Tips for using Browse:

Browsing is a valuable way to learn about birds, however it is a brute force approach and not designed for identification. A more sophisticated approach to finding a bird with specific field marks is to use the Step by Step Search. You can also try the Wizard to find a bird, which uses a question and answer approach, but again it does not give you the flexibility of the Step by Step Search.

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Short-tailed Shearwater
Short-tailed Shearwater: Medium shearwater with dark brown body and occasional traces of white in the center of upperwings. Bill is short and dark. Feet are dark gray and trail slightly behind tail in flight. Tail is rounded. Alternates strong flaps with long glides, often soars for long periods.
Sooty Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater: Large shearwater with dark gray-brown body, darkest on tail and primaries. Underwing coverts are pale. Bill is long and dark. Legs and feet are black. Eats fish, squid and crustaceans. Long, narrow wings are slightly swept-back. Alternates strong direct flapping with long glides.
Streaked Shearwater
Streaked Shearwater: Large shearwater with scaled, dark gray-brown upperparts, white underparts. White head has variable light to heavy pale brown streaks. Uppertail coverts can be white, forming a pale "horseshoe." The forehead is white. Bill is pale. Legs and feet are pink. Eats small fish and squid. Flies with loose, angled wings. Light, graceful flapping and gliding.
Buller's Shearwater
Buller’s Shearwater: Medium shearwater, gray upperparts, white underparts. Head has white face, black cap, black bill. Tail is black. Legs and feet are pink. Dark gray M-pattern is visible across upperwings and back in flight. Alternates deep steady wing beats with long glides. Soars in high winds.
Flesh-footed Shearwater
Flesh-footed Shearwater: Large, bulky shearwater with dark brown body, darker head and tail. Bill is large and pink with a dark tip. Wings are dark with brown-edged coverts that become paler with wear. Legs and feet are pale pink. Slow flight, alternates stiff-winged flapping and gliding near water.
Pink-footed Shearwater
Pink-footed Shearwater: Large shearwater, gray-brown upperparts, white underparts, mottled brown flanks and undertail coverts. Head is gray-brown and pink bill is tipped with black. Flight feathers are dark-bordered and underwing coverts are mottled gray. Alternates slow wing beats with low glides.
Masked Booby
Masked Booby: Large seabird with white body, black trailing edge on wings, pointed black tail. Head has black mask and long, pointed, yellow bill. Legs and feet are yellow-gray. Plunge dives from 40 feet for small squid and flying fish. Alternates strong rapid wing beats with glides.
Red-footed Booby
Red-footed Booby: The black-tailed white-morph is a small booby with white head, body, tail. Pale blue face has pink-based, pale blue bill. Flight feathers are black. Bright red legs, feet. Brown form is brown overall with darker flight feathers. Strong steady wing beats with glides.
Brown Booby
Brown Booby: Large, gull-like seabird, mostly dark brown with white underwing coverts, belly, and vent. Blue-gray bill. Yellow legs and feet. Plunge dives from 30-50 feet. Feeds on parrot fish, flatfish, mullets, halfbeaks and other fish. Alternates strong rapid wing beats with glides.
Greater Shearwater
Greater Shearwater: Large shearwater, scaled, gray-brown upperparts, white underparts, brown markings on belly. Dark cap contrasts with white face. Tail is dark above with conspicuous white rump band and gray below. Dark, hooked bill. Pink legs, feet. Flies on deep wing beats followed by long glide.
Northern Fulmar
Northern Fulmar Light Morph: Large gull-like bird with gray upperparts and white underparts, head, neck, and tail. Dark morph has uniformly dark gray body and paler primaries. Bill is short, thick, and yellow with a tube on top. Flight alternates stiff wing beats with periods of gliding and banking.
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse: Medium grouse with lightly barred brown upperparts and white underparts dotted with chevrons. Head has short crest, yellow-orange eye comb, and pink or violet neck patch exposed when displaying. Tail is pointed and white-edged. Often seen on prairies in the summer.
White-tailed Tropicbird
White-tailed Tropicbird: A large bird, white with long black bar on upperwing coverts, outer primaries. Black loral mask which extends through and past eye. Bill is yellow to orange. Tail streamers are white and can be up to seventeen inches long. Legs and feet are yellowish, black webbing on toes.
Glossy Ibis
Glossy Ibis: Medium wading bird, iridescent bronze and red-brown overall with thin band of white feathers around bare dark blue face and long, down curved, gray bill. Eyes are dark, legs are yellow-gray. Alternates several shallow rapid wing beats and short glides. Flies in straight line formation.
Swallow-tailed Kite
Swallow-tailed Kite: The largest of North America kites, has black upperparts which contrast with white head and underparts. In flight it shows long pointed wings with black flight feathers and white wing linings. Has a 15-16 inch-long black tail with deep fork. The neck, breast and belly are white.
Black-tailed Godwit
Black-tailed Godwit: Large, tall godwit with black-barred, orange-brown body. orange-brown head and neck, and white mark between eye and bill; combination of prominent white rump, white wing bar, and pure white underwings is unique among the godwits. Black-tipped yellow bill is long and straight.
Snail Kite
Snail Kite: A large bird, dark blue black overall with extremely hooked thin black bill with reddish base. In flight shows a white tail with broad dark distal band and narrow gray terminal band. Long legs are bright orange or red. Feeds on snails. Flies on slow shallow wing beats followed by glides.
Razorbill
Razorbill: Large seabird with black head, neck, upperparts, white line from bill to eye, and white underparts. Large, wedge-shaped bill is black with a central, thin white band. Black legs and feet. Feeds on fish, marine worms, squid and crustaceans. Swift low direct flight.
Barnacle Goose
Barnacle Goose: Medium goose, distinctive white face, jet-black head, neck, and upper breast. Wings and back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars. Belly is white. V-shaped white rump patch and silver-gray underwing linings are visible in flight. Black bill,legs and feet. Strong direct flight.
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Wedge-tailed Shearwater Dark Morph: Large shearwater, dark brown overall with black-tipped, dark gray bill. Tail is long and pointed in flight and extends past the pink legs and feet, fans to wedge-shaped when banking turns or landing. The dark morph form is most often seen off the Pacific Coast.
Bean Goose
Bean Goose: Large goose, scaled brown upperparts, white underparts. Head, neck are dark brown. Black bill with yellow-orange saddle. Tail is dark with white undertail coverts. Legs and feet are orange. Feeds on plants, seeds, fruits. Strong direct flight on steady wing beats. Flies in V formation.
Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Ivory-billed Woodpecker: Largest and rarest North American woodpecker, jet-black with white wing patches, large red crest, black chin, throat. Thick white stripes extend from bill to rear of wings. In flight, wings appear white with black tips and thick, black center stripe. Pale, large bill.
Black Vulture
Black Vulture: Large raptor, black overall, short, featherless neck, pale bill, short and squared tail, long, pale gray legs and feet. Gray-black skin on head and neck is wrinkled. White-tipped wings, held horizontal in flight. Soars on thermals, must flap its wings more often than a Turkey Vulture.
Long-tailed Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger: Small jaeger with gray upperparts, white breast, gray belly. Black cap covers eyes, crosses chin and ends at yellow nape. Upperwings are dark-edged. Tail is gray with black edges and long, black streamers. Legs are blue-gray and toes are webbed. Hovers before dipping for prey.
Iceland Gull
Iceland Gull: Large, white gull, pale, pearl-gray back and upper wings. Bill is yellow, red spot at tip of lower mandible. Wing tips sometimes marked with pale to dark gray. White tail; legs and feet are pink. Direct flight with strong deep wing beats. Soars on thermals and updrafts.
Parasitic Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger Dark Morph: Medium jaeger with brown body, darker cap, and pale underwing patches near tips. Pale form has white underparts with brown breast band; intermediates between dark and light morphs occur. Diamond-shaped tail has elongated, pointed central feathers. Black bill, legs, feet.
Royal Tern
Royal Tern: Large tern, pale gray upperparts; white face, neck, and underparts. Head has spiky, black crest and cap, and heavy, bright orange bill. Wings are black-tipped above and black-edged below; tail is deeply forked. Legs and feet are black. Hovers before plunge diving for prey.
Pomarine Jaeger
Pomarine Jaeger Dark Morph: Large jaeger, dark brown except for white patches near underwing tips and sides of undertail. Light morph has white neck, pale yellow collar, white lower breast, mottled breast band, sides. Thick bill, pale at base. Tail has two long central feathers twisted vertically.
Herring Gull
Herring Gull: Large gull, pale gray back and wings with black tips, white head, neck breast. White tail and underparts. Bill is yellow with red spot near tip; legs are pink. Strong steady flight with deep wing beats. Soars on thermals and updrafts. Most widespread North American Gull.
Caspian Tern
Caspian Tern: Large, stocky tern with pale gray upperparts, white underparts. Cap is black and may appear weakly crested; large bill is coral-red. Undersides of primaries are gray. Tail is white, relatively short, and slightly forked; legs are black. Hovers above water before diving.
Black-legged Kittiwake
Black-legged Kittiwake: Medium-sized white gull with pale gray back and upperwings and black wing tips. Bill is yellow, legs and feet are black. Swift graceful flight, alternates several rapid shallow wing beats with a glide. Often hovers over water before diving for prey at surface.
Elegant Tern
Elegant Tern: Medium tern, pale gray upperparts, white underparts may have pink tint. Black cap has shaggy crest; orange or red-orange bill is long, slightly decurved. Outermost primaries have faint black smudges. Tail deeply forked, legs are black. Hovers above water before diving.
Heermann's Gull
Heermann's Gull: Medium-sized gull with gray underparts and dark gray upperparts. Head is white and bill is bright red with black tip. Tail is black and edged with white. Legs and feet are black. Dives into ocean to catch fish. Also steals and scavenges. Flight is bouyant and direct.
Harris's Hawk
Harris's Hawk: Large hawk, dark brown head, neck, back, belly and rust-brown shoulders, underwing coverts and flanks. Tail is dark brown to almost black with white base and terminal band. Undertail coverts are white. Legs and feet are yellow. Flies close to ground or soars on thermals and updrafts.
South Polar Skua
South Polar Skua Dark: Small, gull-like skua, occurs in two color phases. Dark phase adult has dark brown body, large white patch at base of primaries visible in flight. Dark bill, thick and heavy; short, broad tail. Light phase adult has pale gray-brown head and underparts. Strong direct flight.
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull: Medium-sized gull with dark gray back and wings. Head, neck and underparts are white. Rump and tail are white. Bill is yellow with red spot near tip. The wings have dark tips with white spots; legs and feet are yellow. Eyes are yellow with red orbital rings.
Laughing Gull
Laughing Gull: Medium gull, gray back, white underparts. Head has black hood, neck is white, and bill is red. Wings are gray and white-edged and black at tips; tail is white. Legs and feet are black. Slow flight with deep wing beats. Soars on updrafts. Named for its laughterlike call.
Thayer's Gull
Thayer's Gull: Large gull, gray upperparts, white head, tail, underparts. Bill is yellow with red spot near the end of the lower mandible. Wings are gray with white-spotted, dark gray tips. Legs are dark pink. Direct flight, strong, steady wing beats, soars on thermals or updrafts.
Blue-footed Booby
Blue-footed Booby: Large, gull-like seabird with white body, brown wings and brown-streaked head and back. The blue-gray bill is long and stout. Legs and feet are powder blue. Plunge dives for fish from 50 feet above shallow water. Alternates rapid, deep wing beats with sailing glides.
Willow Ptarmigan
Willow Ptarmigan: Small grouse, rust-brown upperparts, head, breast, white eye-ring, orange-red eye comb, white wings, belly, leg feathers; brown tail. Unlike other ptarmigans, the male stays with the female and defends its nest-it is known to attack anything that comes to close.
Laughing Kookaburra
Laughing Kookaburra: Large, noisy kingfisher, dark brown upperparts, brown-washed white underparts. Head and neck are white, and dark brown eye-stripe is conspicuous. Bill is large and two toned with black upper and pale brown lower mandibles. Tail is rufous with broad, black bars. Gray legs, feet.
Zone-tailed Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk: Large hawk, mostly black except for barred flight feathers, black-and-white banded tail. Eye-rings are gray. Bill, legs are yellow. Circles like a turkey vulture. Eats small rodents, birds. Soars and glides on thermals with wings lifted slightly above back, tilts from side to side.
White-tailed Hawk
White-tailed Hawk: Large hawk, dark gray upperparts and head, distinct brown wash on shoulders and back, and white rump. Breast is white; belly and undertail are white with inconspicuous, fine bars. Wings are dark gray above, paler below. Tail is white, broad black band near tip. Yellow legs, feet.
Greater Prairie-Chicken
Greater Prairie-Chicke: Medium grouse, barred with brown and buff (or white). Yellow-orange eye combs. Orange air sacs on both sides of the neck inflate during courtship display; long feathers on back of neck also raised during displays. Short, dark brown tail, legs are feathered to the toes.
Limpkin
Limpkin: Large, unique marsh bird, dark brown body, white streaks on neck, back, wings, breast. Bill is slightly decurved. Neck and legs are long. Vaguely resembles an ibis. Feeds on freshwater snails, mussels, frogs, crustaceans and insects. Direct flight with quick upstrokes and slow downstrokes.
Hawaiian Crow
Hawaiian Crow: Medium crow, brown-black body, brown-tinged wings. Eyes are brown, bill is large and stout. Feeds on insects, fruit, carrion, eggs and young of other birds, and small animals. Direct flight on steady wing beats. Believed to be extinct in the wild. AKA 'Alala to the native Hawaiians.
Hook-billed Kite
Hook-billed Kite: Unusual tropical kite with long paddle-shaped wings. Sluggish, retiring kite that generally remains concealed within foliage of trees. Occurs in two morphs, gray and black, which is very rare to Texas. Underparts and underwings are heavily barred. Tail is banded. Yellow legs, feet.
Falcated Duck
Falcated Duck: Medium dabbling duck with long black and white tertial feathers extending over black rump. Body white, black, gray in finely-scaled pattern. The crested iridescent head is green and purple-brown. White throat has black ring; black tail and black-green speculum are edged in white.
Plain Chachalaca
Plain Chachalaca: Loud, phesant-like bird. Drab in color with gray head, olive-brown back, buff belly, dark tail with green gloss. Male shows bright red gular stripe during courtship displays. Feeds on insects, fruits, berries, seeds, leaves and buds. Alternates rapid stiff wing beats with glides.
Belcher's Gull
Belcher's Gull: Formerly known as the Band-tailed Gull. Has a mostly white body with black back, distinctive black tail band, yellow legs, feet. Black wings with white trailing edges. Yellow bill; lower mandible tipped with red, upper mandible tipped with black. Strong direct flight.
Common Eider
Common Eider: Large diving duck (v-nigrum), with distinctive sloping forehead, black body, white breast and back. Crown is black and nape is pale green. Wings are white with black primary and secondary feathers. Tail and rump are black. Bill is dull yellow to gray-green (eastern) or orange-yellow (western).
Yellow-nosed Albatross
Yellow-nosed Albatross: Pelagic albatross with pale gray head, neck, rump, black back, upperwings, white underparts and black margin around white underwings. Red-tipped black bill has yellow patch on upper mandible. Gray legs, feet. Glides and soars for hours with minor adjustments to wing position.
Neotropic Cormorant
Neotropic Cormorant: Small, long-tailed cormorant. Black upper and lowerparts may show blue gloss. Long hooked yellow-gray bill with yellow "v" shaped gular pouch edged in white. Legs and feet are black. Feeds on fish, crustaceans and amphibians. Flies low over water with strong rapid wing beats.
Little Egret
Little Egret: Medium-sized, all white egret with plumes on head, breast, and back. Legs are black with yellow feet. Black bill, and yellow lores. Nonbreeding adult lacks head and back plumes, has gray lores, and shows yellow on lower legs. Difficult to distinguish from Snowy Egret. Flight is direct.
Ivory Gull
Ivory Gull: A pure white gull whose entire life is restricted to the edge of the floating pack ice. Legs dark, bill dusky with yellow tip. It eats fish, insects, lemmings and crustaceans, and is also an active scavenger. Bouyant, graceful flight. Often flies with feet trailing and dangling below.
Northwestern Crow
Northwestern Crow: Fairly small crow , black overall with dark, stout bill, iridescent violet gloss on body, and blue-black wings. Tail is fan-shaped in flight. Feeds on marine invertebrates, insects, fish, fruits, seeds, carrion, refuse, eggs of seabirds. Direct flight on steady, stiff wing beats.
Yellow-legged Gull
Yellow-legged Gull: Large white gull, medium gray upperparts and red spot on bright yellow bill; legs and feet are yellow. Tail is white. Wades or makes shallow dives to catch food, steals, scavenges. Strong, direct flight with deep, steady wing beats. Rides thermals and updrafts, sometimes hovers.
Yellow-footed Gull
Yellow-footed Gull: Large, dark-backed, white gull with distinctive yellow legs. Bulbous bill is yellow, red spot near tip of lower mandible. Upper wings are dark gray with white spots near tips, white trailing edges. Strong, direct flight with deep, steady wing beats. Rides thermals and updrafts.
Greater Scaup
Greater Scaup: Large diving duck with glossy green-black head, white sides and belly, black tail, neck and breast, barred gray flanks and back. Eyes are yellow. Bill is blue-gray with a black tip. Feeds on insects, plants, vertebrates and mollusks. Rapid direct flight with strong rapid wing beats.
Scarlet Ibis
Scarlet Ibis: This nervous and wary South American species was introduced in Florida and is unmistakable with its bright scarlet plumage, pink skin on face, pink bill and red legs. Black primaries are seen only in flight. Often breeds with the White Ibis producing various shades of pink offspring.
Roadside Hawk
Roadside Hawk: This small, long legged tropical species common from Mexico to Argentina is casual in winter to the Rio Grande Valley. Gray-brown upperparts and rufous belly with white to buff coarse bars. Tail is banded with white tip. Flies with stiff, rapid wingbeats and hunts along roadsides.
Hawaiian Hawk
Hawaiian Hawk: Also called 'Io, the light morph is dark brown above, cream below with brown flecks on upperbreast. Dark morph is dark-brown overall with variably gray and brown tinge along underparts. Black bill with yellow cere. Pale yellow legs and feet. Flap-and-glide flight with some soaring.
Red Junglefowl
Red Junglefowl: Direct ancestor of the domestic chicken. Upperparts are golden-orange and bronze to red, face has a red comb and wattles. Underparts are blue-green, rufous, and brown-black. Large iridescent tail is green-black, with a patch of white feathers at the base. Legs and feet are gray.
Kalij Pheasant
Kalij Pheasant: Native to India and Pakistan. Glossy blue-black overall, face has bright red wattles. Crest, breast, and sides have long white to gray-brown feathers. Feathers from mid-back to rump edged in white, giving a scalloped appearance. Tail is long and black. Legs and feet are light tan.
Cackling Goose
Cackling Goose: Formerly included in the Canada Goose family, this species is smaller with a rounder head and shorter neck and bill. There are four subspecies, we show the hutchinsii that has darker upperparts and a white neck ring. Winters from the southern Great Plains to the western Gulf Coast.
Western Reef-Heron
Western Reef-Heron: This Old World species is exclusively coastal. There is a dark (shown here) and light morph. Dark morph is slate gray overall with white chin and throat. Legs are black with yellow feet. The light morph is white overall with two long narrow plumes on the back of the crown.
Nene Goose
Nene Goose: The state bird of Hawaii, aka the Hawaiian Goose, is a medium sized goose with a black head and nape that contrasts with yellow-buff cheeks. Upperparts are heavily barred gray-brown and the underparts are finely barred. Bill and feet are black and only partially webbed.
White Ibis
White Ibis: This coastal species is white overall with pink facial skin, bill, and legs that turn scarlet during breeding season. Black tips on the primary feathers are only seen in flight. Flies in straight line formation with neck and legs outstretched, roosts high in trees and bushes at night.
Sooty Grouse
Sooty Grouse: Large, chicken-like bird, dark gray to blue-gray with yellow-orange eye comb, black tail with wide pale gray terminal band. Patch of yellow skin with red veining on neck surrounded by white feathers is displayed during courtship. Formerly (with Dusky Grouse) known as the Blue Grouse.
Chinese Egret
Chinese Egret: Population is seriously declining due to competition for living space with humans and other egrets. White overall with shaggy crest, blue-green lores, orange-yellow bill, and black legs with yellow feet. Has been seen feeding on mudflats and tidal flats with other egrets and herons.
Mottled Duck
Mottled Duck: Medium dabbling duck with dark brown mottled body, feathers usually show distinct multi-toned chevrons, buff-brown face and unmarked neck, darker crown and eye line. Speculum is blue-green bordered with black and fine white bars. Bill is bright yellow; legs and feet are orange.
American Oystercatcher
American Oystercatcher: Large shorebird with white underparts, brown upperparts, black hood, long, bright red-orange needle-shaped bill. White wing patches visible in flight. Yellow eyes surrounded by orange eye-rings. Legs and feet are pink. Feeds on mussels and other bivalves. Rapid direct flight.
Red-billed Tropicbird
Red-billed Tropicbird: Slender, white, gull-like seabird with long white tail streamers. White back, finely barred black. Black eye stripe curves upward behind eye, almost meets at nape. Black primaries, red bill. Direct, rapid flight, pigeonlike, stiff, shallow wingbeats. The largest tropicbird.
Himalayan Snowcock
Himalayan Snowcock: Very wary ground dweller, white face, throat outlined with chestnut stripes, brown collar around neck, gray-brown overall, tan streaked upperparts, white undertail coverts, gray bill, orange-red feet and legs. Flies down mountain each morning, walks back up, eating as it goes.
Gunnison Sage-Grouse
Gunnison Sage-Grouse: Recognized as a species in 2000. Large grouse, mottled gray-brown overall with white breast, black face, chin, throat, bib and belly. Black bill. Yellow eye combs and long black filoplumes on neck show when courting. Brown tail feathers are long and pointed, with white bands.
Red-faced Cormorant
Red-faced Cormorant: Dark brown to black with variable green and violet iridecsence. Bright red face patch, dull bill. Black legs, feet. Breeding adults develop white patches on flanks and white neck feathers or "plumes." Strong powerful direct flight. Flies in straight line formation.
Gray Hawk
Gray Hawk: Small tropical hawk with uniformly pale gray upperparts and fine white barring on underparts. Cere is yellow. Tail is thickly banded black and white. Wing tips are rounded. Legs and feet are yellow. Bouyant, graceful flap-and-glide flight, soars on thermals often but not to great heights.
Eurasian Curlew
Eurasian Curlew: Large curlew, strongly marked underparts lack rich orange or buff tones that other long billed curlews often show. Brown upperparts. Large, decurved bill, black upper mandible, lower mandible has pink base. In flight it shows prominent white lower back, rump, and underwing linings.
Black Oystercatcher
Black Oystercatcher: Large stocky brown-black shorebird with long,bright orange bill and glaring yellow eyes with contrasting orange eyering. The legs and feet are pink. Feeds primarily on limpets and other shellfish, also eats mussels and marine worms. Rapid direct flight with shallow wing beats.
Muscovy Duck
Muscovy Duck: Large, usually domesticated duck; wild birds are dark with white wing patch that is visible in flight; domesticated birds occur in any mix of white and black. Crested head; bare face, may be black or red or a combination, has large wart-like knob at the base of the bill.
Far Eastern Curlew
Far Eastern Curlew: Largest curlew, very long, decurved bill, longest of any shorebird. Dark brown with heavily streaked underparts. Blue-gray legs, feet. Eats crustaceans, marine worms, insects, larvae, invertebrates. Strong steady flight, rapid wing beats. Flies in straight line or V formation.
Pink-footed Goose
Pink-footed Goose: Short-necked goose with blue gray mantle and wing coverts, white belly, dark brown head, neck. Pale feather tips produce barring on flanks and upperparts. Pink legs and feet. Bill is pink with a brown tip and base. Swift direct flight with strong wing beats. Flies in V formation.
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck: Large, colorful duck with bright red bill, pink-red legs and feet. Shows white wing patch, black belly, reddish-brown breast, neck and back. Face, foreneck are gray, white eye ring. Feeds on aquatic plants, cultivated grains, seeds. Direct flight on rapid wing beats.
Slaty-backed Gull
Slaty-backed Gull: Large gull, slate-gray back, upper wings; dark outer primaries separated from mantle by row of white spots. Gray underside of primaries; broad white trailing edge to wings. Bright pink legs, feet. Yellow eyes with red orbital ring. Yellow bill has red spot near tip.
Common Pochard
Common Pochard: Medium-sized, colorful diving duck from Eurasia with a rich red-brown head, black breast and tail, and gray body. Dark bill has a pale gray saddle; eyes are red. Feeds on aquatic plants, dives often, sometimes dabbles. Swift direct flight on rapid wing beats. Flies in a V formation.
Great Skua
Great Skua: Large, heavy-bodied seabird, prominent white patch in primary feathers. Body color ranges from a light bleached to dark brown, all have a cinammon wash that makes the bird look red-tinged. Strong direct flight with constant shallow wingbeats. Hugs wave contours or flies up to 150 feet.
Cory's Shearwater
Cory's Shearwater: Large gray-brown shearwater, white underparts, pale yellow bill. Feeds at night on crustaceans and large sqiud it takes from the surface. Best identified by its relatively slow, languid flight compared to other shearwaters. Wings held downward. Soars on fixed wings if wind is up.
Kelp Gull
Kelp Gull: Large, stocky gull with white head, underparts, tail. Black back and upperwing with white trailing edge and one distinctive white spot on outer primary tip. Bill is yellow with a red spot near tip; eyes are yellow-gray with red orbital rings; legs and feet are yellow-green.
Spot-billed Duck
Spot-billed Duck: Native of Asia, named for red spots at base of yellow-tipped black bill; subspecies occurring in North America generally lacks these spots. Scaled brown overall with buff face, neck, upper breast. Dark crown, nape, eyestripe. Blue speculum with white borders; orange legs and feet.
Spectacled Eider
Spectacled Eider: Smallest of the Eiders, has orange bill, white upperparts, black underparts, breast, sides, black pointed tail, yellow-green head and large white "goggles" bordered with black. White feathers on the upper mandible extend past nostril. Rapid direct flight in straight line formation.
White-cheeked Pintail
White-cheeked Pintail: Large, heavily spotted dark and light brown duck with striking white cheek patches, blue bill with bright red base, buff pointed tail. Legs and feet are blue-gray. Feeds on aquatic plants, small invertebrates. Swift direct flight with strong rapid wing beats. AKA Bahama Duck.
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull: World's largest gull. White head, black upperparts, white underparts, large yellow bill with red spot on lower mandible, pale-eyed with red orbital ring, pink legs, feet. Flight is direct and powerful with deep, slow wing beats. Soars on thermals or updrafts.
Black-tailed Gull
Black-tailed Gull: Large gull with white head, neck, breast, and underparts; light charcoal-gray wings and back; large yellow bill with black ring above red tip; pale yellow eyes with red orbital ring; short yellow legs and feet; long wings; telltale short black tail with white edge.
Western Grebe
Western Grebe: Large, long-necked grebe with dark gray upperparts, white underparts, gray sides and flanks. Lower face and front of neck are white; black cap extends below eye. Back of neck is black. Eyes are red. Bill is long, thin, and dull olive-yellow. Wings have white stripes visible in flight.
Gyrfalcon
Gyrfalcon: Large northern falcon with three color morphs: dark, white, and gray. Dark morph is dark gray with pale streaks on throat and upper breast. White morph is white with dark spots and markings on wings, nape, and sides. Gray morph is a mix. The eyes, bill, and legs of all morphs are yellow.
Common Loon
Common Loon: Large loon, white-spotted, black upperparts and white underparts. Head, neck are green-black with white-streaked neckbands. Bill is black and thick. Eyes are red-brown. Dives for small fish and crustaceans. Direct flight on strong deep wing beats, head, neck and feet extend beyond body.
White-faced Ibis
White-faced Ibis: Medium wading bird, iridescent bronze-brown overall, thin band of white feathers around bare red face, long, down curved bill. Red eyes, legs, feet. Feeds on invertebrates, frogs, fish. Alternates several shallow rapid wing beats and short glides. Flies in straight line formation.
Pelagic Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant: Small cormorant with glossy black body and bold white patches on flanks. Red face and throat pouch. Head and neck are held straight in flight, with head appearing no wider than neck. Feeds on fish, crustaceans and other invertebrates. Graceful direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon: Medium robust falcon with blue-gray upperparts, plain breast, heavily barred sides, belly, and leggings. Head has a black hood and sideburns. Yellow fleshy eye ring. Yellow legs and feet. Feeds primarily on birds which it takes in midair after a steep, swift dive from above them.
Tricolored Heron
Tricolored Heron: Medium heron, blue-gray upperparts, head, neck, wings, paler rump, white stripe on foreneck, white belly. Also has white plumes on back of head and rust-brown plumes on lower neck, back during the breeding season. Bill and legs are olive-brown. Direct flight on steady wing beats.
Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret: Medium-sized, totally white egret with a long slender black bill with yellow lores. The eyes are yellow and legs are black while feet are bright yellow. The head, neck and back have long, lacy plumes during breeding season. Generally silent and feeds on crustaceans, insects, and fish.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: Medium-sized, stocky heron with gray body and brown-and-white mottled wings. Face is black and white; crown is pale yellow and sweeps back as a plume. Eyes are large and red. Bill is heavy and black. Legs and feet are yellow. Direct flight with steady, deep wing beats.
Crested Caracara
Crested Caracara: Large, ground-dwelling falcon, black body, finely barred tail, wing panels and upper breast. Head crest is black, facial skin is red, and large bill is blue-gray and hooked. Legs are long and yellow. Strong steady wing beats alternated with long to short glides. Soars on thermals.
Prairie Falcon
Prairie Falcon: Medium falcon with brown upperparts, dark-spotted pale underparts, dark brown moustache stripe. Dark underwing-bars visible in flight. Feeds on small birds and mammals, and large insects. Swift flight with rapid wing beats. Sometimes alternates several rapid wing beats with a glide.
Black-billed Magpie
Black-billed Magpie: Large, noisy jay, mostly black, with very long tail and dark, stout bill. Wings and tail are iridescent blue and green-black. White belly and sides. Eats insects, larvae, carrion. Direct flight on shallow, steady wing beats. Often glides between perches or from perch to ground.
Surf Scoter
Surf Scoter: Medium diving duck, entirely black except for white patches on forehead and nape. Bill is orange, black, and white. Eyes are white. Legs and feet are orange. Dives for food, primarily mollusks and crustaceans. Rapid direct flight with strong wing beats. Flies in straight line formation.
Ring-necked Duck
Ring-necked Duck: Medium-sized diving duck. Black upperparts, weakly tufted, purple-black head. Neck, upper breast, tail are black, lower breast and belly are white, sides are pale gray. Cinnamon collar is hard to see in the field. Dark wings have black-tipped gray flight feathers visible in flight. Blue-gray bill, white ring, black tip.
Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler: Medium dabbling duck. White breast, white-bordered black back, rufous-brown underparts and sides. Head and neck are iridescent green, large bill is black and eyes are yellow. Wings have large, pale blue shoulder patches, white bars, green speculum. Legs and feet are orange.
American Crow
American Crow: Large, black bird with dark, stout bill, iridescent violet gloss on body, and blue-black wings. Tail is fan-shaped in flight. Eats insects, small invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, eggs and young of other birds, grains, fruits, refuse, and carrion. Steady direct flight.
Canvasback
Canvasback: Large, flashy diving duck with pale gray body and black breast, tail. Head is red-brown with long, sloping profile and long, dark bill. Eye is red. Legs and feet are gray. Feeds primarily on aquatic plants. Rapid direct flight with strong wing beats. Flies high, usually in V formations.
American Wigeon
American Wigeon: Medium dabbling duck, brown body with white crown, large green ear patch extending to back of head, buff washed breast and sides, and white belly. White shoulder patches visible in flight. Black-tipped pale blue bill. Swift direct flight, strong wing beats. Flies in tight flocks.
Mallard
Mallard: Medium-sized dabbling duck with gray body and chestnut-brown breast. The head is green and neck ring is white. Bill is yellow-green. Wing speculum is white-bordered metallic purple-blue. The tail is dark with distinct white edges and two curled black feathers. Legs and feet are orange.
Yellow-billed Magpie
Yellow-billed Magpie: Large jay with black hood, back and breast, featherless, pale yellow spot behind eye, and white belly. Bill is yellow. Upperwings are iridescent blue-green with large white shoulder patches. Tail is iridescent green-black, very long, and wedge-shaped. Legs and feet are black.
Northern Pintail
Northern Pintail: Large, dabbling duck. Gray and black upperparts, white neck, underparts, gray sides. Head, throat, and nape are brown; a white stripe divides front and back of neck. Gray wings have green speculum bordered with brown above and white below. Tail is black, long, and pointed.
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup: Medium diving duck with finely barred gray back and gray-washed white underparts. Head, neck, and breast are black with purple gloss. Eye is yellow. Bill is blue-gray. Wings are black with large, white patches; tail is black. Dives for food. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Chihuahuan Raven
Chihuahuan Raven: Small raven, entirely metallic blue-black except for inconspicuous white neck feathers which are infrequently displayed. Eyes are pale brown. Alternates between several deep wing beats and short to long glides. Glides from altitude to perch or ground. Soars on thermals, updrafts.
Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier: Large hawk with gray upperparts, distinct white rump, and white underparts with spotted breast. Hooked bill is dark, yellow at base. Eyes are yellow. Wings are long, gray above, and white below with black tips. Legs, feet are yellow. Alternates several deep wing beats with glides.
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron: Medium-sized, stocky heron with short neck and legs, black upperparts, gray wings, and white to pale gray underparts. Stout black bill, red eyes, and yellow legs. Feeds on small invertebrates, crustaceans, vertebrates, mammals, eggs and young of other birds, and plants.
White-tailed Kite
White-tailed Kite: Small hawk with gray upperparts, black shoulders, and white face and underparts. Eyes are red, bill is black. Underwings are white and gray with dark patches at bend. Tail is square, pale gray, and shorter than folded wings. Legs and feet are gray. Soars on thermals and updrafts.
American Bittern
American Bittern: Medium, secretive, heron-like wading bird with stout body and neck, and relatively short legs. Upperparts are streaked brown and buff and underparts are white with brown streaks. Throat is white with black slashes on sides of neck. Strong direct flight with deep rapid wing beats.
Green Heron
Green Heron: Small heron with gray-green upperparts. Head, neck, upper breast are chestnut-brown, belly is paler brown. Head has green-black cap with small crest. Throat is white and neck has white central stripe. Bill is two-toned with dark upper mandible and yellow lower mandible. Direct flight.
Spotted Owl
Spotted Owl: Medium owl, white-spotted, brown upperparts, finely barred white underparts. Head lacks ear tufts. Eyes are brown. The wings are brown with white spots. A secretive bird, it inhabits dense old growth forests. An individual needs 3000 acres to survive due to scarcity of its food source.
Barred Owl
Barred Owl: Medium, large-headed owl with large, brown eyes, concentric rings around pale face, no ear tufts. Upperparts are brown with white markings. Underparts are white with dark bars on breast and dark streaks on belly. Heavily streaked, spotted, and variegated brown, white, and buff overall.
Barn Owl
Barn Owl: Medium-sized owl with glaring white, heart-shaped facial disk, no ear tufts, and long legs. Upperparts are orange-brown with fine white spots and dark bars. Underparts are white with small black spots. Feeds primarily on small mammals, also takes small birds. Slow silent mothlike flight.
Great Gray Owl
Great Gray Owl: Large owl, dark gray body interspersed with bars and flecks of brown, pale gray, and white. Head is large and without ear tufts. Yellow eyes are relatively small. Bulky appearance when perching due to dense, fluffy plumage, long wings extending past body, and relatively long tail.
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl: Large, white owl with variable black bars and spots. The head is round and lacks tufts, eyes are yellow, and the bill is black. Feathered feet and toes provide protection from the arctic cold. Direct flap-and-glide flight with powerful, deep wingbeats. North America's only all-white owl.
Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl: Large owl with dark brown, gray-brown mottled upperparts and dark barred underparts. Head has distinct ear tufts and rufous facial disk. Throat and upper breast are white and may have dark spots. Northern birds are paler and grayer. Strong, silent, direct, flap and glide flight.
Broad-winged Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk: Medium hawk, dark brown, mottled upperparts and brown-barred, white underparts. Pale underwings with black margins visible in flight. Tail is dark banded. Feeds on amphibians, reptiles, small mammals and birds, large insects. Flap-and-glide flight, soars on thermals and updrafts.
Swainson's Hawk
Swainson's Hawk: Large hawk, dark brown upperparts, white throat, rufous upper breast, pale buff underparts. Tail is gray with faint bars, dark terminal band, and white trailing edge. Yellow legs, feet. Alternates series of powerful deep wing beats with long glides. Soars on thermals and updrafts.
Rough-legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk: Large hawk with brown upperparts, paler, streaked head, brown-spotted white breast, and dark breast band. The legs are fully feathered. Wings are mostly pale below and dark-edged. Upper half of tail is white, lower half is finely banded. Uncommon dark phase is brown-black overall.
Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret: Medium, stocky egret with white body and pale orange-brown patches on head, neck and back. Eyes, bill and legs are orange. This is the only white egret with both a yellow bill and yellow legs. Feeds primarily on insects disturbed by livestock. Direct flight on quick steady wing beats.
Reddish Egret
Reddish Egret: Medium egret with blue-gray body and shaggy, pale rufous head and neck. Bill is pink with dark tip. Legs are blue-gray. White morph has all-white plumage, black-tipped pink bill, and blue-gray legs. Feeds on fish, frogs and crustaceans. Direct flight with bouyant steady wing beats.
Little Blue Heron
Little Blue Heron: Medium heron with slate-gray body and purple-blue head and neck. Eyes are yellow and bill is dark gray with black tip. Legs and feet are dark. The only dark heron species in North America in which the juvenile is white. Feeds on small crustaceans, vertebrates, and large insects.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk: Large, highly variable hawk with brown upperparts, head and throat. The underparts are pale with brown streaks. Wings are pale below with dark bar at leading edge and dark tips. The tail is red-brown with dark terminal band. Legs and feet are yellow. Soars on thermals and updrafts.
Ferruginous Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk: Large hawk, white head, streaked, rust-brown shoulders, back, and feathered legs. Underparts have scattered rufous streaks. Gray-brown wings. Tail is white with rust-brown wash. Dark morph is red-brown with white flight feathers. Alternates deep flaps and glides, soars on thermals.
Cooper's Hawk
Cooper's Hawk: Medium, agile hawk with dark blue-gray back and white underparts with many fine rufous bars. Cap is darker than upperparts. Eyes are red. The tail is long with thick black-and-white bands. Legs and feet are yellow. Alternates rapid wing beats and short glides, often soars on thermals.
Northern Goshawk
Northern Goshawk: Large hawk with slate blue-gray to nearly black upperparts and very finely barred and streaked pale gray underparts. Head is dark with thick, white eyebrows and red eyes. Tail is paler gray with three or four dark bands. Alternates rapid wing beats with glides, soars on thermals.
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk: Large hawk with brown upperparts and head. Underparts are white with rust-red barring. The wings are finely barred above with red-brown shoulders and pale below with red-brown wash and dark tips. Tail is dark with thick white bands.
Osprey
Osprey: Large raptor, dark brown upperparts contrast with white underparts, faint breast band. Small, white head has dark crown, eyestripe. Dark bill. Wings held at a distinct angle in flight, with underwing showing barred flight feathers and diagnostic dark patches on forewing. Gray legs and feet.
Common Raven
Common Raven: Large raven with all-black body, large, stout bill, wedge-shaped tail. Eats invertebrates, vertebrates, insects, carrion, refuse, eggs and young of other birds, and rodents. Strong flight, alternates several deep wing beats with long glides on flat wings. Soars on thermals, updrafts.
Long-tailed Duck
Long-tailed Duck: Small diving duck, black upperparts, head, neck, breast, wings; back is black and brown mottled; white flanks, belly, undertail coverts. Black tail has long, pintail-like central feathers that are often submerged when swimming. Pale gray mask, black bill with dark pink saddle.
Harlequin Duck
Harlequin Duck: Small diving duck, blue-gray upperparts and underparts, rust-brown flanks. Back, breast and neck have vivid black-bordered white bars. Tail is dark and relatively long. Gray legs, feet. Feeds on insects, mollusks and crustaceans. Rapid direct flight, often low over the water.
Steller's Eider
Steller's Eider: Small eider with black back and collar, white sides, buff-brown underparts with small but distinct black spot on side. White head has a dark tuft, black eye patch and chin. Wings are white with black primaries and a white-bordered blue speculum. Blue-gray bill, legs and feet.
Arctic Loon
Arctic Loon: Medium loon with straight, stout bill, white-spotted black back, white flanks visible above water while swimming. Head and nape are gray. Neck has bold black and white stripes on sides and green or purple throat bar that may be difficult to see. Feeds on fish, mollusks, and crustaceans.
American Black Duck
American Black Duck: Stocky, medium-sized dabbling duck with dark brown body, paler face and foreneck, and purple speculum bordered with black. Head is finely streaked; dark eyestripe is distinct. White underwings contrast with dark brown body in flight. Legs, feet are orange. Swift direct flight.
Greater Roadrunner
Greater Roadrunner: Large, ground-dwelling cuckoo with overall brown, white and buff streaked appearance. Head has a shaggy crest. Face has blue and orange bare patch of skin behind eyes. Tail is long. Eats insects, lizards, snakes, rodents, small birds and fruits and seeds. Can run up to 15 mph.
Ross's Goose
Ross's Goose: Small, white goose with black primary feathers and stubby gray-based red-orange bill. Red-orange legs and feet. Eats mostly fresh grasses and grains, often in the company of Snow Geese. Rapid direct flight with strong wing beats. Flies in a V formation. North America's smallest goose.
Greater White-fronted Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose: Medium goose with dark-brown body. Underparts are barred and flecked with black; belly and undertail coverts are conspicuously white. Front of face has a white patch. Bill is usually pink. Legs are orange. Steady direct flight with rapid wing beats. Flies in V formation.
Snow Goose
Snow Goose: Large goose with two color phases. White phase is all white with black wing tips. Blue phase has white head and neck, blue-gray upperparts, gray-brown breast and sides, white belly. Pink bill, black lower mandible. Pink legs, feet. Strong direct flight in bunched flocks or U formations.
White-winged Scoter
White-winged Scoter: Medium sea duck, mostly black except for white eye patches, large white wing patches. Bill is orange with large black basal knob. Red-orange legs, feet. Dives to 40 feet, feeds primarily on shellfish. Direct flight with steady wing beats. Flies in straight line or V formation.
Black Scoter
Black Scoter: Medium diving duck, entirely black except for yellow knob at base of black bill. Legs and feet are black. The male is the only all black duck in North America. Dives for food, primarily eats mollusks. Strong direct flight with rapid wing beats. Flies in straight line and V formation.
Barrow's Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye: Medium diving duck with black upperparts, contrasting white shoulder bars, white underparts. Head is large, glossy, and purple-black with golden yellow eyes and a crescent-shaped white patch behind a dark bill. White wing patches are visible in flight. Yellow legs and feet.
Common Black-Hawk
Common Black-Hawk: Large hawk, nearly all black with white patch just behind bill. Bill, legs and feet are bright orange-yellow. The tail is black with single, thick white band across the middle and a thin, white tip. Alternates deep steady wing beats with short to long glides. Soars on thermals.
Eurasian Wigeon
Eurasian Wigeon: Large dabbling duck with gray back and finely speckled gray flanks. Head is dark rufous-brown with buff crown and forehead; breast, neck and upper back are pale rufous brown, belly is white. Wings have white shoulder patches and green specula visible in flight. Gray legs, feet.
King Eider
King Eider: Large diving duck with black body and white breast, back. The crown and nape are pale blue; distinct bill is orange-red, sweeping upward into a large, orange basal knob outlined in black. Wings are black with large white patches visible in flight. Tail has white patches at the base.
Black Skimmer
Black Skimmer: Odd-looking, tern-like bird with black upperparts and white underparts. Bright red bill with black tip, lower mandible longer than upper. Long, slim wings are dark above and silver-gray below. Tail is white with black central feathers. Legs, feet are red. Direct flight.
Aplomado Falcon
Aplomado Falcon: Medium falcon with slate-gray upperparts, plain white breast. White, moustache-striped face has pale eyebrows joining at back of head. Belly and legs are cinnamon-brown. Long tail banded with white and black (or gray) stripes. Swift, direct flight with deep wing beats, also hovers.
Gadwall
Gadwall: Large dabbling duck with finely barred gray body, black rump and undertail coverts, white belly, and rust-brown shoulders. Head and neck are gray-brown; bill is gray. Wings have black-bordered white speculum most visible in flight. Legs and feet are yellow. Fast direct flight.
Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon: Small loon with scaled gray back and white underparts. Head and sides of neck are gray, throat is dark red, nape is black-and-white striped. Eyes are red. Feeds on fish, dives to 90 feet for them. Direct flight, rapid wing beats. Only loon to leap into flight from water or land.
Yellow-billed Loon
Yellow-billed Loon: Large loon, white-spotted black upperparts, white underparts, gray sides with fine white spots. Head is glossy green-black; neck has black-and-white rings. Yellow bill. Dives for small fish, crustaceans. Direct flight on deep wing beats. Solitary, or in pairs and family groups.
Pacific Loon
Pacific Loon: Medium loon with black-and-white checkered back and white underparts. Crown and nape are gray. Iridescent throat patch can appear purple, green, or black. Eye is red. Bill is black and slender. Feeds mostly on fish, some crustaceans and mollusks. Flight is direct with rapid wing beats.
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Fulvous Whistling-Duck: Large, long-legged, long-necked duck with dark brown back and white V-shaped rump patch. Head and underparts are buff with white throat and vent. The white-edged side and flank feathers form a striking border between sides and back. Tail is black with white undertail coverts.
Tufted Duck
Tufted Duck: Medium-sized diving duck with long black crest and dull black back and tail. Underparts and sides are bright white. Head, neck and breast are black with a purple sheen. Wings are black with dark-edged, broad white stripes visible in flight. Eyes are yellow; legs and feet are gray.
Glaucous-winged Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull: Large gull with gray upperparts and white underparts, head, and neck. Eyes are dark. Bill is yellow with red spot on lower mandible. Wings are gray with white edges and spots near the tips. Legs and feet are pink. Powerful direct flight, often soars on thermals.
California Gull
California Gull: Moderately large gull, white body, gray wings, black wing tips. Bill is yellow with red and black spot near tip of bill on lower mandible. Legs are yellow; eye is dark with red orbital ring. Strong direct flight with deep wing beats. Soars on thermals and updrafts.
Western Gull
Western Gull: Large gull, gray upperparts, white head, neck, tail and underparts. Yellow eyes. Bright yellow bill with red spot near tip; Pale pink legs and feet. Gray upper wings, white-edged with white-spotted black tips. Direct flight, strong, steady wing beats, soars on thermals.
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker: Large woodpecker with mostly black body and white wing linings which are visible in flight. The head has a prominent red crest and cap, white face and neck stripes and a red moustache stripe, and large gray bill. Legs and feet are gray. The largest woodpecker in North America.
Common Murre
Common Murre: Medium seabird with brown-black upperparts, throat, white underparts, and long dark bill. Tail is short. Some Atlantic birds have a narrow white eye-ring and stripe extending past the eye. Can dive to depths of more than 240 feet. Feeds on fish and invertebrates. AKA Common Guillemot.
Glaucous Gull
Glaucous Gull: Large, white gull with pale gray back. Eyes are yellow. Bill is yellow with red spot on lower mandible. Wings are white-edged and white tipped. Legs and feet are pink. An active predator of seabird nesting colonies. Slow, steady wing beats. Soars on thermals and updrafts.
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser: Medium-sized diving duck with black upperparts, gray sides, rust-brown breast, and white belly. Head, double crests, and neck are green and the neck ring is white. Bill is long, thin, and bright orange. Feet and legs are orange. Feeds mostly on fish, which it finds by diving.
Common Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye: Medium diving duck, white-striped black upperparts, white underparts. Head is iridescent green-black with white circular patch between yellow eyes and dark gray bill. Wings are dark with large white patches conspicuous in flight. Legs and feet are yellow. Swift, direct flight.
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture: Medium vulture, mostly black with red, featherless head and upper neck. Wings are held in a shallow V in flight. One of the few birds of prey that is able to use its sense of smell to find food. They are attracted to the smell of mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay.
Mew Gull
Mew Gull: Medium-sized gull with gray back and upperwings, and white head, neck, breast, and belly. Bill is bright yellow. Wings have white-spotted black tips; tail is white. Feet and legs are dull yellow. Graceful, bouyant flight. Undulating, with several rapid wingbeats and a pause.
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-billed Gull: Medium gull with gray upperparts and white underparts. Head is white and bill is yellow with black ring near tip. Wings are gray above, tipped black with white spots, and white below. Yellow legs and feet. Strong direct flight on deep wing beats, soars on thermals.
American Avocet
American Avocet: Long-legged shorebird with long, thin, upcurved bill and distinctive black-and-white back and sides. Head and neck are bright rust-brown during summer. Legs and feet are gray. Feeds on insects, crustaceans, and invertebrates. Strong direct flight with neck extended.
Red-necked Grebe
Red-necked Grebe: Large grebe with dark gray upperparts and cap, white underparts with gray flanks. Lower face and nape are white; neck is red-brown. Eyes are dark brown. Long thick yellow bill with dark tip. Black legs, feet. Dives for small fish and crustaceans. Direct flight on rapid wing beats.
Clark's Grebe
Clark's Grebe: Large grebe, gray-black upperparts, white underparts, and slender neck with white on front and black on back. White face, black cap extends nearly to red eyes. Bill is yellow-orange. Until the 1980's thought to be a pale morph of the Western Grebe. Direct flight on rapid wing beats.
Long-billed Curlew
Long-billed Curlew: Very large sandpiper with brown mottled upperparts, buff-brown underparts with dark streaks and spots. Bill is very long, decurved. Cinnamon-brown underwings visible in flight. Feeds by probing mud with bill or dunking head under water. Direct flight, steady, strong wing beats.
Emperor Goose
Emperor Goose: Small goose with slate-gray plumage subtly barred white and black. Head, hindneck are white while foreneck is dark. Short, pink bill. Tail is white with black undertail coverts. Legs are bright yellow-orange. Feeds on plants, crustaceans, mollusks. Direct flight with rapid wing beats.
Brant
Brant: Small goose, dark brown upperparts and brown-barred, pale gray underparts. Head is black; short black neck has partial white ring. Tail and vent are white. Western race, formerly known as the Black Brant, is darker. Heavy direct flight with strong wing beats. Flies in straight line formation.
Thick-billed Murre
Thick-billed Murre: Medium-sized seabird with black upperparts, head and neck, and white underparts. A thin, white stripe extends from bill to cheek. The bill is short and black. Legs and feet are black. Feeds on fish, marine worms, crustaceans and squid. Strong swift flight low over water.
Ruffed Grouse
Ruffed Grouse: Medium-sized grouse with crested head and scaled brown upperparts. White underparts have pale brown bars on breast and dark brown bars on belly and flanks. Sides of neck have black ruff. The tail is brown with fine, white bars and white-edged dark band at tip. Northern form is grayer.
Dusky Grouse
Dusky Grouse: Large, chicken-like bird, dark gray to blue-gray plumage, red-orange eye combs, black squared tail with narrow pale gray terminal band. Patch of violet-red skin on neck surrounded by white feathers is displayed during courtship. Formerly (with Sooty Grouse) known as Blue Grouse.
Marbled Godwit
Marbled Godwit: Large sandpiper with black-marked, dark brown upperparts, lightly barred, chestnut-brown underparts. Long pink bill has black tip, is slightly upcurved. Pale brown underwings visible in flight. Feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, worms, insects, seeds, berries. Swift and direct flight.
Ring-necked Pheasant
Ring-necked Pheasant: Large, chicken-like pheasant with metallic-brown body, iridescent green head, white neck ring, and bright red eye patch and wattles. The tail is very long and pointed. It was first introduced to California from Asia as a game bird in 1857. Very popular bird for hunting.
Greater Sage-Grouse
Greater Sage Grouse: Largest North American grouse, has scaled gray-brown upperparts, white breast, black throat, bib, and belly, and yellow combs above eyes. Large, white collar-like patch on breast conceals two yellow air sacs displayed during courtship. Tail feathers are long and pointed.