bay, and more. Essentials for Living with bears (pdf)

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 Red crossbill is aptly named for its unusual bill configuration of crossed upper and lower tips of the mandibles which it uses to pry seeds primarily from native conifer cones. Degree of bill crossing is variable depending on wear, and it can have a right or left cross. Adaption to varied conifer cone structures and sizes has resulted in a diversity in body size, bill size and shape, and palate configurations in Red crossbills. Juveniles are brown with heavy streaked undersides and faint buff wing bars. Mature males are red with dark brown flight feathers and tail; first-year males…

The body of the Pacific harbor seal is plump but tapers to small rear flippers permanently extended posteriorly. The head is large and rounded, the eyes are large, the limbs are short, and the nostrils sit dorsally on the muzzle. The nostrils can be closed when this seal dives. The tongue is notched at the tip. The pelage consists of long overhairs that overlay short underhairs. Markings are extremely variable, but in general the pelage is gray or brownish gray with numerous small spots of black that may coalesce to form splotches. Pacific harbor seals have been observed ashore at…

The Pacific white-sided dolphin is most abundant in the Southern California Bight in winter, but move further north, off Oregon and Washington in summer. These animals can be found from the tip of Baja to the Aleutians and the western Pacific from the Kuril Islands to Japan. They prefer deep, off-shore waters, so sightings are usually limited to recreational and commercial fishers. The Pacific white-sided dolphin is about seven or eight feet long. It has three colors: the chin, throat and belly are creamy white; the beak, flippers, back, and dorsal fin are a dark gray, and there are light…

Features: Mule deer are larger and lighter in color than black-tails. Mule deer have a thinner “ropelike” tail that is white with a black tip. Their antlers are forked, as opposed to having a main beam. And as their name implies, they have large ears, like a mule, that stand at an angle. Habitat: Mule deer occupy a wide range of habitat types; some live in desert shrub-steppe, some in woodlands, and some in conifer forests. In general, however, mule deer occupy the more open, rugged areas. Although mule deer commonly are considered “browsers," they consume a wide variety of…

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…

The skies near favored stopover locations are filled twice annually with the sights and sounds of these geese as they migrate between Arctic breeding grounds and wintering areas farther south. Snow geese share very similar all-white plumage and black wing tips with the less common Ross's goose. These are Oregon's only wild white geese. It is predominantly a spring and fall migrant, especially abundant in large wetland and agricultural complexes such as Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Silvies River floodplain in Harney County, Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and Klamath Wildlife Area. Wintering snow geese in Oregon are found primarily along…

The wild turkey is the largest game bird in North American with mature males weighing upwards of 20 pounds and standing 40 inches tall. These large terrestrial birds are generally dark brown to black in appearance but iridescent color in feathers ranging from gold and copper to green and black gives a metallic appearance, particularly in full sunlight. Males and about 10 percent of females sport a unique beard of keratinous filament that protrudes from the junction of the breast and neck. Beards grow continuously but rarely exceed 10 inches in length. Females are smaller and duller in appearance. Densities…

Of the three U.S. and Canadian forest hawks known as accipiters, this is by far the most impressive because of its size and aggressiveness. Like others of the genus it is morphologically adapted to maneuvering through forest landscapes and usually uses an ambush approach to capturing prey; although if prey tries to escape, it quickly pursues. From Turkey to Japan, goshawks are favored over falcons for falconry, and a limited number of permits are issued in Oregon for taking goshawks for falconry purposes. The Northern goshawk has short, broad, round-tipped wings and a long tail. It is approximately the size…

The common porcupine is a large, short-legged rodent with up to 30,000 bare-tipped quills (modified hairs) covering the upper parts of the body and the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the tail. The quills are scattered among much longer, course guard hairs; the underfur is woolly. The quills are arranged in rows across the body, the longest quills are on the rump, the shortest on the face. Quills used in defense are replaced commencing about 10-42 days after loss. The overall color of the porcupine is dark brown or blackish. The front feet have four toes, the rear feet five…