Commonly winters in small flocks of mixed sparrow species in open fields, grasslands, and prairies where it runs across the ground searching for seeds. During the breeding season, it is more solitary in similar open habitats where it eats seeds and insects. The nest is a cup-like depression dug into the ground lined with grass and usually placed under a concealing clump of grass or short vegetation. To fool intruders close to the nest, the female will spread its tail and drag a wing or leg feigning injury and lead the enemy away from the young or eggs.
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Shockingly red, the male Vermilion Flycatcher perches conspicuously upright at the tops of small trees, bushes or wire fences, usually in riparian areas or along water courses. Both males and females catch flying insects in the air or from the ground. The male\s elaborate courtship song is given high above the territory as the male flutters in the air for several minutes. The flat nest is made of twigs and grass and placed in the fork of a branch in the middle of a dense bush or tree crown.'
Found on arid, brushy hillsides and dry washes, this bunting forages for seeds and occasional insects on or near the ground. Its small nest is made of grass and cottonwood fluff and placed at low to mid levels in a dense bush or tangle.
Noisy, aggressive and obvious, this kingbird occurs only in tall trees of desert riparian areas. The nest of sparse grass and twigs is placed high in a sycamore tree. It feeds almost exclusively on insects, which are snatched out of the air as they fly by the kingbird\s exposed perch.'
Confined in the summer to mountain canyon forests with sycamore trees, this flycatcher is aggressive and noisy. It eats insects that it catches in the air and fruits. Nesting is in a tree cavity of a sycamore, and breeding begins later than most other birds of the area in late May and early June. The Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher winters as far south as Amazonian South America.
Perhaps the most wide spread native sparrow in North America, the Song Sparrow is also the most variable in appearance. More than 30 distinct geographical forms have been described. It is almost always found in dense vegetation along water courses, but it also makes it into suburban gardens in the east. Inland this species eats mainly seeds, but along the coasts it also eats marine invertebrates. The nest is placed on or near the ground in dense vegetation and made of grass and leaves.
In winter this tiny species is found in a wide variety of forested habitat types. It is usually part of large mixed species foraging flocks made up of chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and creepers. In the summer, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet moves to higher elevations and latitudes to nest in dense coniferous forests. The nest is a small sack-like affair that hangs from a high limb. It has an entrance at the top and is made of moss, lichens, and plant down. When foraging for insects, this species often flitters up and hovers for a second near a leaf to snatch an insect sitting there.
Found in open forest and forest edge, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak song is one of the typical sounds of spring and summer. Both sexes incubate the eggs in a cup-shaped nest made of twigs and fine vegetation and placed at medium levels in a shrub or small tree. The male often sings while sitting on the eggs and also occasionally sings at night. In the spring and summer their food is primarily insects, buds and occasionally flowers. In the fall and winter seeds makeup most of the diet.
Generally found in coniferous or mixed coniferous forest and forest edge, it is readily attracted to artificial feeders, especially those with black thistle seed. This species occurs in small to large flocks all year round, and it often associates with goldfinches and juncoes. It nests in small colonies, and the nest is placed high on a horizontal limb toward its tip. The nesting material is twigs, grass fur and feathers. During the winter, this species can be quite nomadic and eruptive. The food is mainly seeds, buds, and flower nectar in the summer and rarely insects.
This spectacular species occurs in low shrubby areas, riparian vegetation, and open forests. It feeds primarily on seeds but includes insects during the nesting period. The nest is a deep, cup-like structure made of grass and leaves and placed in a dense bush or vine tangle.