TOP 10 BIRDS YOU’LL FIND IN DESERT MOUNTAIN

Each year, going back to 1900, a group of volunteers, known as the National Audubon Society, participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count. Since its inception, the group of volunteers has grown to tens of thousands of volunteers from over 20 countries in the Western Hemisphere tallying 2,355 bird species. The volunteers have a designated day and 24 hours to identify and count as many birds as they can. Desert Mountain has volunteers that participate in this count each year, and the following is a list of the most common birds they found in the Desert Mountain area, and 6 bonus species you might consider yourself lucky to spot.

1.) Mourning Dove – The Mourning Dove can be found across the continent and is the most abundant game bird in North America. You might find Mourning Doves busily feeding on the ground, swallowing seeds and storing them in an enlargement of the esophagus called the “crop.” They can eat roughly 12-20 percent of their body weight in a day. It’s thought that one reason Mourning Doves survive in the desert is their ability to drink brackish spring water that is up to almost half the salinity of seawater without becoming dehydrated like a person would.

2.) Ring-necked Duck – The Ring-necked Duck is a medium-sized diving duck that are often in small flocks or pairs. They can be found on smaller bodies of water across North America such as freshwater marshes, bogs, and other shallow water such as golf course ponds.

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3.)Gambel’s Quail – Gambel’s Quail are small ground-dwelling birds that inhabit regions in the American Southwest. They are easily recognized by their knots and scaly plumage on their undersides. Gambel’s Quail are named in honor of William Gambel, a 19th century naturalist and explorer of the Southwestern United States.

4.)White-crowned Sparrow – The Whitecrowned Sparrow is a large sparrow with a small bill and a long tail. It has very bold black and white stripes on the head. You’ll find them on the edges of brushy habitat, hopping on the ground or on lower branches.

5.)Hooded Merganser – The Hooded Mergansers are fairly common on small ponds and streams. This small duck species is extravagantly crested. The adult males have sharp black and white patterns with chestnut flanks. Females have browner tones. They find their prey underwater by sight, and can change the refractive properties of their eyes to improve their underwater vision.

6.)European Starling – After first being brought to North America by Shakespeare enthusiasts, the European Starling is now among the most numerous songbirds in North America. All European Starlings are descendants of 100 birds set loose in New York’s Central Park in the early 1890s because the group wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. Today, more than 200 million range from Alaska to Mexico.

7.)House Sparrow – The House Sparrow is one of the most common birds that you’ll find across North America. House Sparrows are frequent backyard visitors. They prefer to nest in manmade structures such as eaves or walls of buildings, street lights and nest boxes instead of natural nest sites such as holes in trees.

8.)Gila Woodpecker – The Gila Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker with a long, pointed bill. They are grayish, brown birds with brilliant black and white barring on the wings, back and tail. Males will have a red patch in the center of the crown. They spend their days foraging in taller desert vegetation, such as Saguaro cactus, catching insects.

9.)Phainopepla – The Phainopepla is native to the Southwest and can be found in desert washes where they eat mainly mistletoe berries growing on mesquite. They are a brilliant sight in flight. The word Phainopepla comes from the Greek for “shining robe” to characterize their shiny, jet-black plumage of the adult male.

10.) Great-tailed Grackle – The Great-tailed Grackle is a long-legged, slender blackbird with a stout, straight bill. Males are iridescent black with yellow eyes. The tails are tapered and nearly as long as its body. Females are dark brown and half the size of the males. You’ll find them on golf courses, fields and at marsh edges, vying for trash in urban settings, or crowding in trees and on telephone lines in noisy roosts.