Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area Birds of Rio Salado Checklist 2439 S. Central Avenue * Phoenix, Arizona

LOONS EAGLES(Con’t) HUMMINGBIRDS(Con’t) WRENS (Con’t) ___ Common Loon ___ Bald Eagle ___ Black-chinned ___ House Wren GREBES OSPREY Hummingbird ___ Winter Wren ___ Pied-billed Grebe ___ Osprey ___ Anna’s Hummingbird DIPPERS ___ Horned Grebe CARACARAS AND ___ Costa’s Hummingbird ___ American dippers ___ Eared Grebe FALCONS ___ Broad-tailed GNATCATCHERS PELICANS ___ American Kestrel Hummingbird ___ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher ___ American White Pelican ___ Merlin HUMMINGBIRDS ___ Black-tailed Gnatcatcher ___ Brown Pelican ___ Peregrine Falcon ___ Rufous Hummingbird KINGLETS CORMORANTS ___ Prairie Falcon ___ Allen’s Hummingbird ___ Golden-crowned Kinglet ___ Neotropic Cormorant QUAIL KINGFISHERS ___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet ___ Double-crested ___ Gambel’s Quail ___ Belted Kingfisher THRUSHES Cormorant RAILS WOODPECKERS ___ Veery BITTERNS, HERONS AND ___ Virginia Rail ___ Lewis’s Woodpecker ___ Swainson’s Thrush EGRETS ___ Sora ___ Northern (Red-shafted) ___ Hermit Thrush ___ American Bittern ___ Common Moorhen Flicker ___ American Robin ___ Least Bittern ___ American Coot WOODPECKERS ___ Varied Thrush ___ Great Blue Heron GULLS AND TERNS ___ Gilded Flicker MIMIC THRUSHES ___ Great Egret ___ California Gull ___ Gila Woodpecker ___ Northern Mockingbird ___ Snowy Egret ___ Ring-billed Gull ___ Red-naped Sapsucker ___ Sage Thrasher ___ Little Blue Heron ___ Franklin’s Gull ___ Ladder-backed ___ Brown Thrasher ___ Cattle Egret ___ Forster’s Tern Woodpecker ___ Bendire’s Thrasher ___ Green Heron STILTS AND AVOCETS TYRANT FLYCATCHERS ___ Curve-billed Thrasher ___ Black-crowned Night ___ Black-necked Stilt ___ Olive-sided Flycatcher ___ Crissal Thrasher Heron ___ American Avocet ___ Western Wood-Pewee STARLINGS IBISES, SPOONBILLS PLOVERS ___ Hammond’s Flycatcher ___ European Starling ___ White-faced Ibis ___ Killdeer ___ Dusky Flycatcher WAGTAILS AND PIPITS ___ Glossy Ibis SANDPIPERS ___ Willow Flycatcher ___ American Pipits ___ White Ibis ___ Long-billed Curlew ___ “Western” Flycatcher ___ Sprague’s Pipit NEW WORLD VULTURES ___ Willet ___ Pacific-slope Flycatcher SILKY FLYCATCHERS ___ Turkey Vulture ___ Greater Yellowlegs ___ Black Phoebe ___ Phainopepla SWANS, GEESE, DUCKS ___ Lesser Yellowlegs ___ Eastern Phoebe WOOD-WARBLERS ___ Ross’ Goose ___ Spotted Sandpiper ___ Say’s Phoebe ___ Tennessee Warbler ___ Canada Goose ___ Dunlin ___ Vermillion Flycatcher ___ Orange-crowned Warbler ___ Greater White-fronted ___ Marbled Godwit ___ Ash-throated Flycatcher ___ Nashville Warbler Goose ___ Baird’s Sandpiper ___ Brown-crested Flycatcher ___ Virginia’s Warbler ___ Gadwall ___ Least Sandpiper ___ Tropical Kingbird ___ Lucy’s Warbler ___ American Wigeon ___ Western Sandpiper ___ Cassin’s Kingbird ___ Northern Parula ___ Mallard ___ Semipalmated Sandpiper ___ Western Kingbird ___ Yellow Warbler ___ “Mexican Duck” ___ Long-billed Dowitcher SHRIKES ___ Chestnut-sided Warbler (A.p. diazi) ___ Wilson’s Snipe ___ Loggerhead Shrike ___ Black-throated Blue ___ Wood Duck ___ Wilson’s Phalarope VIREOS Warbler ___ Blue-winged Teal PIGEONS AND DOVES ___ Gray Vireo ___ Yellow-rumped Warbler ___ Cinnamon Teals ___ Rock Pigeon ___ Bell’s Vireo ___ Black-throated Gray ___ Green-winged Teal ___ White-winged Dove ___ Cassin’s Vireo Warbler ___ Northern Shoveler ___ Mourning Dove ___ Plumbeous Vireo ___ Townsend’s Warbler ___ Northern Pintail ___ Inca Dove ___ Hutton’s Vireo ___ Western Palm Warbler ___ Ringed-necked Duck ___ Common Ground Dove ___ Warbling Vireo ___ Black and White Warbler ___ Lesser Scaup ___ Eurasian Collared Dove ___ Philadelphia Vireo ___ Ovenbird ___ Canvasback ___ Ringed Turtle Dove JAYS AND CROWS ___ Northern Waterthrush ___ Redhead CUCKOOS, ___ Common Raven ___ MacGillivray’s Warbler ___ Bufflehead ROADRUNNERS, AND ANIS LARKS ___ Common Yellowthroat ___ Common Goldeneye ___ Greater Roadrunner ___ Horned Lark ___ Hooded Warbler ___ Barrow’s Goldeneye TYPICAL OWLS SWALLOWS ___ Wilson’s Warbler ___ Common Merganser ___ Barn Owl ___ Tree Swallow ___ Yellow-breasted Chat ___ Ruddy Duck ___ Western Screech Owl ___ Violet-green Swallow TANAGERS ___ Hooded Merganser ___ Great Horned Owl ___ Northern Rough-winged ___ Western Tanager KITES, EAGLES AND ___ Burrowing Owl Swallow EMBERIZINE FINCHES HAWKS ___ Northern Pygmy Owl ___ Bank Swallow ___ Abert’s Towhee HARRIERS ___ Elf Owl ___ Cliff Swallow ___ Green-tailed Towhee ___ Northern Harrier ___ Long-eared Owl ___ Barn Swallow ___ Spotted Towhee ACCIPITERS NIGHTJARS VERDIN ___ Canyon Towhee ___ Sharp-shinned Hawk ___ Lesser Nighthawk ___ Verdin ___ Cassin’s Sparrow ___ Northern Goshawk ___ Common Nighthawk NUTHATCHES ___ Chipping Sparrow ___ Cooper’s Hawk ___ Common Poorwill ___ White-breasted Nuthatch ___ Clay-colored Sparrow BUTEONINE HAWKS ___ Whip-Poor-Will ___ Red-breasted Nuthatch ___ Brewer’s Sparrow ___ Red-tailed Hawk SWIFTS TREECREEPERS ___ Vesper Sparrow ___ Rough-legged Hawk ___ Vaux’s Swift ___ Brown Creeper ___ Black-throated Sparrow ___ Ferruginous Hawk ___ White-throated Swift WRENS ___ Sage Sparrow ___ Swainson’s Hawk HUMMINGBIRDS ___Cactus Wren ___ Lark Bunting ___ Harris’s Hawk ___ Broad-billed ___ Marsh Wren ___ Savannah Sparrow EAGLES Hummingbird ___ Rock Wren ___ Lark Sparrow ___ Golden Eagle ___ Canyon Wren ___ Song Sparrow ___ Bewick’s Wren ___ Lincoln’s Sparrow EMBERIZINE FINCHES ___ Swamp Sparrow Field Notes: ___ White-throated Sparrow ___ White-crowned Sparrow ______Golden-crowned Sparrow ______West Coast White- crowned Sparrow ______Mountain White- ______crowned Sparrow ______Dark-eyed (Oregon) ______Junco ___ Pink-sided Junco ______Dark-eyed (Slate ______colored) Junco ______CARDINALS, GROSBEAKS, ______BUNTINGS ___ Northern Cardinal ______Black-headed Grosbeak ______Lazuli Bunting ______Indigo Bunting ___ Painted Bunting ICTERIDS Field Sketches: ___ Red-winged Blackbird ___ Western Meadowlark ___ Yellow-headed Blackbird ___ Rusty Blackbird ___ Brewer’s Blackbird ___ Great-tailed Grackle ___ Common Grackle ___ Bronzed Cowbird ___ Brown-headed Cowbird ___ Hooded Oriole ___ Bullock ’s oriole ___ Scott’s Oriole NORTHERN FINCHES ___ House Finch ___ Pine siskin ___ Lesser Goldfinch ___ Lawrence’s Goldfinch ___ American Goldfinch OLD WORLD SPARROWS ___ House Sparrow EXOTICS ___ Cockatiel ___ Rose-Ringed Parakeet Birding Basics Updated: 06/17/08 Species Count: 251 To begin birding, all you need are three items: Binoculars, a field guide and a blank notebook. Having a friend that has more experience in birding can also be helpful.

But just as important, you need patience. Birding can be a challenging activity because birds are naturally skittish. However, the rewards are well worth it; few other activities can bring such a sense of wonder, satisfaction, connecting with nature, as well as peaceful solitude -- in today’s busy world.

Identification - The key to identifying a bird is being able to quickly notice distinguishing physical marks.

Basic bird parts - Birds come in an amazing variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, but they are all comprised of the same basic physical parts called topography. (Left diagram)

Know the terms - Try to familiarize yourself with these words, since the labels in this diagram which are used in the guides to describe each species. If you are seeking a specific bird, pay attention to any outstanding features you need to look out for.