This beautiful bird is a common garden species in the east but almost completely restricted to desert scrub and riparian areas in the west. Its huge bill is used to crack seeds and catch insects. The nest is small, placed in a low bush or shrubbery, and loosely constructed of stems, twigs and leaves. Both the male and female sing. In the winter Cardinals often form small family flocks.\r\n
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Inhabiting open brushy areas and forest edges, the Lesser Goldfinch is also common in suburban areas where flowering plants grow and thistle and seed feeders are available. Its nest is cup-shaped, made of woven plant fibers and placed in low to medium-height shrubs. Male songs are highly variable as they mimic many other bird species.
Found in open brushy areas, riparian undergrowth and open woodlands, the Lazuli Bunting eats a combination of insects and seeds depending on the time of year. In the summer, breeding occurs at higher elevations, and the nest is a cup of woven grass placed at mid levels in dense shrubbery or trees. It occasionally hybridizes with the closely related Indigo Bunting.
Typically found in oak and streamside vegetation, this goldfinch is highly nomadic and can be found in a wide variety of lowland habitats. Apparently annual differences in rainfall can contribute to wide winter invasions and nesting well outside its normal range. Its food consists of a range of grass and shrub seeds and during nesting, a few insects. The nest is a small cup-shaped affair made of grass, flowers and hair. It is placed in a low shrub, often in loose association with other nests of Lawrence\s Goldfinches.'
On the breeding grounds of open fields and prairies, the male is conspicuous as it gives its flight song high in the air and descends in a great flutter of wings. The grass nest is hidden on the ground under grass bunches. Food in the summer is largely insects. During the winter this species forms large and obvious flocks in open fields where they feed on seeds. The males look like females during the winter.
During the summer, the Indigo Bunting inhabits the tops of trees on forest edges in the east and riparian areas in the west. In the winter it often forms flocks that are found in weedy fields and shrubby areas. The male\'s song is frequently given in flight, and the cup-like nest is woven from grass, feathers and stems and placed at mid levels in dense vegetation. \r\n\r\n
A native of the west, the House Finch is abundant in suburbs and cities but also does well in desert scrub and open woodlands. Because of its beautiful song, it was introduced to Long Island in the 1940s, and escapees and their offspring quickly populated much of the rest of the east. It feeds almost exclusively on seeds and unlike most other seed-eating species that switch to insects for their young, the House Finch also feeds seeds to its nestlings. This species uses a wide variety of nest sites, but the nest is often placed in a shaded niche or shallow cavity.\r\n
This ground bird thrives in extreme habitats such as plowed fields, beaches, airport runways and other barren areas that have few places to hide and no protection from cold winter storms. During the winter Horned Larks are inevitably in flocks, often with other open ground birds, where they run looking for seeds and then fly on to the next field in a tight flock trying to avoid marauding falcons and hawks. During the summer the flocks break up, and pairs nest in poorly vegetated fields, alpine areas and arctic tundra.
Always associated with moist areas, this grackle has taken advantage of human water use, such as canals, golf courses and reservoirs, to dramatically spread its geographical range in the last 25 years. It is abundant in suburbs and city centers, and during the winter, it forms immense flocks that roost together in the same few trees every night. It feeds on the ground on insects, aquatic invertebrates, fruit, grain and often robs other birds\ nests of their eggs and young. The Great-tailed Grackle twig nests are concentrated in loose colonies of thousands in trees near water.'
Common in mixed species foraging flocks in deciduous and coniferous forests, this kinglet eats insects, spiders gleaned from bark and leaves, and in the fall it eats some fruits. The Golden-crowned Kinglet is very active and constantly flicks its wings. The small nest hangs from a branch high in a conifer and is made of moss, lichens and spider webbing.