A small relative of the more wide spread Common Raven, the Chihuahuan Raven occurs in the arid grasslands and desert areas of the southwest. Its huge stick nest is usually conspicuously placed on a telephone pole or lone tree. It breeds mid summer at the start of the rains, and during the winter forms huge flocks. It feeds on almost any animal material it encounters, including carrion and garbage.
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During migration and the winter, tight flocks of this subtly colored species are likely to show up any where there are fruits available - in cities, suburbs or open forests. The red tips on the wing feathers look like wax and thus the name. Insects are only eaten to feed young nestlings. The nest is a bulky affair placed at mid to high levels of a tall tree.
Occurring in the tops of mixed deciduous and coniferous forests, the Cassin\'s Vireo is most easily located by its persistent song. Its cup-like nest is suspended in the fork of a small branch and made of grass and lichens. Insects make up most of the diet, but in mid-winter some fruits are eaten.
This gaudy species nests in riparian forests and open areas with scattered trees. Its long hanging nest is placed far out on the end of a high branch and woven from plant fibers, grass and hair. It feeds mainly on insects and spiders but in the late summer switches to fruits.
A nocturnal species, this nightjar is related to Whip-poor-wills and similarly uses its large eyes and gaping mouth to hunt flying insects close to the ground. It is found in dry open woodlands, scrub and thorny forest edge. Spends much of its time sitting on the ground or low rocks. The nest and general biology of this species are poorly known.
Living low in shrubby areas, edges of clearings and suburban gardens, the songs of this thrasher are numerous and varied. A single male can sing more than 1100 song types, and they often incorporate bits and pieces of notes from other species singing around them. Food is usually insects and fruits, and the twig nest is either placed in a protected site on the ground or low in a dense tangle of vines and foliage.
Most conspicuous in desert shrubby areas in the winter, large flocks of Brewer\'s Sparrow feed on the ground and low bushes for seeds. They often move with other sparrow species, such as White-crowned Sparrows and Black-throated Sparrows. During the summer pairs set up territories in Sage Brush and higher altitude dry shrub areas, where they feed largely on insects and spiders. They can go for almost a month without water, evidently making water from the seeds they eat.
Usually seen walking around on the ground in grassy areas, this blackbird is common in city parks, agricultural fields, marshes and riparian areas. It breeds in small colonies, and the nest of each pair is made of grass and mud and placed in various places from the ground to branches of high trees. It is commonly parasitized by cowbirds. During the winter it usually associates with huge flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds. Insects and other arthropods make up much of the diet in the summer, but seeds are the main food in the winter.
Common in open pine-oak woodlands and dry coniferous forests, pairs often join mixed species foraging flocks of timice and nuthatches as they forage for small insects and spiders high in the trees. The cup nest of the Black-throated Gray Warbler is made of grass and plant fibers and lined with moss feathers and hair. It is placed high on a horizontal branch.
This small and secretive rail is difficult to see in its habitat of freshwater and brackish marshes and wet savanna grasslands. It is best found when it sings, often only at night and early dawn at the beginning of the breeding season. In Arizona it is easiest to see running along beaver dams across grass and marsh-lined rivers along the lower Colorado River and its tributaries. The nest is a deep cup woven from grass and sedges and with a shade canopy in dense marsh grass. They feed mainly on insects and small aquatic or marine crustaceans as well as an occasional seed.