Bird Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ birds — with size, habitat, diet, voice, behavior, and the field marks that tell them apart.
Canyon Towhee
A drab, grayish-brown desert towhee closely resembling the California Towhee but with a faint breast spot and rustier crown.
songbird
Olive Sparrow
A skulking, olive-green sparrow of South Texas thornscrub with a striped rufous-and-gray crown and a bouncing-ball trill song.
songbird
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
A small, reddish, day-active owl of arid borderland scrub, distinguished from its close relative by a streaked (not spotted) crown and rusty tail.
owl
Sedge Wren
A tiny, secretive wren of wet sedge meadows, notable for its erratic breeding movements and finely streaked crown.
songbird
Eurasian Wigeon
A medium-sized dabbling duck recognized by the male's striking chestnut head, cream-colored crown, and diagnostic whistling call.
waterfowl
American Wigeon
A colorful dabbling duck known for the male's white crown, iridescent green eye patch, and high-pitched whistling call.
waterfowl
Lesser Scaup
A small to medium-sized diving duck with a distinctive peaked crown, commonly seen in massive wintering rafts on inland lakes and bays.
waterfowl
Golden-winged Warbler
A gray-and-white warbler with a bold golden wing patch and yellow crown, once common in shrubby eastern habitat but now steeply declining and prone to hybridizing with Blue-winged Warbler.
songbird
Bay-breasted Warbler
A boreal-forest warbler whose breeding males show rich chestnut on the crown, throat, and flanks, while fall birds turn plain greenish and are easily confused with Blackpoll Warbler.
songbird
Rivoli's Hummingbird
One of the largest hummingbirds in North America, Rivoli's Hummingbird dazzles with its towering size, deep purple crown, and brilliant emerald throat.
hummingbird
Lucy's Warbler
One of North America's smallest warblers, a pale gray desert species with a chestnut rump and crown patch, unusual among warblers for nesting in tree cavities.
songbird
Clay-colored Sparrow
A pale, delicately patterned sparrow with a gray nape and brown-streaked crown, giving its distinctive buzzy insect-like song from prairie shrubs.
songbird
Anna's Hummingbird
A common, non-migratory West Coast hummingbird whose males flash an iridescent rose-pink crown and throat and perform a spectacular, chirping high-speed dive display.
hummingbird
Chestnut-collared Longspur
A shortgrass prairie specialist whose breeding male shows black underparts, a chestnut collar, and a striking black-and-white tail pattern.
songbird
Muscovy Duck
A large, heavy-bodied duck with bare red or black facial skin around the eyes and bill, wild birds are glossy black with white wing patches.
waterfowl
Surf Scoter
A chunky black sea duck with a boldly patterned orange, white, and black bill, males show white patches on the forehead and nape.
waterfowl
Eastern Kingbird
A bold, crisp black-and-white flycatcher known for fearlessly attacking hawks and crows that stray near its nest.
songbird
Magnolia Warbler
A boldly patterned warbler with a black-streaked yellow breast and a distinctive black-and-white tail band, best identified from below in flight.
songbird
Spotted Towhee
The western counterpart to the Eastern Towhee, distinguished by bold white spotting on its black back and wings.
songbird
Lewis's Woodpecker
An unusually crow-like woodpecker with iridescent greenish-black plumage, a pink belly, and a habit of catching insects on the wing.
woodpecker
Yellow-billed Magpie
A California endemic magpie nearly identical to the Black-billed Magpie but distinguished by its bright yellow bill.
songbird
American Goldfinch
A small finch famous for the male's brilliant lemon-yellow breeding plumage and black cap, wings, and tail.
songbird
Common Redpoll
A tiny, hardy arctic finch with a red cap and black chin that irrupts south to feeders in some winters.
songbird
Ross's Goose
A small, compact white goose with black wingtips and a short, stubby bill, essentially a miniature version of the Snow Goose.
waterfowl