Birds of Arizona and New Mexico

Along streams in the desert Southwest, a sharp pinging note in the thickets announces the presence of Abert's Towhee. If an observer tries to approach, a pair of these towhees may stay just ahead and out of sight, calling in an odd squealing duet when pressed too closely. When undisturbed, they feed on the ground under dense bushes, scratching among the leaf-litter. Many southwestern 'specialty birds' have extensive ranges in the tropics, but this towhee barely gets across the border into northwestern Mexico.

The Black-Chinned Hummingbird is the most common species of hummingbird found in the Southwest. Over much of the west, this species is widespread in many habitats at low elevations, often coming into suburban gardens and nesting in back yards within its range. Several other western hummingbirds may stay through the winter, at least in small numbers, but the Black-chin is almost entirely absent from the west in winter.

The metallic wing-trill of the male Broad-tailed Hummingbird is a characteristic sound of summer in the mountain west. This sound is often heard as a flying bird zings past unseen. The birds are seen easily enough, however, at masses of flowers in the high meadows, where they hover and dart around the blossoms, often fighting and chasing each other away from choice patches. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are one of the four species of hummingbirds that visit Randall Davey Audubon Center and Sanctuary's Haiku Trail.

The only raptor in the world that lives and nests underground, Burrowing Owls are tiny, weighing about the same as a stick of butter. They are day-active, live in groups, and prefer open landscapes—traits that make them easier to observe than other owls. They do not dig their own burrows but instead rely on animals like prairie dogs to construct burrows for their use. The combination of urban sprawl and elimination of burrowing rodents leaves many owls homeless, especially in the Phoenix valley. Audubon Southwest is teamed up with the raptor center Wild At Heart to translocate displaced owls to safe sites on Bureau of Land Management properties. Volunteers are needed to help with the process of building artificial burrows for the birds and assisting with the release process.

The state bird of Arizona, Cactus Wren is big and bold, with strong markings and a harsh rasping voice—very different from our other temperate-zone wrens. It represents a tropical group of large, sociable wrens, with eight species in Mexico and a few more farther south. Cactus Wrens are common in our desert southwest. They are usually seen in pairs or family parties, strutting on the ground or hopping in the brush, often posturing with spread wings and tails as they call to each other. Their bulky nests are conspicuous in cholla cactus and desert trees; after the breeding season, the wrens may sleep in these at night.

This bird often lives in places remote from human contact, near the treeline on windy western peaks. Where it does encounter people, however, Clark’s Nutcracker seem fearless, striding about in picnic grounds and scenic-view parking lots, looking for handouts. Nutcrackers are champions at burying pine seeds (sometimes tens of thousands) in hidden caches in fall, then re-finding them during winter. These seed stores allow them to nest in late winter, when the forest is still covered with snow.

Since it was first spotted in Arizona in the 1880s, the possibility of seeing a Trogon has lured birdwatchers to the Madrean Sky Islands, a biologically diverse mountain range spanning southern Arizona and New Mexico and into Mexico. With its brilliant metallic colors and odd croaking call, the Elegant Trogon brings an exotic touch to the wooded canyons and streamside sycamores where it lives. The observer who finds one may get to watch it at leisure: rather sluggish, the trogon may sit upright on one perch for several minutes.

A brash, noisy woodpecker of desert regions of Arizona and Mexico. Gila Woodpeckers have a beige body and striking black and white wings and tail. Males feature a bright red cap. Common and conspicuous in stands of saguaro, or giant cactus, it also lives in the trees along desert rivers, and is quick to move into towns and suburbs. This species and the Gilded Flicker are the two main architects of desert apartment houses: the holes they excavate in giant cactus are later used as nesting sites by many other birds, from flycatchers and martins to owls and kestrels.

The state bird of New Mexico and perhaps the most famous bird in the United States southwest region, the Greater Roadrunner is featured in folklore and cartoons, known by its long tail and expressive crest. The Roadrunner walks and runs on the ground, flying only when necessary. It can run 15 miles per hour, probably with much faster spurts when chasing a fast-running lizard or other prey. Its prowess as a rattlesnake fighter has been much exaggerated, but it does eat a remarkable variety of smaller creatures.

Plain and drab but full of personality, the Juniper Titmouse enlivens pinyon-juniper woods of the interior of the west. Until recently, this and the very similar Oak Titmouse were considered one species, under the name of Plain Titmouse. New Mexico holds almost a third of the global population for Juniper Titmouse.

A little smaller and paler than the Greater Prairie-Chicken, this grouse is adapted to arid short-grass regions of the southern Great Plains. At one time it was abundant in it region, but it has declined seriously, and is now an uncommon bird found in a few local concentrations. Audubon’s Conservation Ranching program supports market incentives for ranchers that manage their rangeland for bird habitat. Innovative partnerships like this provide a win-win solution for birds, like the Lesser Prairie-Chicken, and beef producers.

Small, pale, and plain, this bird is unimpressive in appearance, but it is notable as the only warbler that nests in the hot deserts of the Southwest. Lucy's Warblers return to the desert early in spring, and pairs can be found foraging in brush along the washes. Unlike most warblers, they raise their young in cavities, placing their nests inside old woodpecker holes or under loose slabs of bark. The San Pedro River in Arizona is a great place to observe these birds, as it has many miles of mesquite bosques that have some of the highest densities of breeding Lucy’s Warbler.

Cobalt blue and gregarious, this bird depends on healthy Pinyon-Juniper woodlands for survival. Pinyon Jay collect and cache (bury underground) piñon seeds and can remember over 90 percent of the cache sites! Forgotten seeds become future piñon pine trees, so these birds provide a valuable tree-planting service. Audubon Southwest, along with local partners and the Great Basin Bird Observatory, leads a community science effort mobilizing people to easily report Pinyon Jay sightings on their smart phones.

A close relative of the Clapper Rail of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, and was considered part of the same species until recently. Ridgway’s rail is a chicken-like marsh bird, who lives in both salt and freshwater marsh habitats. A subspecies of Ridgway’s Rail, the Yuma Ridgway's Rail (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis) is typically secretive and rarely seen, buts its presence is known when it vocalizes—letting off a repetitive, sharp clapping. Yuma Ridway’s Rail is a federally endangered species found in the marshes of the lower Colorado River, the Salton Sea in California, the Ciénega de Santa Clara in Mexico, and the Gila River in Arizona. They prefer younger stands of cattail and bulrush, and eat crayfish, freshwater clams, and other invertebrates.

Found in several scattered areas of North America, Sandhill Cranes reach their peak abundance at migratory stopover points on the Great Plains. Over 40,000 Sandhill Cranes winter in New Mexico and the largest winter concentration of these birds can be found in Southeastern Arizona’s Whitewater Draw State Wildlife Area Important Bird Area (IBA). Although they are currently very common, their dependence on key stopover sites makes them vulnerable to loss of habitat in the future.

Until the 1970s, this bird and the Alder Flycatcher masqueraded as just one species under the name 'Traill's Flycatcher.' They are essentially identical in looks, but their voices are different. Either kind may be found in thickets of either willow or alder shrubs, but their ranges are largely separate: Alder Flycatchers spend the summer mostly in Canada and Alaska, while Willow Flycatchers nest mostly south of the Canadian border. The federally endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher can be found in riparian habitats from New Mexico west to southern California.

The Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a distinct population segment of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, is federally listed as a threatened species. These dove-sized birds fly to and from Paraguay to the American West (some 5,000 miles!) twice a year looking for a mate. They are usually hard to observe, inhabiting dense leafy groves and thickets during the summer. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s stuttering, croaking calls are audible at a great distance, often heard on hot, humid afternoons. People sometimes call this bird the “rain crow,” imaging that it is calling for rain.