Birds
Owens Valley birds by habitat
by Tom and Jo Heindel
See also: Birds of the Owens Lake
Taxonomy, nomenclature, and seasonal divisions used follow the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) Check-list of North American Birds, 7th edition, 1998. Sp = spring ( 1 March to 30 May), Su = summer (1 June to 31 July), F=fall (1 Aug to 30 Nov), W = winter (1 Dec to 28 Feb).
| Agricultural Fields | |
|---|---|
| Northern Harrier | Western Kingbird (Sp, Su) |
| Swainson’s Hawk (Sp, Su, F) | Horned Lark |
| Ferruginous Hawk (F, W, Sp) | Common Raven |
| Rough-legged Hawk (W) | Western Bluebird (Sp, F) |
| American Kestrel | Mountain Bluebird (F, W, Sp) |
| Merlin (F) | European Starling |
| Prairie Falcon | Lark Sparrow (Sp, F) |
| Barn Owl | Savannah Sparrow |
| Burrowing Owl | Chestnut-collared Longspur (F) |
| Say’s Phoebe | Western Meadowlark |
| Aerial | |
|---|---|
| Turkey vulture (Sp, Su,F) | White-throated Swift (Sp, Su) |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Tree Swallow (Sp, Su, F) |
| Golden Eagle | Violet-green Swallow (Sp, Su, F) |
| Common Nighthawk (Su) | Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Sp, Su, F) |
| Lesser Nighthawk (Sp, Su, F) | Bank Swallow (Sp, Su, F) |
| Vaux’s Swift (Sp) | Cliff Swallow (Sp, Su, F) |
| Barn Swallow (Sp, Su, F) | |
| Desert Scrub | |
|---|---|
| Greater Roadrunner | LeConte’s Thrasher |
| Common Poorwill (Sp, Su, F) | Loggerhead Shrike |
| Costa’s Hummingbird (Sp, Su) | Black-throated Sparrow (Sp, Su, F) |
| Oak Woodland | |
|---|---|
| Oak Titmouse | |
| California Towhee | |
| Coniferous Forest | |
|---|---|
| Blue Grouse | Brown Creeper |
| Mountain Quail | Golden-crowned Kinglet |
| Northern Saw-whet Owl | Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
| Williamson’s Sapsucker | Townsend’s Solitaire |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Hermit Thrush (Sp, Su, F) |
| White-headed Woodpecker | Yellow-rumped Warbler (Sp, Su, F) |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher (Sp, Su, F) | Western Tanager (Sp, Su, F) |
| Western Wood-Pewee (Sp, Su, F) | Black-headed Grosbeak (Sp, Su, F) |
| Steller’s Jay | Chipping Sparrow (Sp, Su, F) |
| Clark’s Nutcracker | Dark-eyed Junco |
| Mountain Chickadee | Cassin’s Finch |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | Red Crossbill |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | Pine Siskin |
| Pygmy Nuthatch | |
| Rocks/Cliffs | |
|---|---|
| Rock Wren | White-throated Swift (Sp, Su, F) |
| Canyon Wren | Say’s Phoebe |
| Woodlands | |
|---|---|
JOSHUA |
PINYON-JUNIPER |
| Ladder-backed Woodpecker | Gray Flycatcher (Sp, Su, F) |
| Cactus Wren | Western Scrub-Jay |
| Scott’s Oriole (Sp, Su) | Pinyon Jay |
| Juniper Titmouse | |
| Plumbeous Vireo (Sp, Su) | |
| Black-throated Gray Warbler (Sp, Su, F) | |
| Sagebrush Scrub | |
|---|---|
| Sage Thrasher (Sp, Su, F) | Vesper Sparrow |
| Green-tailed Towhee (Sp, Su, F) | Sage Sparrow |
| Brewer’s Sparrow (Sp, Su, F) | |
| Parks/Towns | |
|---|---|
| Anna’s Hummingbird (Sp, Su, F) | Cedar Waxwing (Sp, F) |
| Black-chinned Hummingbird (Sp, Su, F) | Brewer’s Blackbird |
| Rufous Hummingbird (Sp, F) | Hooded Oriole (Sp, Su) |
| American Crow | House Finch |
| American Robin | American Goldfinch (F, W, Sp) |
| Northern Mockingbird | House Sparrow |
| Ponds/Lakes/Reservoirs | |
|---|---|
| Common Loon (Sp, F) | Osprey (Sp, Su, F) |
| Pied-billed Grebe | Bald Eagle (W) |
| Eared Grebe | Virginia Rail |
| Western Grebe (Sp, F) | Sora |
| Clark’s Grebe (Sp, Su, F) | American Coot |
| Amer. White Pelican (Sp, Su, F) | Snowy Plover (Sp, Su, F) |
| Double-crested Cormorant (Sp, Su, F) | Semipalmated Plover (Sp, F) |
| American Bittern | Killdeer |
| Least Bittern (Sp, Su) | Black-necked Stilt (Sp, Su, F) |
| Great Blue Heron | American Avocet |
| Great Egret (Sp, Su, F) | Greater Yellowlegs (Sp, F, W) |
| Snowy Egret (Sp, Su, F) | Lesser Yellowlegs (Sp, F) |
| Cattle Egret (Sp, F) | Solitary Sandpiper (Sp, F) |
| Green Heron (F, W, Sp) | Willet (F, W, Sp) |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Spotted Sandpiper (Sp, Su, F) |
| White-faced Ibis (Sp, F) | Long-billed Curlew (Sp, Su, F) |
| Tundra Swan (W) | Marbled Godwit (F) |
| Greater White-fronted Goose (F, W, Sp) | Western Sandpiper (F, W, Sp) |
| Snow Goose (F, W, Sp) | Least Sandpiper (F, W, Sp) |
| Canada Goose (F, W, Sp) | Baird’s Sandpiper (F) |
| Wood Duck | Pectoral Sandpiper (F) |
| Green-winged Teal | Dunlin (F, W, Sp) |
| Mallard | Short-billed Dowitcher (Sp, F)) |
| Northern Pintail (F, W, Sp) | Long-billed Dowitcher (Sp, F) |
| Blue-winged Teal (Sp, F) | Common Snipe |
| Cinnamon Teal (Sp, Su, F) | Wilson’s Phalarope (Sp, Su, F) |
| Northern Shoveler (F, W, Sp) | Red-necked Phalarope (Sp, F) |
| Gadwall | Bonaparte’s Gull (Sp, F) |
| American Wigeon (F, W, Sp) | Ring-billed Gull |
| Canvasback (F, W, Sp) | California Gull |
| Redhead | Caspian Tern (Sp, Su, F) |
| Ring-necked Duck (F, W, Sp) | Forster’s Tern (Sp, F) |
| Lesser Scaup (F, W, Sp) | Black Tern (Sp, F) |
| Common Goldeneye (W) | Belted Kingfisher |
| Bufflehead (F, W, Sp) | Marsh Wren |
| Hooded Merganser (F, W) | American Pipit (F, W, Sp) |
| Common Merganser (W, Sp) | Common Yellowthroat (Sp, Su, F) |
| Red-breasted Merganser (Sp, Su, F) | Red-winged Blackbird |
| Ruddy Duck | Yellow-headed Blackbird (Sp, Su, F) |
| Riparian | |
|---|---|
| Sharp-shinned hawk (F, W, Sp) | Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Sp, Su, F) |
| Cooper’s Hawk | Black Phoebe |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Vermilion Flycatcher (F, W, Sp) |
| California Quail | Ash-throated Flycatcher (Sp, Su, F) |
| Mourning Dove | Black-billed Magpie |
| Western Screech-Owl | Common Bushtit |
| Great Horned Owl | Bewick’s Wren |
| Long-eared Owl | House Wren (Sp, Su, F) |
| Black-chinned Hummingbird (Sp, Su) | American Dipper |
| Anna’s Hummingbird | Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Sp, Su, F) |
| Calliope Hummingbird (Sp, Su) | Swainson’s Thrush (Sp) |
| Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Su) | Phainopepla (Su) |
| Rufous Hummingbird (Sp, F) | Cassin’s Vireo (Sp, F) |
| Red-naped Sapsucker (F, W, Sp) | Warbling Vireo (Sp, Su, F) |
| Red-breasted Sapsucker | Orange-crowned Warbler (Sp, Su, F) |
| Nuttall’s Woodpecker | Nashville Warbler (Sp, F) |
| Downy Woodpecker | Yellow Warbler (Sp, Su, F) |
| Northern Flicker | Townsend’s Warbler (Sp, F) |
| Willow Flycatcher (Sp, Su, F) | MacGillivray’s Warbler (Sp, Su, F) |
| Hammond’s Flycatcher (Sp, F) | Wilson’s Warbler (Sp, Su, F) |
| Yellow-breasted Chat (Sp, Su, F) | Lincoln’s Sparrow (F, W, Sp) |
| Blue Grosbeak (Sp, Su, F) | Golden-crowned Sparrow (F, W, Sp) |
| Lazuli Bunting (Sp, Su, F) | White-crowned Sparrow |
| Spotted Towhee | Brown-headed Cowbird |
| California Towhee | Bullock’s Oriole (Sp, Su) |
| Fox Sparrow (Sp, Su, F) | Lesser Goldfinch |
| Song Sparrow | |