Order:

Passeriformes

• Comprised of over 5700 species, making passerines constitute half of all known birds.

•Mostly small land birds

•Sometimes called songbirds or perching birds

Family:

Corvidae

Jays, Crows, and Ravens

Which bird is this?

A. Western Scrub Jay

B. Blue Jay

C. Stellar’s Jay

Western Scrub Jay

Aphelocoma californica

What bird is this?

A.Western Scrub Jay

B.Steller’s Jay

C.Blue Jay

Steller’s Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

Which jay is which?

Western Scrub Jay

Steller’s Jay

Notice thick bill

Crow or Raven?

Common RavenCorvus corvax(Much bigger than its relative, the American Crow)

Cornell Recording

Raven or Crow?

American Crow

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Notice thinner bill as compared to the raven

Which is a crow and which is raven?

American Crow

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Common Raven

Corvus corvax

Family:

Tyrannidae

Which bird is this?

A. Northern Cardinal

B. American RobinC. Western

Kingbird

Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis

Black Phoebe

Sayornis nigricans

Which bird is this?

A.Western Tanager

B.Black Phoebe

C.Hermit Warbler

Family:

Icteridae

Brewer’s Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Which blackbird is which?

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Family:

Thrupidae

What kind of bird is this?

A.Western Tanager

B.Western Kingfisher

C.Northern Cardinal

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Cyanocitta stelleri Western Kingbird

Corvus brachyrhynchos Western Scrub Jay

Tyrannus verticalis Red-winged Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana Brewer’s Blackbird

Aphelocoma californica Common Raven

Corvus corvax Steller’s Jay

Agelaius phoeniceus Black Phoebe

Sayornis nigricans American Crow

REVIEW OF Tyrannidae, Icteridae, Corvidae, and Thrupidae

Western Kingbird

Western Scrub Jay

Red-winged Blackbird

Western Tanager

Brewer’s Blackbird

Common Raven

Steller’s Jay

Black Phoebe

American Crow

Cyanocitta stelleri

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Tyrannus verticalis

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Piranga ludoviciana

Aphelocoma californica

Corvus corvax

Agelaius phoeniceus

Sayornis nigricans

Family:

Emberizidae

Sparrows and their Allies

What kind of sparrow is this?

A. House Sparrow

B.Fox Sparrow

C. Black-throated

Sparrow

Black-throated SparrowAmphispiza bilineata

Which birds are these?

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

California Towhee

Pipilo crissalisNotice the streaking on the Savannah Sparrow as compared to the California Towhee

What kind of sparrow is this?

House Sparrow

Passer domesticus

What kind of sparrow is this?

A.Fox Sparrow

B.White-crowned Sparrow

C.Sage Sparrow

D.Vesper Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Dark-eyed Junco versus Spotted Towhee:

Which is which?

Dark-eyed Junco

Junco hyemalis

Spotted Towhee

Pipilo maculatus

Family:

Troglodytidae

What kind of bird is this?

A.Grey-headed Sparrow

B.Rock Wren

C.Wrentit

Rock Wren

Salpinctes obsolestus

Notice the longer bill than sparrows and wrentits

Recognize the bands on the tail

What kind of bird is this?

A.Cactus Wren

B.Rock Wren

C.White-headed Nuthatch

D.Pygmy NuthatchCactus Wren

Campylorhychus brunneicapillus

(The largest of North American wrens)

Notice the long curved bill of wrens

Recognize the white eye stripe

Cornell Recording

Family:

Timaliidae

What bird is this?

A.Fox Sparrow

B.Wrentit

C.Savannah Sparrow

Wrentit

Chamaea fasciata

Notice small bill and short wings

Long tail that is often held up like a wren, but is not closely related

REVIEW OF Emberizidae,Troglodytidae, and Timaliidae

Chamaea fasciata

Passer domesticus

Pipilo maculatus

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Pipilo crissalis

Amphispiza bilineata

Salpinctes obsolestus

Junco hyemalis

Campylorhychus brunneicapillus

Passerculus sandwichensis

Black-throated Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

California Towhee

House Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Spotted Towhee

Dark-eyed Junco

Cactus Wren

Rock Wren

Wrentit

Black-throated Sparrow

Amphispiza bilineata

Savannah Sparrow

California Towhee

House Sparrow

White-crowned SparrowSpotted Towhee

Dark-eyed JuncoCactus Wren

Rock Wren

Wrentit

Passerculus sandwichensisPipilolla crissalis

Passer domesticus

Zonotrichia leucophrysPipilo maculatus

Junco hyemalis

Campylorhychus brunneicapillus

Salpinctes obsolestus

Chamaea fasciata