Listed below are some of the main target species for our area and nearby areas. These are only some of the specialties that can reasonably be found with enough time spent searching in the appropriate location and season–obviously every species is different.
Western Arizona/Southeastern California
Mexican Duck/Mexican x Mallard Intergrade
Greater Scaup
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Least Bittern
White-tailed Kite
Ferruginous Hawk
Black Rail
Clapper Rail
Sandhill Crane
Mountain Plover
Red-necked Phalarope
Sabine’s Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Common Tern
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Burrowing Owl
Costa’s Hummingbird
Gilded Flicker
Vermilion Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Cassin’s Kingbird (Hualapai Mountains)
Bell’s Vireo
Crissal Thrasher
LeConte’s Thrasher
Lucy’s Warbler
Grace’s Warbler (Hualapai Mountains only)
Painted Whitestart (aka Painted Redstart; Hualapai Mountains only)
Abert’s Towhee
Black-chinned Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Bell’s Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Indigo Bunting
Bronzed Cowbird
Lawrence’s Goldfinch
In addition to those regularly occurring species (some of which are, again, more widespread and common than others), this region is excellent for rarities. Sea ducks, loons, gulls and jaegers are a few of the more sought-after groups. In the right season, chances are decently good for finding one of these rarities with enough searching. Check out the rarities map to see what’s around now!
Flagstaff – A greatly under appreciated birding area!
Golden Eagle
Northern Goshawk
Common Black-Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Band-tailed Pigeon
Flammulated Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Spotted Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Williamson’s Sapsucker
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Cassin’s Kingbird
Gray Vireo
Pinyon Jay
Clark’s Nutcracker
Purple Martin
Bridled Titmouse
Pacific Wren
American Dipper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Mountain Bluebird
Olive Warbler
Chestnut-collared Longspur
Lucy’s Warbler
Grace’s Warbler
Red-faced Warbler
Painted Whitestart (aka Painted Redstart)
Canyon Towhee
Black-chinned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (Red-backed, Gray-headed, Pink-sided, Oregon, Slate-colored, and Cassiar can all be found in winter)
Hepatic Tanager
Cassin’s Finch
Red Crossbill
Evening Grosbeak
Phoenix – Maricopa County excluding highlands
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Neotropic Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Least Bittern
Black Vulture
Harris’s Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Gray Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Costa’s Hummingbird
Gilded Flicker
Rosy-faced Lovebird
Vermilion Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Bell’s Vireo
Bridled Titmouse
Sage Thrasher
Bendire’s Thrasher
Curve-billed Thrasher
Crissal Thrasher
LeConte’s Thrasher
Lucy’s Warbler
Canyon Towhee
Abert’s Towhee
Black-throated Sparrow
Sage Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Vermilion Flycatcher, a favorite Arizona bird
Phainopepla Fables 