Birds

Steller's jay or
Cyanocitta stelleri

Pine Grove Campground near Flagstaff

Gambel's quail or
Callipepla gambelii

Phoenix Botanical Garden

American parakeet or
Melopsittacus undulatus

Janes' bossy little parakeet, 'Tiki'

A committee of Turkey Vultures or Cathartes aura

When resting =committee, when eating= wake, when flying =kettle. Began roosting about 8:00 pm at the Mesa Verde indian ruins in New Mexico. There were over a dozen in neighboring trees. They have some nasty habits of vomiting on their rotting prey and urinating on themselves to keep cool. Not someone you want to kiss! 

American Robin or Turdus migratorius

Island Park, Idaho

Aplonis metallica metallica or Metallic Starling

Native to Moluccas, Sula Is. and Aru Is. to New Guinea and NE Queensland. Long-tailed, dark songbird. Adults glossy blackish with strong metallic green-blue sheen above in good light, bright red eye. Immatures dark above, pale with short, dark streaks below. Nest in large colonies, typically seen in very large flocks that fly fast and low. Inhabits forests, parks, gardens.

Vanellus miles or
Masked Lapwing

Large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia, particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent, New Zealand and New Guinea. 

Buceros rhinoceros or Rhinoceros Hornbill

Found in Borneo, Sumatra, Java, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, and southern Thailand. 

Bucorvus leadbeateri or Southern gound hornbill

This bird was part of a show at the Phoenix zoo. Grandson Jay, was right up next to the elevated stage and the bird reached out and pecked at his face. The crew was now very worried and made sure that there was not going to be any litigation. Jay was scared but fine. Still has all his ears, nose and eyes. I was scared too but didn't cry (much). This guy makes a living at eating flesh every day. I am sure from now on there will be changes with the Phoenix zoo show.

Balearica regulorum gibbericeps or Grey Crowned Crane

Quiscalus mexicanus or Great-Tailed Grackle Female

Great-tailed Grackles are partial to water and so without the expanses of watered landscapes and agricultural fields these birds would be rare in the Sonoran Desert. One common foraging tactic they use is to catch worms and bugs that are forced out of the soil during irrigation. But these are very adaptable birds that can adjust their tactics to take advantage of human-altered habitat. For example, at dawn every day they gather to feed on grasshoppers and other insects beneath parking area and billboard flood lights. Garbage cans and scraps from outside restaurant areas are another important food source for urban grackles. Dairy cattle feed lots attract hundreds if not thousands of these birds. http://www.arizonensis.org/sonoran/fieldguide/vertibrata/quiscalus_mexicanus.html 

Chilean Flamingo or Phoenicopterus chilensis

Phx Zoo

white-winged MoUrning Dove or  Zenaida asiatica

Feeding on the fruit of a Trichosereus spachiana or Golden Torch Cereus plant.

This mourning dove is common in Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. They are large for doves, with a white edge on their wings. Their call sounds similar to the English phrase "who cooks for you". 

They nest in residential trees and native cactus plants. They eat mostly grains, but also includes pollen and nectar, especially from the saguaro cactus. They also love eating my garden tomatoes.

It is hunted for food and sport, being the second most game bird in the United States. 

Downey Woodpecker or Dryobates pubescens 

Crescent Lake Railroad Trail 47 Lower Dam Rd
Port Angeles, WA

Long-billed Curlew or Numenius americanus

750 Scenic Rd, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 

Abert's Towhee or Melozone aberti

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch

American Coot or Fulica americana

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch

American White Pelican or
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

American White Pelican or
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch

Snowy egret or Egretta thula

Snowy egret or Egretta thula

The distinctive yellow feet look very dinosaur like and reptilian.
This is the only all-white Egret species in Arizona.

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

Northern Mockingbird or Mimus polyglottos

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

White-crowned Sparrow or
Zonotrichia leucophrys

Northern Shoveler or spatula clyoeata. It used to be called Anas clypeata

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

northern shoveler male or spatula clypeata

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

House Sparrow or
Passer domesticus

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

Green Heron or Butorides virescens

Black-necked Stilt or Himantopus mexicanus

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

Canada Goose or Branta canadenis

Cinnamon Teal or Anas cyanoptera

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

Great Egret or
Ardea alba

Has orange bill and black feet

Great Egret or
Ardea alba

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

Black-Crowned Night Heron juvenile or Nycticorax nycticorax

Black-Crowned Night Heron or Nycticorax nycticorax

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

Common Gallinule or Gallinula galeata

It has the distinctive white undertail, yellow legs and a red frontal shield with a yellow bill tip

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

double-crested cormorant  or Nannopterum auritum

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Gilbert, AZ

Black Phoebe or
Sayornis nigricans

 Red-winged Blackbird female or Agelaius phoeniceus

Vermilion Flycatcher Female  or Pyrocephalus rubinus

WHITE-WINGED MOURNING DOVE OR  ZENAIDA ASIATICA

Neotropic Cormorant or olivaceous cormorant

Warmer winters, artificial water bodies, seasonal fish stocking, a selection of nesting trees and federal protection of the species has turned communities across metro Phoenix into an ideal long-term habitat for the cormorants.


Hundreds of these once migratory birds are now wintering in Arizona, setting off an environmental chain of dominoes on ecosystems across the region.


In southern Arizona, year-round hunting pressure from the birds has led to a dwindling fish population. With fewer fish in the lakes, algae has muddied the water, leading to more insects. An abundance of well-fed birds also means more droppings, which studies have shown can negatively alter soil chemistry.


Residents, have been asking homeowners associations and state agencies to intervene, but with federal protection, the cormorants are almost untouchable.


Almost.


Arizona is the only state in the country to have intentionally euthanized neotropic cormorants in more than a decade. Wildlife officials and conservationists continue to debate the legality of killing protected birds, which is made more complex with an impending change in presidential administrations.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2021/01/05/cormorants-settle-in-warmer-phoenix-climate-and-upset-local-ecosystem/4000112001/ 

Northern Shoveler  male or Spatula clypeata

Gets its name form the shovel look of the bill.