mammals

ordered by family

california ground squirrel

otospermophilus beecheyi

habitat: urban and suburban habitats, grasslands, oak woodlands, pastures, roadsides, parks, open areas

behavior: live in colonies

nesting: burrow systems

field notes: sometimes you might think you heard a bird calling. 80% of the time.. it's actually one of these alerting the rest that there is danger nearby.

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birds

ordered by family

northern mockingbird

mimus polyglottos

habitat: arroyos, canyons, desert and arid habitats, fields, meadows, grasslands, forests, woodlands, saltwater wetlands, shrublands, savannas, thickets, urban and suburban habitats

behavior: direct flight, rapid wingbeats, ground forager

nesting: shrub

field notes: a bird that exhibits mimicry. can and will learn other songs unique from their own!

distinguishing traits

physical: bright white wing patches visible on the bottom of their wings when they are in flight. long tails
behavioral: they exhibit nighttime singing, and are a species that is capable of mimicry! often a birder's nightmare because they are good at it and can trick you if you aren't well versed in songs and calls!

anna's hummingbird

calypte anna

habitat: arroyos, canyons, desert and arid habitats, forests, woodlands, shrublands, savannas, thickets, urban and suburban habitats

behavior: flitter, hovering, rapid wingbeats

nesting: tree

field notes: their heads noticeably flash a bright pink when they get mad.

distinguishing traits

physical: very green.. bright pink head/face that flashes, a territorial display.
behavioral: during mating displays, males will make a loud squeak as they reach the bottom of a courtship dive.

california scrub-jay

aphelocoma californica

habitat: forests, woodlands, shrublands, savannas, thickets, urban and suburban habitats

behavior: flap/glide, undulating, ground forager

nesting: tree

field notes: NOISY. if you think you saw a blue jay here in California, it's actually probably one of these!

distinguishing traits

physical: distinctive azure blue, have a bold blue breast band that frames the white on their chest almost like a necklace! they can look pretty dark too, but it's hard to miss the bold blue!
behavioral: they tend to look hunched over and go between trees and the ground fairly often

white-crowned sparrow

zonotrichia leucophys

habitat: arroyos, canyons, desert and arid habitats, fields, meadows, grasslands, forests, woodlands, coasts, shorelines, high mountains, tundra, boreal, urban and suburban habitats

behavior: direct flight, flitter, rapid wingbeats, ground forager

nesting: ground

field notes: could potentially be confused with white-throated sparrows, which we also have in california. the main difference that I look for is whether or not they have little yellow eyebrows, as well as a lack of a distinctive white throat on this one.

distinguishing traits

physical: white and black heads (their crown) with NO yellow
behavioral: often seen in flocks, look for them foraging in groups around bushes!

european starling INVASIVE

sturnus vulgaris

habitat: arroyos, canyons, coasts, shorelines, desert and arid habitats, fields, meadows, grasslands, forests, woodlands, landfills, dumps, saltwater wetlands, shrublands, savannas, thickets, urban and suburban habitats

behavior: direct flight, flap/glide, formation, rapid wingbeats, ground forager

nesting: cavity

field notes: compete with our native bird species for nesting spots. their body shape is unique in that their bodies are plump, especially in comparison to our native birds, meaning that one of the ways in which we can help mitigate their potential to out compete is by making nesting boxes that have entry holes too small for their bodies to fit through.

distinguishing traits

physical: thick bodies that are a characteristic our native birds lack. may be seen with white spots and have dark, glossy feathers
behavioral: LOUD.

black phoebe

sayornis nigricans

habitat: arroyos, canyons, desert and arid habitats, fields, meadows, grasslands, lakes, ponds, rivers, shrublands, savannas, thickets, urban and suburban

behavior: direct flight, hovering, flycatching

nesting: cliffs, walls, overhangs

field notes: cutest song ever! whenever we go somewhere where water is nearby, i can usually spot at least one of these gathering mud for its nest. they nest in overhangs, like against the walls of buildings, so you can see them around structures if they have a nest nearby!

distinguishing traits

physical: black bodies and white bellies
behavioral: can often find them around areas with water or mud, as they use it to build their nests

house finch

haemorhous mexicanus

habitat: arroyos, canyons, desert and arid habitats, fields, meadows, grasslands, forests, woodlands, high mountains, shrublands, savannas, thickets, urban and suburban habitats

behavior: flitter, rapid wingbeats, undulating, ground forager

nesting: tree

field notes:

distinguishing traits

physical: sexual dimorphism where males have a red head and chest, while females are more muted
behavioral:

brewer's blackbird

euphagus cyanoocephalus

habitat: coasts, shorelines, desert and arid habitats, fields, meadows, grasslands, forests, woodlands, landfills, dumps, shrublands, savannas, thickets, urban and suburban habitats

behavior: direct flight, undulating, ground foraging

nesting: shrub

field notes:

distinguishing traits

physical: males have glossy black feathers that look like an oil spill with a bright eye, females are brown without the bright eye
behavioral: can puff up and make a weird sound. also it seems like they tend to walk with their wings pointed down

house sparrow INVASIVE

passer domesticus

habitat: fields, meadows, grasslands, urban and suburban habitats

behavior: direct flight, flitter, ground forager

nesting: cavity

field notes: incredibly common and likely one of the sparrows here that most people are best familiar with.

distinguishing traits

physical:
behavioral:

red-tailed hawk

buteo jamaicensis

habitat: coasts, shorelines, desert and arid habitats, fields, meadows, grasslands, forests, woodlands, landfills, dumps, saltwater wetlands, shrublands, savannas, thickets, tundra, boreal, urban and suburban habitats

behavior: direct flight, soaring

nesting: tree

field notes: hollywood's celebrity who is regularly the voice of all of the raptors in movies! whatever comes to mind when you imagine a bald eagle in a movie, these are probably what you're actually hearing!

distinguishing traits

physical: reddish-brown tail, characteristic "bra" pattern on their chests
behavioral: lean forward when perched

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amphibians

ordered by family

pacific chorus frog

pseudacris sierra

habitat:

behavior:

nesting:

field notes:

distinguishing traits

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reptiles

ordered by family

western fence lizard

sceloporus occidentalis

habitat

behavior

nesting

field notes: high masculinity gym bro lizard

distinguishing traits

physical:
behavioral: males will do push ups at each other as a dominance display

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about

references

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JOIN THE CONSERVATION CLUB!!

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biol-7 and biol-17

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