Birds of
the Tortolitas
Turkey
Vulture
(Cathartes aura)
Well
known in Wild West folklore for circling over dying cowboys and prospectors,
turkey vultures feed on dead animals and clean up the desert. They soar
effortlessly on wind currents to seek out carrion and their keen senses
of sight and smell allow them to located carcasses from far away.
They
may have a wingspan of five feet, with black to brown feathers and bald,
red heads. Rather than building a nest, one to three eggs are laid in
hollows on cliffs, ledges or caves. They have no call but will hiss
and puff. When danger threatens they vomit rather than scratch and claw.
The smell, from the carrion they eat, will cause predators to run away.
Common
Raven
(Corvus corvax)
These
highly intelligent members of the crow family may have a wingspan of
four feet or larger. They usually live in pairs but have been known
to form roosts of 100 and are called “a mob.” Being omnivorous,
they eat large insects, garbage, small birds, lizards and mammals, fruit
and carrion. They will store away excess food.
Skillful
fliers, ravens tumble and wheel through the air when mating or chasing
other birds. Their call is loud and raucous and can be heard for long
distances. Favorite nesting sites are cliffs and tall trees and three
to six spotted eggs are common.
These
are certainly the highest evolved social birds and tales of them caring
for and even rescuing others of their kind are common as are legends
of their intelligence. They are know to use tools and even hide away
their favorites and become possessive about them. Much like some humans.
Greater
Roadrunner
(Geococcyx californianus)
Another
popular subject of cartoons and folklore, roadrunners are eye-catching
ground dwelling birds that are found throughout the Southwest in open,
dry areas. About two feet in length with long tails they can reach speeds
of fifteen miles per hour, running with their heads and tails extended.
To stop they abruptly raise their tail.
Their
diet consists of grasshoppers, insects, spiders, lizards and small snakes,
scorpions, bats and rodents. It will hold its prey in its beak and beat
it against a rock or the ground to kill it before swallowing it whole.
A member of the cuckoo family, their nests are built of twigs in cacti
or low trees where two to six eggs are laid and incubated by the male.
They
apparently mate for life and are very protective of their territories,
mates, and offspring. There are many tales of them adapting to humans
including taking food and shiny objects from people. They also teach
this behavior to their mates and young. This species and a couple others
in other countries are likely the closest to what an “average”
dinosaur looked and behaved like. In fact, the T rex has been called
by a leading paleontologist the “Roadrunner From Hell.”
Harris
Hawk
(Parabuteo unicinctus)
Dark
brown plumage distinguishes these birds from other hawks and their tails
are tipped with white feathers. Hawks are members of the raptor group,
which have hooked upper beaks, feet with sharp claws or talons and excellent
vision.
Hunting
together in social groups, they pursue their prey from different directions
and sometimes in relays. They have been seen flushing prey from cover
while others wait and attack the mammal or bird. A communal meal follows.
Often you can see them piled two or even three high on top of each other
as they roosts. We don’t know why they do this, but is a very advanced
behavior compared to most other birds.
Preferring
desert scrub and Palo Verde trees, they can also be seen sitting on
poles and on top of saguaros cactus where they often build their nests.
They are very fast and highly maneuverable in the air. They are also
very playful and are called the “wolves of the air.” Of all
the raptor species these seem the most adapted to living close to mankind.
Gambel’s
Quail
(Callipepla gambelii)
These
plump, ground dwelling birds are one of the favorites of the Southwest.
Their distinctive teardrop shaped topknots and trail of young following
behind the adults have endeared them to artists and bird lovers alike.
They form coveys or groups, flock together and call loudly to each other
to keep in contact.
Their
nests are well-hidden, grass-lined depressions and may hold more than
a dozen eggs. Chicks leave the nest within a day of hatching to follow
their parents around. Usually only two or three will survive. They roost
together at night in the safety of the desert trees. It is not uncommon
to see two parents and up to a dozen chicks and sometimes twice that
many. As with most ground dwelling birds very few of the young survive
into adulthood.
White-winged
Dove
(Zenaida asiatica)
These
birds are mostly gray with distinctive white wing patches. They are
smaller than the more common mourning dove. Feeding mostly on seeds
on the ground and fruits and berries, they are also seen enjoying nectar
from flowers. They are an important pollinator of the saguaro cactus.
Favored
habitat is in desert scrub and mesquite trees and they are also well
adapted to city living. Many migrate south into Mexico in the fall and
return when it warms again in the spring. Doves are members of the pigeon
family. They will often nest in garages, carport ledges, and other areas
very close to humans and often seem unconcerned by close proximity.
Ferruginous
Pygmy Owl
(Glaucidium brasilianum)
A rare
and protected species in southern Arizona, these small owls are losing
habitat to encroaching development. Usually found in mesquite thickets,
saguaro cacti and desert riparian areas, they nest in holes in trees
and saguaros.
They
hunt during the day and prey on small birds, rodents, insects and lizards.
Very aggressive for their small size, their call is a distinctive whistle.
Lately these small birds have polarized many communities as their endangered
status has made it difficult for some developers to cut down the desert
and build track type homes in a cost effective manner and are not happy.
Many others see this as good and state that it is about time we slowed
down and started considering more than the economics of home building.
Start looking at lifestyle and quality of life these people say. This
little bird is directly responsible for strong feelings by many well
meaning people on this matter.
Luckily
for the species this bird is still “relatively” common in
Mexico, although there are signs that this is starting to change. Few
people have ever seen this bird and when they do most say they immediately
fell in love with it.
Gila Woodpecker
(Melanerpes uropygialis)
The
Gila woodpecker makes its presence known with its loud rapping when
making holes in trees, cacti, telephone poles and houses. It also has
a noisy, loud, laughing cry. They are black and white with a red head
marking. They seem to like all the commotion they cause. Mating season
in the early spring can be a trying time for all the humans in their
territory. The best way to discourage them is bright shiny objects that
move in the wind like pieces of chrome ribbon, old CD’s tied to
strings and hung off the roof areas that are being chopped up. Other
effective methods are placing realistic plastic owls (the kind with
bobbing heads work best) and plastic snakes in gutters.
Their
four toed feet are strong and well adapted to clinging and they use
their long stiff tail for balance, on vertical surfaces. Their primary
diet consists of the insects it finds while knocking on tree trunks
but they also eat fruit, seeds, bird eggs, small birds and lizards.
Woodpeckers will also visit hummingbird feeders.
The
most abundant woodpecker in the desert Southwest, it makes its home
in cavities in saguaros by drilling a deep hole and laying three or
four eggs. Parents care for the young for up to a year. Their noisy
drumming on metal objects establishes their territory and often drives
humans to desperate measures.
Cactus
Wren
(Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)
Members
of the songbird family, cactus wrens are the largest wrens in the United
States. They have a brown and white speckled body and a long curved
bill. Their call is bold, harsh and loud. This wren is an insect eater,
preferring to search the ground for bugs and seeds.
Males
build several nests to attract females, usually in the branches of a
cholla cactus. Nests are large, elliptical structures with an opening
at one end. Made of grass, weeds and twigs they are usually lined with
feathers. Found items such as string, tissue, wax paper and newspaper
will also be used if available. When the female has selected the best
nest, she produces three to six eggs and is fed by the male while she
broods the clutch. The extra nests are used for sleeping quarters at
night.
The
cactus wren is the state bird of Arizona. They are playful, loud, funny,
aggressive, adaptable, and well deserve their status.
Phainopepla
(Phainopepla nitens)
A member
of the silky-flycatcher family with glossy black feathers, the phainopepla’s
name is Greek for “ shining robe”. It has a long tail, red
eyes and crested head. It looks very much like a “black cardinal
and is often called that by newcomers.
It catches its primary meals of insects on the wing and enjoys mistletoe
fruit. When the desert heat of summer arrives, the phainopepla heads
for higher canyons in elevations where there are oak and sycamore trees.
They are one of the only birds that can eat and thrive on the highly
poisonous mistletoe berries and the male will establish his nesting
territory at the largest patch in the highest tree that he can find
and will defend it aggressively from other birds.
Costa’s
Hummingbird
(Calypte costae)
A spring
and winter visitor to feeders throughout the desert Southwest, Costa’s
hummingbird migrates during the summer to cooler climes near the California
coast. They are very colorful birds with an iridescent head and throat.
Aerial
courtship is conducted at speeds that defy their size, sweeping upward
and plunging downward, calling all the while in a shrill chirping voice.
Their tiny nests are strong, cup-shaped structures of plant fibers,
spider webs and plant down. Two eggs are about the size of lima beans.
While
they feed mainly on nectar with their long bills and tongues they do
consume small insects as well. Their metabolism has the highest rate
of any animal and they must feed constantly. To compensate, during the
night their temperature falls and heart and breathing slow to save energy.
Verdin
(Auriparus flaviceps)
A tiny
grayish brown bird with a greenish yellow head, the verdin is constantly
on the move in its search for food. Most of their diet consists of insects,
fruits and berries and flower nectar. They will also visit hummingbird
feeders. They have been seen to hang upside down when trying to reach
food.
Verdin
nests are built in cholla cactus and other thorny shrubs and trees.
Round in shape, nests are hollow in the center and are used to sleep
in as well as for raising young. They are spectacular in their mating
rituals as the male flies straight up in the air, hovers as long as
he can, and then falls straight down to his perch.
Canyon
Wren
(Catherpes mexicanus)
Another
busy desert denizen the canyon wren is not as colorful as its cousin,
the cactus wren. However, its song of descending notes is one of the
most enchanting sounds to echo out of the arid canyons where it lives.
It is a tweee-tweee-tweee-tweee-tweee with each note on a descending
lower scale.
The
canyon wren uses its long bill to probe for spiders and insects as it
creeps among the rocks and crevices of its habitat. Their nests are
built in shady areas for protection from the intense heat. They will
rid your garden of more insects then any other creature outside a bat
when they are raising their young.
They
are also very tolerant of their humans and will nest in garages and
such. It is not unusual for them to raise 4 to 6 babies successfully.
And then they will spend several days luring them away from the nest
and into the rocks and boulders that they frequent when not nesting.
They are exceptional parents.
House Finch
(Carpodacus mexicanus)
From
the family of finches, this common bird has become the sparrow of the
Southwest. It inhabits urban areas, riparian woodlands and desert scrub.
They are brown with red heads and breast patches. Social birds, they
congregate in small groups.
Feeding
on seeds, insects, fruit and flower buds, they also visit hummingbird
feeders for nectar. An abundant native of the Southwest desert, numbers
of house finches are now being found east of the Mississippi.
Many,
many more birds live in our area. We have been blessed with the largest,
numerically, number of birds here in Southeastern Arizona then anywhere
outside the tropics. Organizations such as the Tucson Audubon society
and the Nature Conservancy can give you more information.
