Great Basin
Scroll down to study the most common birds in your survey region by sight and sound.
Surveys in the Great Basin region include:
Promontory, Salt Springs, Notch Peak, Goshen, Stock Res, Lynn, Johnson Canyon, Gold Hill, Fairfield, Fish Springs, Delta, Wah Wah, Beryl, Bear River, Vernon, Callao, Peplin Mountain, Goose Creek Mountain, Snowville, Grantsville, Jericho Junction, Pine Creek, Oak City, Grouse Creek, Leamington, Indian Peak, Hardware Ranch, Clive, Gandy, Tule Valley, & Newcastle.
Eurasian collared-Dove
Bird Code: EUCD
Identify this bird by…
Large bird with square tail
The black “collar” around the back of its neck
Tell it apart by…
Larger and heavier than the Mourning Dove
Lacks spotting on side of body, instead this bird is overall a paler overall grey
Squared tail (rather than pointed/tapered)
Listen for…
A rhythmic, repeated, three-syllable hooting: “coo-COO-coo!” With three syllables (instead of five) and an emphasized middle note, the song is rhythmically different from the mourning dove. Also: a very harsh and nasal sound during flights.
Resources:
Mourning Dove
Bird Code: MODO
Identify this bird by…
Plump body, small head and bill, long-tail
Wings make an airy whinny, or whistle as they take off
Tell it apart by…
Darker and smaller than Eurasian-collared Dove
Tail is long and pointed (or tapered) in flight
Black spots on lower wings and rump
Dark smudge or dot on cheek
Listen for…
A mournful and slow hooting, five-syllable hooting: “oo-AAHH-hoo-hoo-hoo.” Listen also to the light, airy whistle of the wings when they fly.
Resources:
American Avocet
Bird Code: AMAV
Identify this bird by…
Its oval body sits atop long legs
Large, slender shorebird with a long, upturned bill, a long neck, and a round head
Tell it apart by…
Rusty head and neck that turns grayish white after breeding
A black patch on the back and black-and-white wings mark its largely white body
The legs are bluish gray
Look for…
Behavior - Wades through shallow water sweeping its bill side to side for aquatic invertebrates. Often shakes its foot with each step to remove mud from its foot
Listen for…
Call: Generally silent, but a repeated, high-pitched kleet
American Goldfinch
Bird Code: AGOL
Identify this bird by…
Short, cone-like bill and short, notched tail
Yellow body, black (or grey) cap on forehead
Tell it apart by…
Larger size compared to Lesser Goldfinch
White undertail
Listen for…
Call: 4-5 sweet notes is sometimes thought of as “potato chip” or “per-chick-o-ree.”
Song: long series of twitters and warbles. Listen closely for the “per-chick-o-ree”
Resources:
American Coot
Bird Code: AMCO
Identify this bird by…
A strange member of the Rail family that acts like a duck: a plump bird with a relatively thick neck, rounded head, and sloping bill
Adults are dark gray/black with a white bill. Juveniles are dull gray-brown.
They often bob their head while swimming.
Listen for…
Call: a variety of grunting and croaking noises. They commonly give a short single note “krrp” or “prik” call
Northern Flicker
Bird Code: NOFL
Identify this bird by…
Undersides of the wing and tail feathers are bright yellow, for eastern birds (yellow-shafted), or red, in western birds (red-shafted)
White rump patch, seen in flight
Males have a black “moustache,” females do not
Listen for…
Call: a high and piercing “Clear!” or “Kyeer!” Also, a quieter, rhythmic and repeated “woik-a, woik-a, woik-a”. NOFA have a territorial call, too. This is a loud, rolling rattle that lasts for 7 or 8 seconds: “wik-wik-wik-wik-wik-wik.”
Resources:
American Kestrel
Bird Code: AMKE
Identify this bird by…
Roughly the size/shape of a MODO, but it has a larger head, longer and more narrow wings
Long, square-tipped tail
In flight, the wings are often bent and the wingtips are swept back
Males: Slate-blue wings
Females: Reddish-brown wings
Sideburns: black vertical slashes on the sides of the face is seen in both male and females
Listen for…
Call: made up of repeated two-syllable notes “killy-killy-killy!” Cooper’s Hawk and Northern Flicker only have one note calls. American Kestrel also have a much higher, thinner tone to their call than Cooper’s Hawk and Northern Flicker.
Resources:
KILLDEER
Bird Code: KILL
Identify this bird by…
Slender bird with long wings and tail
2 black breast bands
Rusty tail in flight
Males and females look the same (not dimorphic)
Look for…
Behavior - Walking along the ground or running ahead a few steps, stopping to look around, and running on again. When disturbed they break into flight and circle overhead, calling repeatedly. Their flight is rapid, with stiff, intermittent wingbeats
Listen for…
Call: Calls are a high and thin tone, although they may do a variety of phrases- sometimes they even say their name: “kill-deer-kill-deer”
Resources:
Ash-Throated Flycatcher
Bird Code: ATFL
Identify this bird by…
Overall pale appearance
Whitish throat and very pale yellow body
Listen for…
Call: Listen for low, rough class and flat “pip”.
AMERICAN White Pelican
Bird Code: AWPE
Identify this bird by…
Large white bird with a large orange bill
In flight, can see contrasting black flight feathers
Breeding adults grow a plate that sticks up on the upper bill
Listen for…
Call: usually silent, but may give a low grunting at the nest.
Barn Swallow
Bird Code: BARS
Identify this bird by…
Fairly large, colorful swallow.
Usually easy to identify with its long, forked tail and dark rump.
Iridescent navy-blue above with a rich orange throat and forehead.
Underparts vary across the range, from bright buffy-orange to whitish.
Listen for…
Call: Give a cheep call when threatened
Song: Sing a “twitter-warble” song followed by a dozen rapid, mechanical-sounding whirrs. Lasts 4-20 seconds.
American robin
Bird Code: AMRO
Identify this bird by…
Fairly large songbird with a round body, long legs, and a longish tail.
Gray above with warm orange underparts and blackish head.
Listen for…
Call: Mumbled cuck or tuk to communicate with each other, or a short yeep or peak as an alarm call.
Song: A string of around 10 whistles sounding like cheerily, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up.
Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher
Bird Code: BGGN
Identify this bird by…
A tiny, long-tailed, thin-billed songbird.
Soft blue-gray above and whitish below, with a thin white eyering.
Breeding males have a black band across the forehead.
Listen for…
Call: A sharp, mewing zee, or chary contact call is uttered in bursts of 2 to 6 notes about a second apart.
Song: Continuous jumbles of sharp chips, high-pitched whistles, and mewing notes are around 10 seconds long, often including mimicked parts from other species.
brewer’s sparrow
Bird Code: BRSP
Identify this bird by…
Pale gray nape, pale lores, and plain facial pattern.
Listen for…
Song: A long series of buzzy, reedy notes mixed with trills; the tones and long duration of the song are unique.
bullock’s Oriole
Bird Code: BUOR
Identify this bird by…
Adult males have a large white wing patch and a mostly orange face with black eyeliner.
Females are duller overall, mostly gray on the belly, usually with the brightest orange on the face.
Immature males are similar to females, but usually slightly brighter and with a black throat and eyeliner.
Listen for…
Call: Harsh, chattering rattle to signal alarm. Also, give a sharp one-note call.
Song: 3 seconds long, composed of rich whistled notes interspersed with rattles, often introduced by gruff scratchy notes.
burrowing Owl
Bird Code: BUOW
Identify this bird by…
Small, long-legged owl.
Appears brown at a distance with irregular white spotting, with yellow eyes.
Listen for…
Call: Not especially vocal, the most commonly heard sound is a quail-like two-note cooing made by males during mating.
Canada Goose
Bird Code: CANG
Identify this bird by…
A large brown goose with a black neck and white chinstrap.
Overall size, bill size, and brown coloration vary across subspecies.
Listen for…
Call: Various long honks, barks, and cackles. Also, some hisses.
Chukar
Bird Code:
Identify this bird by…
Boldly-patterned quail-like bird.
Overall pale sandy brownish-gray with bold black strip on the face.
Red bill and legs and black stripes on sides.
Listen for…
Song: A series of scratchy notes; sounds like it’s saying its name with emphasis on the second syllable: “chuKAR, chuKAR, chuKAR.”
Brewer’s Blackbird
Bird Code: BRBL
Identify this bird by…
Breeding males are glossy black with a purplish head and a greenish sheen on the body.
Non-breeding males and pale eyebrows and staring yellow eyes.
Females are plain dark brown and typically have dark eyes.
Females are similar to Brown-headed Cowbird, but with a longer, thinner bill and longer tail than the cowbird.
Listen for…
Call: A tchup or chuk, similar to the calls of other blackbirds.
Song: Rising squee that lasts about 0.8 seconds with a metallic sound.
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bird Code:
Identify this bird by…
Stout bill, short tail, and stocky body.
Males are glossy black with a chocolate brown head.
Females are gray-brown overall, without bold streaks, but slightly paler throat.
Juveniles streaked brown.
Listen for…
Call: Variety of whistles, clicking, and chattering calls.
Song: A liquid-sounding series of low gurgling notes followed by thin sliding whistles, lasting slightly longer than 1 second.
black-throated Gray Warbler
Bird Code: BTYW
Identify this bird by…
A warbler in grayscale except for a small yellow spot in front of the eye.
Note black-and-white head with a gray back, white wingbars, and white underparts with dark streaks.
Listen for…
Call: Both males and females give a flat chup.
Song: A series of 5-9 buzzy notes; singing zeedle zeedle zeedle zeet-chee.
California Gull
Bird Code: CAGU
Identify this bird by…
Medium-sized gull, a bit larger than the Ring-billed Gull.
Adults have a medium gray mantle and red and black markings on the bill.
Listen for…
Call: Their call consists of a scratchy, hoarse series of aow and uh-uh-uh notes.
Chipping sparrow
Bird Code: CHSP
Identify this bird by…
Plain grayish breast, rusty cap, and black eyeliner in breeding season.
Juveniles are extensively streaky.
Listen for…
Call: Chipping Sparrows give a long zeeeee call as an alarm. During courtship, females make a soft, rapid see-see-see-see to attract the attention of her mate.
Song: Male Chipping Sparrows sing a long, dry trill of evenly spaced, almost mechanical-sounding chips.
Cliff Swallow
Bird Code:
Identify this bird by…
Compact swallow with a short, square tail.
In flight, looks slightly less angular than other swallows, more with rounded wings.
Note pale buffy-orange rump, separating Cliff from other swallows.
Look for dark throat and pale forehead.
Listen for…
Call: Most common call is a soft chur. They also give a squeak when foraging and a purr-like alarm when predators approach the colony.
Song: During courting and nesting, Cliff Swallows sign a series of guttural grating sounds and squeaks, usually lasting up to 6 seconds.
Black-throated Sparrow
Bird Code: BTSP
Identify this bird by…
Gray-brown overall with a distinctive black-and-white face pattern, dark tail with white corners
Streaker juvenile shows a hint of an adult’s face pattern, especially the white eyebrow.
Listen for…
Call: Black-throated Sparrows give a quiet twittering of jumbled notes that sound like tinkling bells; often during aggressive interactions between males. Females and males also give a high-pitched tink.
Song: Males sing a tinkling song from the tops of shrubs or while foraging on the ground. The song starts with two quiet opening notes, slides into a buzz, followed by 2 bell-like notes and a trill.
BLack-Billed Magpie
Bird Code: BBMA
Identify this bird by…
Large, conspicuous, black-and-white bird.
Unmistakably long tail and bold pattern, especially visible in flight.
Listen for…
Call: Call a harsh, chattering “wock, wock wock-a-wock, wock, pjur, weer, weer.”
Songs: Harsh, ascending call and raspy chatter.