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Birds A-Z

Western Screech-Owl
Western Screech-Owl

Megascops kennicottii

Drab, mottled brown back contrasts with yellow breast and black V-band. White outer tail feathers; flute-like song. Nests on ground; eats seeds and insects.

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Western Tanager
Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Found in coniferous woodlands. Breeding male unmistakable; female dull olive with yellow underparts. White/yellow wing bars. Compare Bullock's Oriole. Eats insects, fruit.

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Western Wood-Pewee
Western Wood-Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Found in coniferous woodlands. Breeding male unmistakable; female dull olive with yellow underparts. White/yellow wing bars. Compare Bullock's Oriole. Eats insects, fruit.

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White-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

Found in coniferous/mixed forests near water. Distinguished from other flycatchers by obvious wing bars (compare Olive-sided Flycatcher). Doesn't wag tail like phoebes.

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White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Found in grassy fields, woodland edge, hedgerows. Grayish underparts, pink bill, striped crown (reddish-brown in immatures, black/white in adults). Eats seeds and insects.

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White-tailed Kite
White-tailed Kite

Elanus leucurus

Found in grassy fields, woodland edge, hedgerows. Grayish underparts, pink bill, striped crown (reddish-brown in immatures, black/white in adults). Eats seeds and insects.

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White-throated Swift
White-throated Swift

Aeronautes saxatalis

Long whitish tail and black shoulders make the adult unmistakable. Long pointed wings

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Wild Turkey
Wild Turkey

Meleagris gallopavo

Found near cliffs and canyons. Dark upperparts, contrasting black-and-white underside, white throat, forked tail. Nests in rock crevices; eats insects in flight.

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Wilson's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Wild Turkey: largest North American game bird, found in mixed woodlands. Bare head/neck skin, reddish wattles, iridescent body, breast "beard." Introduced to California; eats acorns and seeds.

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Wrentit
Wrentit

Chamaea fasciata

Found in moist riparian undergrowth. Olive-green back, yellow below, black crown (males). Females lack wing bars/tail spots (compare Yellow Warbler). Ground nester.

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Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Found in chaparral with dense undergrowth. Grayish-brown, dusky-streaked underparts, pale eye. Loud whistle-like song with a trill; grinding rattle call.

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Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler

Setophaga coronata

Found in wooded habitats, brushy areas, and weedy fields. Two hybridizing subspecies (Audubon's, Myrtle); white wing bars, yellow rump, yellow breast sides. Mostly eats insects.

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