Field Guide

Every bird in Birdz, organized by the habitat where you'll hear it. Birdz is a bird-identification game: you build a base in a real biome, listen for calls, and learn to name what you hear. This guide covers all 67 birds in the game — their calls and songs written out phonetically, and a few field notes on each. All in-game recordings come from public-domain and Creative Commons sources, credited in the app.

Forest17 birds

Dense canopy, dappled light. Rich in insects, berries, and cavity-nesting opportunities.

Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Common

Call: "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" — A rapid, raspy series of notes descending in pitch. More "dee" sounds signal higher alarm.
Song: "fee-bee" — A clear, whistled two-note song. First note higher than the second.

Can lower its body temperature on cold nights to conserve energy.
Hides food in hundreds of locations and remembers each one for weeks.
More "dee" sounds in its call means a bigger perceived threat nearby.

Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

Uncommon

Call: "kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk" — A loud, laughing series of calls — wild and pterodactyl-like. Often heard before seen.
Song: "wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk" — Similar to call but slower and more deliberate.

The largest woodpecker in North America at nearly the size of a crow.
Its rectangular excavations in dead trees are used by other cavity-nesting animals.
A single bird can chisel away pounds of wood in a single day hunting carpenter ants.

Wood Thrush

Hylocichla mustelina

Uncommon

Call: "pit-pit-pit" — Sharp, clipped alarm notes repeated rapidly.
Song: "ee-oh-lay" — Flute-like, spiraling melody. Often described as the most beautiful birdsong in North America.

Can sing two notes simultaneously using different parts of its syrinx.
Migrates thousands of miles to Central America each winter.
A symbol of forest health — its decline tracks directly with forest fragmentation.

Barred Owl

Strix varia

Uncommon

Call: "who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-all" — A resonant, hooting phrase in two parts. The second phrase drops at the end.
Song: "hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooaw" — The classic 8-note hoot pattern, ending in a long descending note.

Unlike most owls, it has dark brown eyes rather than yellow.
Pairs mate for life and may use the same nest site for years.
Its eerie caterwauling duet between a pair sounds like monkeys in the forest.

Ovenbird

Seiurus aurocapilla

Common

Call: "teacher-TEACHER-TEACHER-TEACHER" — A loud, crescendoing chant that rises in volume with each repetition.
Song: "tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher" — The emphatic two-syllable phrase, accented on the second syllable.

Builds a dome-shaped nest on the forest floor resembling a Dutch oven.
Walks rather than hops, bobbing its tail as it forages through leaf litter.
Despite its loud song, it is rarely seen — blends perfectly into the forest floor.

Steller's Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

Common

Call: "shack-shack-shack-shack" — A harsh, scolding rattle from the conifer canopy — bold, loud, and impossible to ignore.
Song: "klee-klee-klee" — Softer whistled phrases mixed with gurgles, plus a startling imitation of a Red-tailed Hawk scream.

The only crested jay west of the Rockies — a smoky-black head fading into deep blue.
Mimics Red-tailed Hawk calls, possibly to scatter competitors from feeders.
Caches thousands of seeds each fall and relocates them by memory all winter.

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Common

Call: "chip! chip!" — A sharp metallic chip, given year-round from thick cover — often the first and last bird you hear each day.
Song: "cheer-cheer-cheer, birdy-birdy-birdy" — Loud clear whistles that slur downward. Females sing too — unusual among songbirds.

One of the few songbird species where the female sings, often from the nest.
The male's brilliant red comes entirely from pigments in its food.
Cardinals don't migrate — the red-on-snow look made it seven states' official bird.

Varied Thrush

Ixoreus naevius

Uncommon

Call: "zhreeeee" — A single eerie, buzzy whistle on one pitch, ringing through dark conifer forest like a tuning fork.
Song: "zhreee ... zhrooo ... zhriii" — The same haunting note repeated at different pitches with long pauses between.

The voice of Pacific Northwest old growth — one ethereal note at a time.
Often mistaken for a robin at a glance; the black breast band gives it away.
Moves downslope rather than south for winter.

Ruffed Grouse

Bonasa umbellus

Uncommon

Call: "thump... thump... thump-thump-thumprrrr" — Not a voice at all — the male beats his wings against the air, a drumroll you feel in your chest before you hear it.
Song: "pete-pete-pete" — Soft clucks between drumming bouts on the log.

The drumming is pure wingbeats compressing air — no surface is struck.
Grows comb-like snowshoes on its toes every winter.
Dives into snowbanks to sleep warm on the coldest nights.

Canada Jay

Perisoreus canadensis

Uncommon

Call: "whee-ah, chuck-chuck" — Soft whistles and low chuckles from a bird already gliding toward your sandwich.
Song: "kla-kla-kla, whisper-warble" — A quiet, rambling whisper song, plus imitations of hawks and other birds.

The "camp robber" — lands on hands, plates, and canoe paddles for food.
Glues food into thousands of bark caches with sticky saliva, then remembers them all winter.
Nests in late winter at -20°C, incubating through snowstorms.

Eastern Towhee

Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Common

Call: "chew-INK" — A rising two-note call from the leaf litter, usually accompanied by loud two-footed scratching.
Song: "drink-your-teeeeea" — Two clear notes and a trill — the most famous mnemonic in eastern birding.

Scratches the leaf litter with both feet at once, hopping backward.
Sings "drink-your-tea" — the trill is the "tea".
Red eyes in most of its range, white eyes in Florida.

Dark-eyed Junco

Junco hyemalis

Common

Call: "tick-tick, tzeet" — Dry ticking notes and a buzzy flight call as a flock flushes, white outer tail feathers flashing.
Song: "trrrrrrrrrr" — A loose musical trill on one pitch, easily confused with a Chipping Sparrow.

"Snowbirds" — they arrive at feeders with the first cold fronts.
One of North America's most abundant birds: several hundred million.
Regional forms look wildly different but are all one species.

Carolina Wren

Thryothorus ludovicianus

Common

Call: "cheeeer, chatter-chatter" — A harsh scolding chatter and a downslurred "cheer" from deep in a brush pile.
Song: "teakettle-teakettle-teakettle" — A ringing three-part phrase repeated with startling volume for such a small bird.

Only the male sings, but pairs stay together and defend a territory all year.
A single male may sing a phrase several thousand times in one day.
Cold northern winters are its main limit — mild decades let it creep north.

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Uncommon

Call: "tink" — A hard metallic chip note from the shade of a flooded bottomland forest.
Song: "sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet" — A loud ringing series on one rising pitch, carrying far over still swamp water.

The "golden swamp warbler" — the only eastern warbler that nests in tree cavities.
Named for papal clerks whose bright yellow robes it was thought to match.
Will readily take to nest boxes placed over standing water.

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivacea

Uncommon

Call: "chick-burr" — A distinctive two-note call from high in the canopy — often the only clue one is overhead.
Song: "querit-queer-query-querit-queer" — Like a robin with a sore throat — hoarse, burry phrases from the treetops.

Blood-red body with jet-black wings — yet maddeningly hard to spot in a green canopy.
Males molt to olive-green in fall, keeping only the black wings.
Winters in South American rainforest, crossing the Gulf of Mexico twice a year.

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Common

Call: "tseet" — A thin, sharp contact note from a winter flock scratching under shrubs.
Song: "oh-sweet-canada-canada-canada" — Pure whistled notes in a wavering minor key — the sound of the north woods.

Comes in two head-stripe colors, white and tan — and each almost always mates with the other.
The crisp white throat patch and yellow eyebrow spots make it a favorite beginner sparrow.
Sings its "Oh sweet Canada" song even on migration and warm winter days.

Veery

Catharus fuscescens

Uncommon

Call: "veer" — A single downslurred whistle, often given at dusk — the bird named itself.
Song: "da-vee-ur, vee-ur, veer, veer" — An ethereal spiral of breezy notes cascading downward, as if sung into a metal pipe.

Sings with both halves of its syrinx at once, harmonizing with itself on the way down the spiral.
A ground-level thrush of damp deciduous woods, nesting on or near the forest floor.
Veeries seem to sense bad hurricane seasons ahead, cutting their nesting short in those years.

Grassland22 birds

Wide skies, tall grass, and fence posts. Home to some of the most musical songbirds.

Eastern Meadowlark

Sturnella magna

Common

Call: "dzert, dzert" — A buzzy, flat call note given repeatedly when alarmed.
Song: "see-you, see-yeeeer" — A clear, liquid whistle that slides and falls at the end. Melancholy and beautiful.

The bright yellow chest with black V-bib makes it unmistakable on a fence post.
Nests are woven grass domes hidden in tall grass with a side entrance tunnel.
Populations have declined over 75% since the 1970s due to habitat loss.

Bobolink

Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Uncommon

Call: "bob-o-LINK, bob-o-LINK, spink-spank-spink" — A bubbling, mechanical jumble of electronic-sounding notes. Like R2-D2 set to song.
Song: "bwee-bwee-bwee, bobolink" — A rich, bubbly cascade of warbles and twitters delivered in flight.

Migrates over 12,000 miles round-trip to Argentina — one of the longest songbird migrations.
The male is the only North American bird that is black below and white above.
Navigates using Earth's magnetic field and the stars.

Horned Lark

Eremophila alpestris

Common

Call: "tsee-titi" — A high, thin, tinkling call given in flight — easy to miss against the wind.
Song: "ti-ti-ti-ti-tseeeew" — A rapid series of tinkling notes accelerating into a longer closing note, given in high flight.

Tiny black "horn" feathers on the head are visible only up close.
One of the first birds to nest in late winter, sometimes in snow.
Walks instead of hops, shuffling low along bare ground.

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Uncommon

Call: "klee-klee-klee-klee" — A sharp, rapid series of high-pitched notes. Urgent and repetitive.
Song: "killy-killy-killy" — The same "klee" call, sometimes rendered as "killy" — gives the bird its old folk name.

North America's smallest and most colorful falcon.
Can hover in place facing into the wind while hunting, using its tail as a rudder.
Can see ultraviolet light, which makes rodent urine trails glow in the field.

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Common

Call: "check, check" — A sharp, metallic note used as an alarm. Often given in rapid series when threatened.
Song: "conk-la-reeee" — A liquid, gurgling three-part song ending in a long trill. The definitive sound of a marsh.

One of the most abundant birds in North America with over 150 million individuals.
Males can have up to 15 mates in a single season.
The red shoulder patches can be hidden or displayed based on the bird's social situation.

Killdeer

Charadrius vociferus

Common

Call: "kill-deer kill-deer" — A piercing, insistent two-note cry that gives the bird its name. Often given in flight and repeated urgently near the nest.
Song: "dee-dee-dee trrrrr" — A rising series of dee notes breaking into a long trill during display flights.

Famous for the broken-wing act: it feigns injury to lure predators away from its nest.
Nests in open gravel — parking lots and driveways included — relying on egg camouflage.
A plover that often lives far from water, unlike most of its shorebird relatives.

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Common

Call: "pink!" — A sharp, metallic contact note from brushy edges and coastal scrub.
Song: "seee tididi zeee zaaay" — A thin, sweet whistle sliding into buzzy trills. Local dialects differ so much that neighborhoods have their own versions.

Its bold black-and-white striped crown looks like a tiny bicycle helmet.
Song dialects vary block by block — scientists map them like accents.
Alaskan migrants can fly 300 miles in a night, navigating by the stars.

Sandhill Crane

Antigone canadensis

Uncommon

Call: "kar-r-r-o-o-o" — A rolling, rattling bugle that carries for miles — flocks overhead sound like a creaking wooden armada.
Song: "kar-roo kar-roo" — Mated pairs duet in unison, the female giving two notes for each of the male's.

Its trachea coils inside the breastbone like a french horn, giving the call its carrying power.
One of the oldest living bird species — fossils match back millions of years.
Pairs dance: bowing, leaping, and tossing grass in elaborate displays.

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Common

Call: "chupp" — A low, dry contact note from fence posts and grass clumps.
Song: "tlee-tlee-tloo-tloo-loo" — A rich, flute-like gurgle that tumbles downward — busier and more liquid than the Eastern's clear whistles.

Nearly identical to the Eastern Meadowlark by eye — the song is the field mark.
The species name "neglecta" marks how long explorers overlooked it as a separate bird.
State bird of six states, more than any other except the cardinal.

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Uncommon

Call: "phew" — A thin, soft whistle given from a perch or while hovering over open ground.
Song: "chur chur churr-lee" — A quiet, warbled series at first light, rarely heard after sunrise.

The male is sky-blue all over — no red breast like other bluebirds.
Hovers like a tiny kestrel while hunting insects over meadows.
Depends on old woodpecker holes and nest boxes for nesting.

Sage Thrasher

Oreoscoptes montanus

Uncommon

Call: "chuck ... chuck" — A blackbird-like chuck from the top of a sagebrush — often your only clue before it drops into cover.
Song: "warble-warble-churr-weee (continuous)" — An endless, rolling warble that can run for minutes without repeating — the anthem of the sage sea.

The smallest thrasher, and the only one tied almost entirely to sagebrush.
Songs can run five minutes straight without a repeated phrase.
Populations track sagebrush health — a living indicator of the Great Basin.

Greater Sage-Grouse

Centrocercus urophasianus

Rare

Call: "swish-swish-coo-oo-POINK" — On spring dance grounds, males inflate yellow chest sacs and pop them — a sound like water dropping into a well.
Song: "wut-wut-wut" — Low clucks away from the dancing grounds.

Males gather on the same dancing grounds — leks — used for generations.
North America's largest grouse, and it eats almost nothing but sagebrush all winter.
The chest-sac pop can be heard two miles away on a still dawn.

Burrowing Owl

Athene cunicularia

Uncommon

Call: "coo-cooo" — A soft two-note dove-like coo from a mound at dusk. Alarmed chicks imitate a rattlesnake's buzz.
Song: "coo-coooo, coo-coooo" — The male's courtship coo, repeated from the burrow entrance.

Lives underground in prairie-dog and squirrel burrows — an owl that sunbathes at noon.
Chicks mimic a rattlesnake buzz to scare diggers away from the burrow.
Lines the burrow entrance with dung to bait beetles — takeout delivery.

Scaled Quail

Callipepla squamata

Uncommon

Call: "chip-CHURR" — A nasal two-note call from a fence post or yucca — the second note buzzy and emphatic.
Song: "squawk-squawk" — Harsh separation calls when a covey scatters.

Every breast feather is edged in black — plumage like fish scales.
Nicknamed "cottontop" for its fluffy white crest.
Prefers running to flying; coveys sprint between shrubs like tiny roadrunners.

Eastern Towhee

Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Common

Call: "chew-INK" — A rising two-note call from the leaf litter, usually accompanied by loud two-footed scratching.
Song: "drink-your-teeeeea" — Two clear notes and a trill — the most famous mnemonic in eastern birding.

Scratches the leaf litter with both feet at once, hopping backward.
Sings "drink-your-tea" — the trill is the "tea".
Red eyes in most of its range, white eyes in Florida.

Dark-eyed Junco

Junco hyemalis

Common

Call: "tick-tick, tzeet" — Dry ticking notes and a buzzy flight call as a flock flushes, white outer tail feathers flashing.
Song: "trrrrrrrrrr" — A loose musical trill on one pitch, easily confused with a Chipping Sparrow.

"Snowbirds" — they arrive at feeders with the first cold fronts.
One of North America's most abundant birds: several hundred million.
Regional forms look wildly different but are all one species.

Carolina Wren

Thryothorus ludovicianus

Common

Call: "cheeeer, chatter-chatter" — A harsh scolding chatter and a downslurred "cheer" from deep in a brush pile.
Song: "teakettle-teakettle-teakettle" — A ringing three-part phrase repeated with startling volume for such a small bird.

Only the male sings, but pairs stay together and defend a territory all year.
A single male may sing a phrase several thousand times in one day.
Cold northern winters are its main limit — mild decades let it creep north.

Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

Common

Call: "kip! kit-kit-keeER" — A sharp bickering chatter from a fence wire or the tip of a dead branch.
Song: "pidik-pidik-PEEKado" — A stuttering dawn song delivered in a fluttering display flight before sunrise.

Fearless for its size — it will chase hawks, ravens, even low-flying planes off its turf.
A concealed crown of orange-red feathers flares only during disputes.
Often nests on utility poles and stadium lights out in open country.

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Common

Call: "tseet" — A thin, sharp contact note from a winter flock scratching under shrubs.
Song: "oh-sweet-canada-canada-canada" — Pure whistled notes in a wavering minor key — the sound of the north woods.

Comes in two head-stripe colors, white and tan — and each almost always mates with the other.
The crisp white throat patch and yellow eyebrow spots make it a favorite beginner sparrow.
Sings its "Oh sweet Canada" song even on migration and warm winter days.

California Quail

Callipepla californica

Common

Call: "chi-CA-go" — The three-note assembly call that gathers a scattered covey back together.
Song: "pit-pit-squill" — Sharp clipped notes and squeals traded inside the covey as it feeds.

California's state bird — the comma-shaped head plume looks like one feather but is actually six.
Coveys of a few dozen scurry between cover, sprinting rather than flying when startled.
Broods often mix: several pairs' chicks band together with all the adults keeping watch.

Anna's Hummingbird

Calypte anna

Common

Call: "chip" — A hard, dry chip note — often the first hint one is defending the flowers overhead.
Song: "bzz-bzz-chur-zwee" — A long scratchy, buzzy jumble from an exposed perch — unusual, since most hummingbirds barely sing at all.

The male's iridescent rose-pink covers the entire head and throat, not just a chin patch.
His courtship dive ends in a sharp chirp made by air rushing through his tail feathers, not his voice.
One of the only hummingbirds to spend the whole winter in the US — a West Coast resident year-round.

Dickcissel

Spiza americana

Common

Call: "bzzzrrt" — A flat electric buzz given in flight — flocks overhead sound like static.
Song: "dick-dick-ciss-ciss-cissel" — The bird spells out its own name from a weed stalk, over and over, all summer.

Looks like a miniature meadowlark: yellow chest, black bib, chestnut wing patch.
Its name is pure onomatopoeia — settlers wrote down what the song sounded like.
Winters in enormous flocks on the Venezuelan llanos, sometimes millions of birds together.

Wetland17 birds

Cattails, slow water, and a chorus of calls at dawn. Incredibly dense with birdlife.

Barred Owl

Strix varia

Uncommon

Call: "who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-all" — A resonant, hooting phrase in two parts. The second phrase drops at the end.
Song: "hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooaw" — The classic 8-note hoot pattern, ending in a long descending note.

Unlike most owls, it has dark brown eyes rather than yellow.
Pairs mate for life and may use the same nest site for years.
Its eerie caterwauling duet between a pair sounds like monkeys in the forest.

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Common

Call: "check, check" — A sharp, metallic note used as an alarm. Often given in rapid series when threatened.
Song: "conk-la-reeee" — A liquid, gurgling three-part song ending in a long trill. The definitive sound of a marsh.

One of the most abundant birds in North America with over 150 million individuals.
Males can have up to 15 mates in a single season.
The red shoulder patches can be hidden or displayed based on the bird's social situation.

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Common

Call: "tchep" — A low, husky chip note. Distinctive enough to identify even without the song.
Song: "witchety-witchety-witchety-witch" — A rich, rolling phrase repeated 3-4 times. One of the most recognizable warbler songs.

The male's bold black mask makes it look like a tiny outlaw.
Stays low in dense marsh vegetation, rarely flying in the open.
One of the most widespread warblers in North America.

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

Common

Call: "frahnk, frahnk, frahnk" — A loud, harsh, prehistoric-sounding croak. Startling when the bird flushes nearby.
Song: "frahnk" — No true song — uses the call in all social contexts.

Stands nearly 5 feet tall with a wingspan over 6 feet.
Can stand motionless for minutes waiting to strike at fish.
Despite its size, weighs only 5-6 pounds — most of its bulk is feathers and wingspan.

American Bittern

Botaurus lentiginosus

Rare

Call: "pump-er-lunk, pump-er-lunk" — A deep, resonant pumping sound — like a stake being driven into mud. Carries far across marshes.
Song: "oong-KA-chunk, oong-KA-chunk" — The same pumping call, sometimes rendered as "thunder-pumper" or "stake-driver".

When threatened, stretches its neck skyward and sways like a reed to vanish into the marsh.
Its streaked brown plumage is near-perfect camouflage in cattails.
Rarely seen despite its loud call — one of the most elusive marsh birds.

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Uncommon

Call: "cheep-cheep-cheep, kyew-kyew-kyew" — A series of high, whistled chirps — surprisingly gentle for such a large raptor.
Song: "kyew-kyew-kyew" — Repeated high notes used in aerial display over the nest.

One of the most successful fishing raptors — it lands a catch on roughly one dive in four, more when fish are schooling.
Outer toe reverses to grip fish head-first, reducing drag in flight.
Found on every continent except Antarctica, making it one of the most widespread raptors.

Killdeer

Charadrius vociferus

Common

Call: "kill-deer kill-deer" — A piercing, insistent two-note cry that gives the bird its name. Often given in flight and repeated urgently near the nest.
Song: "dee-dee-dee trrrrr" — A rising series of dee notes breaking into a long trill during display flights.

Famous for the broken-wing act: it feigns injury to lure predators away from its nest.
Nests in open gravel — parking lots and driveways included — relying on egg camouflage.
A plover that often lives far from water, unlike most of its shorebird relatives.

Sandhill Crane

Antigone canadensis

Uncommon

Call: "kar-r-r-o-o-o" — A rolling, rattling bugle that carries for miles — flocks overhead sound like a creaking wooden armada.
Song: "kar-roo kar-roo" — Mated pairs duet in unison, the female giving two notes for each of the male's.

Its trachea coils inside the breastbone like a french horn, giving the call its carrying power.
One of the oldest living bird species — fossils match back millions of years.
Pairs dance: bowing, leaping, and tossing grass in elaborate displays.

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

Rare

Call: "huh-huh-huh" — Low grunting croaks around the colony — this bird is more spectacle than song.
Song: "rek-ek-ek-ek" — A dry rattling chatter during courtship displays.

Sweeps its spoon-shaped bill side to side underwater, snapping shut on shrimp by touch.
The pink comes from the same crustacean diet that colors flamingos.
Nearly wiped out by plume hunters in the 1800s; Everglades protection brought it back.

Common Loon

Gavia immer

Uncommon

Call: "ooo-AHHH-hooo" — The wail — a long, haunting cry that carries across still water and defines northern lakes.
Song: "hu-hu-hu-hu-heee (tremolo)" — The tremolo, a quavering laugh given in alarm or flight; each male's yodel is unique.

Bones are solid, not hollow — ballast for dives past 200 feet.
Legs sit so far back it can barely walk on land; lakes shorter than a runway strand it.
Each male's yodel is individually distinct, and he changes it when he changes lakes.

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Common

Call: "kekekekekeke" — A dry, mechanical rattle fired off while patrolling a stream — like a fishing reel paying out.
Song: "kek-kek-kek (slower)" — The same rattle, slower and softer, between mates.

One of few birds where the female is more colorful — she wears the rusty belt.
Digs nesting tunnels up to eight feet into stream banks.
Hovers in place over water before the headfirst plunge.

Limpkin

Aramus guarauna

Uncommon

Call: "kwEEEEeer" — A loud wailing scream, often heard at night — one of the eeriest sounds in a southern swamp.
Song: "kra-ow, kra-ow" — Repeated rattling cries carrying across the marsh, especially at dusk and dawn.

Eats almost nothing but apple snails, extracted with a bill that curves slightly to the right.
Its wailing call was used for jungle sound effects in old Tarzan films.
The only member of its family — not quite a rail, not quite a crane.

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Uncommon

Call: "tink" — A hard metallic chip note from the shade of a flooded bottomland forest.
Song: "sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet" — A loud ringing series on one rising pitch, carrying far over still swamp water.

The "golden swamp warbler" — the only eastern warbler that nests in tree cavities.
Named for papal clerks whose bright yellow robes it was thought to match.
Will readily take to nest boxes placed over standing water.

Anhinga

Anhinga anhinga

Uncommon

Call: "krrr-krrr-krrr" — A dry mechanical clicking, like a sewing machine winding down, from a snag over the water.
Song: "krek-krek-krrrrrr" — Rattling croaks around the nest colony — more machinery than music.

Swims with only its snake-like neck above water — hence the nickname "snakebird".
Its feathers soak through on purpose, so it must sun-dry with wings spread like laundry.
Spears fish underwater with a lightning strike of its dagger bill.

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica

Uncommon

Call: "kek-kek-kek" — Sharp cackling bursts and squawks from deep in the marsh vegetation.
Song: "kr-uk kr-uk kek-kek-kek" — Grunting, laughing series — more racket than melody, carrying far across still water.

Walks across lily pads on absurdly long yellow toes that spread its weight like snowshoes.
Purple-blue body, green back, and a red-and-yellow bill — a candy-colored marsh chicken.
A famous wanderer: strays have turned up as far away as Iceland and South Africa.

Green Heron

Butorides virescens

Common

Call: "skeow!" — A single explosive squawk as the bird flushes from the water’s edge.
Song: "kuk-kuk-kuk skeow" — Clucking notes building to the trademark squawk — heard far more often than the bird is seen.

One of the few tool-using birds: it drops feathers, twigs, and insects on the water as bait for fish.
A small, hunched, crow-sized heron — dark green cap and back over a rich chestnut neck.
That stubby neck telescopes to a startling length the instant a fish strays too close.

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Uncommon

Call: "kleet kleet kleet" — Ringing, insistent notes that speed up as an intruder gets closer to the nest.
Song: "kleek-kleek-kleek" — The same piercing call run into an alarm series — a colony in chorus is unmissable.

Feeds by sweeping its upturned bill side to side through shallow water like a scythe.
The rusty head and neck of breeding season fade to plain gray-white each winter.
Nests in loose colonies on bare flats and dive-bombs anything that walks too close.

Desert13 birds

Saguaro giants, baking heat, and surprising abundance if you know where to look.

Cactus Wren

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

Common

Call: "char-char-char-char" — A harsh, raspy, unmelodic chatter. Sounds like a car engine struggling to start.
Song: "chur-chur-chur-chur-chur" — Repetitive low churring, steady in tempo, with no variation.

North America's largest wren, about the size of a starling.
Builds its nest inside cholla cactus — the spines protect eggs from predators.
State bird of Arizona.

Greater Roadrunner

Geococcyx californianus

Uncommon

Call: "coo-coo-coo-coo-cooooo" — A descending, mournful dove-like cooing that drops in pitch. Haunting in the desert silence.
Song: "coo-oo-oo-oo" — Same as call — a series of low coos used in territorial and mating contexts.

Can reach speeds of 20 mph on foot — fast enough to catch rattlesnakes.
Raises its body temperature by sunning with ruffled back feathers in the morning.
The real bird doesn't go "beep beep" — that's a cartoon invention.

Elf Owl

Micrathene whitneyi

Rare

Call: "chi-chi-chi-chi-chi" — A rapid, high-pitched chatter, almost puppy-like. Surprisingly unowl-like.
Song: "whi-whi-whi-whi" — A series of high whistles, often with a slightly descending quality.

The world's smallest owl — barely larger than a sparrow at 5 inches tall.
Nests almost exclusively in old woodpecker holes in saguaro cactus.
Plays dead when caught by a predator, going completely limp.

Gambel's Quail

Callipepla gambelii

Common

Call: "chi-CA-go, chi-CA-go" — A loud three-note call with emphasis on the second note. Gatherings make a chorus of it.
Song: "waaak" — A single harsh alarm note used to alert the covey.

The distinctive teardrop plume on the head is called a topknot.
Families travel in tight groups called coveys of 10-40 birds.
Chicks can run within hours of hatching and feed themselves immediately.

Common Poorwill

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii

Rare

Call: "poor-will-ip" — A soft, mournful three-syllable whistle repeated from open desert ground after dark — the third note audible only up close.
Song: "poor-will poor-will" — The same phrase given steadily for minutes at a time on moonlit nights.

The only bird known to hibernate: it can stay in torpor for weeks in winter.
The Hopi name for it means "the sleeping one".
Sits on open ground at night; its eyes flash amber in headlights.

Sage Thrasher

Oreoscoptes montanus

Uncommon

Call: "chuck ... chuck" — A blackbird-like chuck from the top of a sagebrush — often your only clue before it drops into cover.
Song: "warble-warble-churr-weee (continuous)" — An endless, rolling warble that can run for minutes without repeating — the anthem of the sage sea.

The smallest thrasher, and the only one tied almost entirely to sagebrush.
Songs can run five minutes straight without a repeated phrase.
Populations track sagebrush health — a living indicator of the Great Basin.

Greater Sage-Grouse

Centrocercus urophasianus

Rare

Call: "swish-swish-coo-oo-POINK" — On spring dance grounds, males inflate yellow chest sacs and pop them — a sound like water dropping into a well.
Song: "wut-wut-wut" — Low clucks away from the dancing grounds.

Males gather on the same dancing grounds — leks — used for generations.
North America's largest grouse, and it eats almost nothing but sagebrush all winter.
The chest-sac pop can be heard two miles away on a still dawn.

Burrowing Owl

Athene cunicularia

Uncommon

Call: "coo-cooo" — A soft two-note dove-like coo from a mound at dusk. Alarmed chicks imitate a rattlesnake's buzz.
Song: "coo-coooo, coo-coooo" — The male's courtship coo, repeated from the burrow entrance.

Lives underground in prairie-dog and squirrel burrows — an owl that sunbathes at noon.
Chicks mimic a rattlesnake buzz to scare diggers away from the burrow.
Lines the burrow entrance with dung to bait beetles — takeout delivery.

Common Raven

Corvus corax

Common

Call: "gronk gronk" — A deep, resonant croak — far lower and hoarser than any crow — often heard from a soaring pair.
Song: "toc-toc-toc, gurgle-pop" — An improvised stream of knocks, gurgles, and mimicked sounds; ravens invent new calls their whole lives.

Among the smartest birds known — solves multi-step puzzles and plans for the future.
Performs barrel rolls and somersaults in flight, apparently for fun.
Can mimic human speech better than many parrots.

Scaled Quail

Callipepla squamata

Uncommon

Call: "chip-CHURR" — A nasal two-note call from a fence post or yucca — the second note buzzy and emphatic.
Song: "squawk-squawk" — Harsh separation calls when a covey scatters.

Every breast feather is edged in black — plumage like fish scales.
Nicknamed "cottontop" for its fluffy white crest.
Prefers running to flying; coveys sprint between shrubs like tiny roadrunners.

Pyrrhuloxia

Cardinalis sinuatus

Uncommon

Call: "chink" — A sharp metallic note, thinner than the Northern Cardinal's — the desert twin announcing itself.
Song: "what-cheer, what-cheer, wheet-wheet" — Cardinal-like whistles, but shorter, thinner, and drier — like the desert itself.

The "desert cardinal" — gray where its cousin is red, with a parrot-yellow bill.
The name mashes Greek for flame-colored with Latin for crooked bill.
Where the two cardinals overlap in Texas, telling their songs apart is a proper birder's exam.

Phainopepla

Phainopepla nitens

Uncommon

Call: "wurp?" — A soft, questioning whistle from the top of a mesquite — easy to miss, impossible to forget.
Song: "whee-dle-dee, krrr" — A quiet jumble of warbles and harsh notes, often given in fluttering display flight.

A glossy black crested silky-flycatcher with ruby-red eyes — the name means "shining robe".
Can eat over a thousand mistletoe berries in a day and plants new clumps as it goes.
Imitates the calls of a dozen other birds when a predator grabs it.

Pinyon Jay

Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus

Rare

Call: "kraw-kraw-kraw" — Nasal crowing calls from a loose, noisy flock moving through pinyon-juniper country.
Song: "kwee-kwee-chirr" — Soft warbles and chatters traded inside the flock — rarely a solo performance.

Lives its whole life in flocks of dozens to hundreds — a crestless, sociable blue jay of the high desert.
Caches tens of thousands of pinyon pine seeds a year and remembers where most of them are.
Pinyon pines and Pinyon Jays depend on each other — the tree feeds the bird, the bird plants the tree.

Mountain12 birds

Thin air, pine forests, and species found nowhere else. Every sighting feels earned.

Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Common

Call: "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" — A rapid, raspy series of notes descending in pitch. More "dee" sounds signal higher alarm.
Song: "fee-bee" — A clear, whistled two-note song. First note higher than the second.

Can lower its body temperature on cold nights to conserve energy.
Hides food in hundreds of locations and remembers each one for weeks.
More "dee" sounds in its call means a bigger perceived threat nearby.

Horned Lark

Eremophila alpestris

Common

Call: "tsee-titi" — A high, thin, tinkling call given in flight — easy to miss against the wind.
Song: "ti-ti-ti-ti-tseeeew" — A rapid series of tinkling notes accelerating into a longer closing note, given in high flight.

Tiny black "horn" feathers on the head are visible only up close.
One of the first birds to nest in late winter, sometimes in snow.
Walks instead of hops, shuffling low along bare ground.

Clark's Nutcracker

Nucifraga columbiana

Common

Call: "kraaaa, kraaaa" — A loud, raspy, drawn-out call. Harsh and jay-like, carrying far across mountain slopes.
Song: "krr-krr-krr" — A lower, rolling series of notes, less harsh than the call.

Stores up to 98,000 whitebark pine seeds per season and remembers where most of them are.
Has a specialized sublingual pouch under its tongue to carry up to 150 seeds at once.
Responsible for planting most of the whitebark pine forests in the American West.

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Rare

Call: "kak-kak-kak-kak" — A rapid, sharp series of cak notes. Frantic and aggressive-sounding near the nest.
Song: "kreee-kreee" — Longer, shriller notes used in courtship.

The fastest animal on Earth, reaching over 240 mph in a hunting stoop (dive).
Recovered from near-extinction caused by DDT — one of conservation's greatest success stories.
Now nests on city skyscrapers worldwide, hunting pigeons in the urban canyon.

American Dipper

Cinclus mexicanus

Uncommon

Call: "bzeet, bzeet" — A sharp, buzzy call note given to cut through the roar of rushing streams.
Song: "jeer-jeer, trilling warbles" — A loud, complex song of repeated phrases delivered above rushing water. Rich and bubbly.

The only truly aquatic songbird in North America — walks along stream bottoms to hunt.
Has extra eyelids and closeable nostrils for diving underwater.
Constantly bobs up and down (dips), which is the origin of its name.

Steller's Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

Common

Call: "shack-shack-shack-shack" — A harsh, scolding rattle from the conifer canopy — bold, loud, and impossible to ignore.
Song: "klee-klee-klee" — Softer whistled phrases mixed with gurgles, plus a startling imitation of a Red-tailed Hawk scream.

The only crested jay west of the Rockies — a smoky-black head fading into deep blue.
Mimics Red-tailed Hawk calls, possibly to scatter competitors from feeders.
Caches thousands of seeds each fall and relocates them by memory all winter.

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Uncommon

Call: "phew" — A thin, soft whistle given from a perch or while hovering over open ground.
Song: "chur chur churr-lee" — A quiet, warbled series at first light, rarely heard after sunrise.

The male is sky-blue all over — no red breast like other bluebirds.
Hovers like a tiny kestrel while hunting insects over meadows.
Depends on old woodpecker holes and nest boxes for nesting.

Common Raven

Corvus corax

Common

Call: "gronk gronk" — A deep, resonant croak — far lower and hoarser than any crow — often heard from a soaring pair.
Song: "toc-toc-toc, gurgle-pop" — An improvised stream of knocks, gurgles, and mimicked sounds; ravens invent new calls their whole lives.

Among the smartest birds known — solves multi-step puzzles and plans for the future.
Performs barrel rolls and somersaults in flight, apparently for fun.
Can mimic human speech better than many parrots.

Ruffed Grouse

Bonasa umbellus

Uncommon

Call: "thump... thump... thump-thump-thumprrrr" — Not a voice at all — the male beats his wings against the air, a drumroll you feel in your chest before you hear it.
Song: "pete-pete-pete" — Soft clucks between drumming bouts on the log.

The drumming is pure wingbeats compressing air — no surface is struck.
Grows comb-like snowshoes on its toes every winter.
Dives into snowbanks to sleep warm on the coldest nights.

Canada Jay

Perisoreus canadensis

Uncommon

Call: "whee-ah, chuck-chuck" — Soft whistles and low chuckles from a bird already gliding toward your sandwich.
Song: "kla-kla-kla, whisper-warble" — A quiet, rambling whisper song, plus imitations of hawks and other birds.

The "camp robber" — lands on hands, plates, and canoe paddles for food.
Glues food into thousands of bark caches with sticky saliva, then remembers them all winter.
Nests in late winter at -20°C, incubating through snowstorms.

Dark-eyed Junco

Junco hyemalis

Common

Call: "tick-tick, tzeet" — Dry ticking notes and a buzzy flight call as a flock flushes, white outer tail feathers flashing.
Song: "trrrrrrrrrr" — A loose musical trill on one pitch, easily confused with a Chipping Sparrow.

"Snowbirds" — they arrive at feeders with the first cold fronts.
One of North America's most abundant birds: several hundred million.
Regional forms look wildly different but are all one species.

Pinyon Jay

Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus

Rare

Call: "kraw-kraw-kraw" — Nasal crowing calls from a loose, noisy flock moving through pinyon-juniper country.
Song: "kwee-kwee-chirr" — Soft warbles and chatters traded inside the flock — rarely a solo performance.

Lives its whole life in flocks of dozens to hundreds — a crestless, sociable blue jay of the high desert.
Caches tens of thousands of pinyon pine seeds a year and remembers where most of them are.
Pinyon pines and Pinyon Jays depend on each other — the tree feeds the bird, the bird plants the tree.

Coast18 birds

Salt air, crashing waves, and constant movement. Shorebirds and seabirds share the shore.

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

Common

Call: "frahnk, frahnk, frahnk" — A loud, harsh, prehistoric-sounding croak. Startling when the bird flushes nearby.
Song: "frahnk" — No true song — uses the call in all social contexts.

Stands nearly 5 feet tall with a wingspan over 6 feet.
Can stand motionless for minutes waiting to strike at fish.
Despite its size, weighs only 5-6 pounds — most of its bulk is feathers and wingspan.

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Rare

Call: "kak-kak-kak-kak" — A rapid, sharp series of cak notes. Frantic and aggressive-sounding near the nest.
Song: "kreee-kreee" — Longer, shriller notes used in courtship.

The fastest animal on Earth, reaching over 240 mph in a hunting stoop (dive).
Recovered from near-extinction caused by DDT — one of conservation's greatest success stories.
Now nests on city skyscrapers worldwide, hunting pigeons in the urban canyon.

Piping Plover

Charadrius melodus

Rare

Call: "peep-lo, peep-lo" — A soft, plaintive whistle, melodic and gentle — like a distant pipe organ.
Song: "peeeep-peeeep" — A clear, sustained whistle used in courtship flight.

Federally threatened — only about 8,000 individuals remain.
Nests directly on sandy beaches with no nest at all — just a scrape in the sand.
Performs a "broken wing" distraction display to lure predators from eggs.

Laughing Gull

Leucophaeus atricilla

Common

Call: "ha-ha-ha-ha-haaa-haaa-haaa" — A descending, hysterical laughing call — unmistakable once you hear it.
Song: "haah-haah-haah" — Slower version of the call used in territorial displays.

Named for its laugh-like call, which is the default gull sound in most movies.
Boldly steals food from pelicans by reaching into their pouches mid-swallow.
The black hood is only present in breeding season — fades to a smudge in winter.

Brown Pelican

Pelecanus occidentalis

Common

Call: "urrr, urrr" — Low grunts near the nest. Mostly silent in the field.
Song: "(silent in flight)" — Communicates mostly through posture and bill snapping at the colony.

The only North American pelican that plunge-dives for fish — the White Pelican scoops while swimming.
Plunges from up to 65 feet, hitting the water at 40 mph.
Like the Peregrine, recovered from near-extinction after DDT was banned.

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Uncommon

Call: "cheep-cheep-cheep, kyew-kyew-kyew" — A series of high, whistled chirps — surprisingly gentle for such a large raptor.
Song: "kyew-kyew-kyew" — Repeated high notes used in aerial display over the nest.

One of the most successful fishing raptors — it lands a catch on roughly one dive in four, more when fish are schooling.
Outer toe reverses to grip fish head-first, reducing drag in flight.
Found on every continent except Antarctica, making it one of the most widespread raptors.

Western Gull

Larus occidentalis

Common

Call: "kyow kyow kyow" — Deep, hoarse squawks strung into a rising long call with head thrown back. The soundtrack of Pacific piers.
Song: "ka-ka-ka-KYOW-kyow" — The territorial long call: accelerating notes that rise sharply then trail off.

Lives almost exclusively along the Pacific Coast — rarely seen more than a few miles inland.
Pairs defend the same nesting territory on offshore rocks year after year.
Steals meals from pelicans by grabbing fish right at the pouch.

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Common

Call: "pink!" — A sharp, metallic contact note from brushy edges and coastal scrub.
Song: "seee tididi zeee zaaay" — A thin, sweet whistle sliding into buzzy trills. Local dialects differ so much that neighborhoods have their own versions.

Its bold black-and-white striped crown looks like a tiny bicycle helmet.
Song dialects vary block by block — scientists map them like accents.
Alaskan migrants can fly 300 miles in a night, navigating by the stars.

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

Rare

Call: "huh-huh-huh" — Low grunting croaks around the colony — this bird is more spectacle than song.
Song: "rek-ek-ek-ek" — A dry rattling chatter during courtship displays.

Sweeps its spoon-shaped bill side to side underwater, snapping shut on shrimp by touch.
The pink comes from the same crustacean diet that colors flamingos.
Nearly wiped out by plume hunters in the 1800s; Everglades protection brought it back.

American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliatus

Uncommon

Call: "wheep! wheep!" — Loud, carrying pipes from the tide line, accelerating into an excited chatter when pairs meet.
Song: "wheep-wheep-wh-wh-wh-trrrr" — The piping display: paired birds run side by side calling in an accelerating duet.

The carrot-orange bill is a chisel for prying open shellfish.
One of the few birds that can defeat an oyster — it severs the muscle before the shell snaps shut.
Pairs defend the same stretch of beach for years.

Common Loon

Gavia immer

Uncommon

Call: "ooo-AHHH-hooo" — The wail — a long, haunting cry that carries across still water and defines northern lakes.
Song: "hu-hu-hu-hu-heee (tremolo)" — The tremolo, a quavering laugh given in alarm or flight; each male's yodel is unique.

Bones are solid, not hollow — ballast for dives past 200 feet.
Legs sit so far back it can barely walk on land; lakes shorter than a runway strand it.
Each male's yodel is individually distinct, and he changes it when he changes lakes.

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Common

Call: "kekekekekeke" — A dry, mechanical rattle fired off while patrolling a stream — like a fishing reel paying out.
Song: "kek-kek-kek (slower)" — The same rattle, slower and softer, between mates.

One of few birds where the female is more colorful — she wears the rusty belt.
Digs nesting tunnels up to eight feet into stream banks.
Hovers in place over water before the headfirst plunge.

Herring Gull

Larus argentatus

Common

Call: "kyow-kyow-kyow" — The bugling "long call" — the archetypal seaside gull cry, head thrown back.
Song: "gah-gah-gah" — Chuckling and mewing notes traded around a crowded pier or parking lot.

The red spot on the bill is a target chicks peck to beg for food.
Takes four years to trade brown juvenile plumage for the clean gray-and-white adult look.
Drops clams and mussels onto rocks and roads to crack them open.

Black Oystercatcher

Haematopus bachmani

Uncommon

Call: "wheep! wheep! wheep!" — A loud piping whistle that speeds into a run as a pair chases along the rocks.
Song: "kleep-kleep-kleep-prrrrr" — Excited piping that builds into a trill during territorial display flights.

Pries limpets and mussels off rocks with a bright bill flattened like a chisel.
Sticks to rocky shorelines its whole life — rarely seen on sandy beaches.
Pairs defend the same stretch of coast for many years running.

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

Common

Call: "kree-ah, kree-ah" — A higher, squeakier cry than the big gulls — the soundtrack of lakefronts and parking lots.
Song: "kyow-kyow-kee-kee-kee" — A laughing long call, head thrown back, pitched well above a Herring Gull.

Named for the neat black ring around its yellow bill.
The classic "seagull" of the Great Lakes — many never see the ocean at all.
Nearly wiped out by plume hunters around 1900; now one of the most numerous gulls anywhere.

California Quail

Callipepla californica

Common

Call: "chi-CA-go" — The three-note assembly call that gathers a scattered covey back together.
Song: "pit-pit-squill" — Sharp clipped notes and squeals traded inside the covey as it feeds.

California's state bird — the comma-shaped head plume looks like one feather but is actually six.
Coveys of a few dozen scurry between cover, sprinting rather than flying when startled.
Broods often mix: several pairs' chicks band together with all the adults keeping watch.

Anna's Hummingbird

Calypte anna

Common

Call: "chip" — A hard, dry chip note — often the first hint one is defending the flowers overhead.
Song: "bzz-bzz-chur-zwee" — A long scratchy, buzzy jumble from an exposed perch — unusual, since most hummingbirds barely sing at all.

The male's iridescent rose-pink covers the entire head and throat, not just a chin patch.
His courtship dive ends in a sharp chirp made by air rushing through his tail feathers, not his voice.
One of the only hummingbirds to spend the whole winter in the US — a West Coast resident year-round.

Green Heron

Butorides virescens

Common

Call: "skeow!" — A single explosive squawk as the bird flushes from the water’s edge.
Song: "kuk-kuk-kuk skeow" — Clucking notes building to the trademark squawk — heard far more often than the bird is seen.

One of the few tool-using birds: it drops feathers, twigs, and insects on the water as bait for fish.
A small, hunched, crow-sized heron — dark green cap and back over a rich chestnut neck.
That stubby neck telescopes to a startling length the instant a fish strays too close.

🌲 Forest17 birds

🌾 Grassland22 birds

🌿 Wetland17 birds

🌵 Desert13 birds

⛰️ Mountain12 birds

🌊 Coast18 birds

Forest17 birds

Grassland22 birds

Wetland17 birds

Desert13 birds

Mountain12 birds

Coast18 birds