Term
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
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Definition
Tyrant Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Western Wood-Peewee
Willow Flycatcher (CA Endangered)
Hammond's Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Cassin's Kingbird
Western Kingbird
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Term
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Lannidae
Loggerhead Shrike
Field Marks:
Gray above and white below
Black Facial Mask
Small, black bill with short hook and tominal teeth
Sex:
Monomorphic
Habitat:
Grasslands, destert scrubs, agricultural fields
Life History:
Occurs year round, some populations migratory
Predator Passerine, impales prey on thorns or barbed wire
Conservation: Federal Endangered Spec.-only San Clemente subspecies mearnsi
Loss of breeding habitat due to livestock overgrazing & fire, nest predation by feral cats
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Definition
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Term
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Vireonidae
Cassin's Vireo
Field Marks:
Dull olive-green upperparts, with browner crown
White upderparts
Two yellow to white wing bars
Bold white "spectacles" over eyes
Sex:
Monomorphic
Habitat:
Coniferous forest
Life History:
Short distance neotropical immigrant |
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Definition
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Term
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Vireonidae
Bell's Viero
Field Marks:
Dull gray to yellowish gray all over, lighter below
Weak, broken eye ring
Two wing-bars, lower bar brightest
Bi-colored bill (gray aboe, horn below)
Sex:
Monomorhpic
Habitat:
Riparian woodland, early successional
Life History:
Short distance neotropical migrant
Conservation:
Federal Endangered Spec.
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Definition
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Term
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Vireonidae
Hutton's Vireo
Field Marks:
Greenish olive upperparts with dull yellow underparts
Two yellow to white wing bars with darkest part of wing inbetween
Incomplete yellow to white eyering
Thick hooked bill
Blue gray legs
Sex:
Monomorphic
Habitat:
Oak woodlands
Live History:
Occurs year round
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Definition
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Term
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Vireonidae
Warbling Vireo
Field Marks:
Grayish-olive brown upperparts, with whitish underparts
No wingbars
Whitish supercilium
Sex:
Monomorphic
Habitat:
Riparian woodlands
Life History:
Medium to long distance neotropical migrant
Conservation:
No listing/status but CA populations decreasing due to loss of habitat & cowbird parasitism
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Definition
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Term
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Stellar's Jay
Field Marks:
•Dark blue with black crest
•Blue streaks on forehead
•Grayish throat patch
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Coniferous forests
Life History:
•Occurs year round
•Form monogamous, long-term pair bonds |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Island Scrub Jay
Field Marks:
•Deep blue upper parts with whitish underparts
•Dark brown back (compare WESJ)
•Blackish lores extend across crown
•Relatively massive bill
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Scrub habitats and woodlands
Life History:
•Occurs ONLY on Santa Cruz Island
•California’s ONLY true endemic (never recorded in any other country or state)
•Heavy bill for dispatching island’s thick acorns
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Western Scrub Jay
Field Marks:
•Blue upper parts with whitish underparts
•Dark cheeks and whitish supercilium (“eyebrow”), but no crest
•Presence of blue, streaky “necklace” varies
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Scrub habitats, oak woodlands
Life History:
•Occurs year-round
•Omnivorous, opportunistic, and a known nest predator.
Conservation:
•CA Species of Concern – only Eagle Mountain subspecies cana
•Causes include its isolation in desert habitat and vulnerability to disturbance |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Pinyon Jay
Field Marks:
•Dull blue overall, with chin and throat streaked whitish
•No crest
•Sharp-pointed bill
•Short-tailed
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Pinyon-juniper woodland
Life History:
•Occurs year-round
•Highly social, cooperative breeder
•Excellent spatial memory, capable of digging up stored seeds months later, even through snow
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Clark's Nutcracker
Field Marks:
•Light gray with white on forehead, chin, and undertail
•Central rectrices black, and outer rectrices black
•Wings black, with white-tipped secondaries visible in flight
•Long, pointed black bill
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Subalpine coniferous forests
Life History:
•Occurs year round, with seasonal altitudinal migration
•Sublingual pouch for transporting seeds to cache sites
•Excellent spatial memory for locating hidden seeds
•Both males and females incubate eggs |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Black-billed Magpie
Field Marks:
•Primarily black with white scapulars and abdomen
•Wings and tail iridescent blue-green
•White marks on primaries form patch visible in flight
•Black bill
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat:
•Riparian woodlands, especially near grasslands and meadows
Life History:
Occurs year-round in extreme eastern CA |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Yellow-billed Magpie
Field Marks:
•Primarily black with white scapulars and abdomen
•Wings and tail iridescent blue-green
•White marks on primaries form patch visible in flight
•Yellow bill
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Oak woodlands
Life History:
•Endemic to CA, occurs year-round in the central valley
•Nests in loose colonies, in large domed stick nests
Conservation:
•Populations stable, but range restricted and vulnerable to development
•May be susceptible to West Nile Virus |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
American Crow
Field Marks:
•All black with stout glossy black bill
•Square-shaped tail
•Tips of folded wings often do not reach tail
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat:
Habitat generalist, requiring open ground for feeding and scattered trees for nesting
Life History:
•Occurs year-round
•Roosts communally in large numbers, but less social when nesting
•Some populations breed cooperatively, with young birds as “helpers” |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Orde: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Common Raven
Field Marks:
•Very large, glossy black, with heavy black bill
•Wedge-shaped tail
•Elongated throat feathers, called “hackles”
•Long, tapered wings reach tail tips
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Habitat generalist
Life History:
•Occurs year round
•Largest bodied passerine
•Historically occurred in association with American bison and wolves
•An acrobatic flier, it is often seen somersaulting and flying upside down |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformed
Family: Alaudidae
Horned Lark
Field Marks:
•Brown to black upperparts with cinnamon to white underparts
•Black mask, breast band, and occipital feather tufts (“horns” – not always visible)
•Contrasting yellow supercilium (“eyebrow”) and throat
•Outermost tail feathers edged white
Sex:
•Males slightly larger and darker; horns usually erect
Habitat: Grasslands, desert scrub, agricultural fields
Life History:
•Occurs year-round in CA
•Only member of family native to North America
•Ground-dwelling
Conservation:
CA Species of Special Concern – only California subspecies actia |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformed
Family: Hirundinidae
Purple Martin
Field Marks:
Very large size
Blue black upperparts
Forked tail
Sex:
Adult male is entirely glossy blue black
Females have grayish underparts, with brownish collar
Habitat: Forests and woodlands
Life History:
Neotropical migrant
Largest swallow in North America, and among the largest in the world
In eastern North America, breeds almost exclusively in birdhouses
Conservation:
CA Species of Special Concern – population decline in Southern CA
Causes include competition with European Starlings for nest cavities and removal of snags |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformed
Family: Hirundinidae
Purple Tree Swallow
Field Marks:
Greenish blue upperparts with white underparts
No white patches around eyes or on sides of rump
Wingtips reach tail tip
Sex:
Females duller, with more brown on upperparts.
Habitat:
Open areas, usually near water.
Requires trees (with cavities) only for nesting and occasionally roosting
Life History:
Neotropical migrant
Conservation:
No special status, but often used as indicators of pollutants, including PCBs and DDE which have been found in high levels.
May also be affected by destruction of riparian habitat, removal of snags, and competition with European Starlings for nest cavities. |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Voilet-green Swallow
Field Marks:
Velvety green upperparts with white underparts
Purplish nape and uppertail coverts
White feathers nearly circling eyes, and in patches on sides of rump
Tail short; wingtips project well beyond tail tip
Sex:
Females duller, with less extensive white around eyes.
Habitat: Montane coniferous forests
Life History:
Neotropical migrant |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Familiy: Hurindinidae
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Field Marks:
Uniform grayish-brown upperparts with dull white underparts
Grayish-brown chest, sides, flanks, but no breast band
Square tail
Sex:
Monomorphic, but male has more prominent hook-like barbs on outermost primaries
Habitat:
Open areas, often nesting near water in burrows and crevices
Life History:
Neotropical migrant
Purpose of the “rough wing” is unknown
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Bank Swallow
Field Marks:
Grayish-brown upperparts with darker brown wings and tail
Brown breast-band with white throat and underparts
Slight notch in tail
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat:
Riparian areas and shorelines
Vertical cliffs and banks with sandy, erodable soil required for nesting
Life History:
Neotropical migrant
One of the most widely distributed swallows in the world
Nests in colonies up to 2000 active nests
Conservation:
CA Threatened Species – since 1989
Causes include loss of nesting habitat due to flood and erosion-control projects, changing the slope of banks and installing riprap
Nestlings were historically used as fishing bait |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Cliff Swallow
Field Marks:
Glossy blue upperparts with orange rump
Pale forehead and dark chestnut throat
Square tail
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat:
Generalist, avoiding heavy forest, desert, and high elevation areas
Requires vertical surfaces for nest attachment, like cliffs or buildings
Life History:
Neotropical migrant
Gather mud in their bills for building their gourd-shaped nests
Nest in large colonies, and parasitize neighboring nests both by laying in other nests and moving eggs
Juvenile begging calls individually distinct for identification purposes |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Barn Swallow
Field Marks:
Blue-black upperparts with orange to whitish underparts
Chestnut forehead and throat
Long, deeply forked tail
Sex:
Males generally have longer tail streamers and darker underparts
Habitat:
Generalist, usually nesting near open areas and water
Requires vertical surfaces for nest attachment
Life History:
Long distance neotropical migrant
The most widely distributed and abundant swallow in the world
Originally nested primarily in caves, but now nest almost entirely under bridges or the eaves of buildings
Tail length and symmetry are used in mate selection, and reliably indicate fitness in both m |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Field Marks:
•Dark grayish-brown upperparts
•White throat and abdomen with dark “vest”
•Indistinct wing bars, but white edge on tertials
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Coniferous forests, especially edges
Life history:
•Long-distance, neotropical migrant
•Dubbed the “Peregrine of flycatchers” for its foraging behavior
Conservation:
•USFWS Species of Concern
More information needed
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Field Marks:
•Small, uniformly dark grayish-brown
•No eye ring
•Long primary projection
•Indistinct pale wing bars and tertial edges
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat:
•Woodlands and forests, especially edges
Life history:
•Long-distance, neotropical migrant |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Willow Flycatcher
Empidonax traillii
Field Marks:
•Drab olive with whitish gray wing bars
•Very reduced or absent eye-ring
•Bill is broad and pale underneath
•Grayish breast and abdomen
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Riparian woodlands
Life History:
•Long-distance, neotropical migrant
Conservation:
•CA Endangered Species – all subspecies
•Federal Endangered Species – only Southwestern subspecies extimus
•Causes include loss of habitat due to overgrazing by livestock and cowbird parasitism |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Hammond's Flycatcher
Empidonax hammondii
Field Marks:
•Grayish olive (head especially gray) with whitish wing bars
•Whitish eye ring
•Relatively short, narrow, dark bill
•Notched tail
•Long primary projection
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Coniferous forest
Life History:
•Neotropical migrant
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Dusky Flycatcher
Empidonax oberholseri
Field Marks:
•Grayish olive with whitish wing bars
•Conspicuous eye ring
•Narrow, mostly dark bill
•Long, square or notched tail
•Short primary projection
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Chaparral and coniferous forests
Life History:
•Neotropical migrant |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Empidonax difficilis
Field Marks:
•Olive-green with yellow to white wing bars
•Pale, tear-drop-shaped eye ring
•Bill is broad and pale underneath
•Dull yellow breast and abdomen
•Head appears to have a short peak
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat:
•Woodlands and forests, especially with steep-walled canyons or ravines.
Life History:
•Neotropical migrant |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Black Phoebe
Field Marks:
•Black with white abdomen
•Wags tail while perching and singing
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Riparian woodlands
Life History:
•Occurs year-round
•Builds mud nests lined with plant fibers, over water and plastered to a vertical wall |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Say's Phoebe
Field Marks:
•Brownish gray with pale rusty abdomen and undertail coverts
•Black tail
•Wags tail when perched
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat:
•Grasslands, desert scrub, agricultural fields
Life History:
•Occurs year-round, but some populations migratory. |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Field Marks:
•Brownish gray upperparts, with pale gray throat and breast
•Very pale yellow abdomen and undertail coverts
•Underside of tail reddish with dark tips
•Short bushy crest
•Long, wide, black bill with slight hook
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Scrub habitats, pinyon-juniper woodland
Life History:
•Neotropical migrant
•Tolerant of high temperatures, and do not need to drink water, so able to breed even in deserts as long as food and nest cavities are available
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Cassin's Kingbird
Field Marks:
•Dark gray head and breast with sharply contrasting white chin
•Yellow abdomen
•Black tail with pale tips
•Pale edging on wing coverts
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Savannah
Life History:
Short-distance neotropical migrant |
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Term
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Definition
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Western Kingbird
Field Marks:
•Pale gray breast and head with less contrasting white chin
•Yellow abdomen
•Black tail with white edges on outermost feathers
•No pale edging on wing coverts
Sex: Monomorphic
Habitat: Grasslands, desert scrub, agricultural fields
Life History:
Neotropical migrant
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