TOP 12 NEOTROPICAL
MIGRATORY BIRDS
OF WASHINGTON STATE

Band-tailed Pigeon

The Band-tailed Pigeon has a purplish head and breast, dark tipped yellow bill, broad gray tail band and a white band on the nape. Its preferred habitat is wet or dry coniferous forests and oak woodlands. It is becoming more common in the parks and gardens of the urban environment.

The Band-tailed's nest, constructed by both the male and female, is loosely formed of crossed twigs. It is usually located from six to thirty feet from the ground in a coniferous or oak tree. The average clutch size is one and there are sometimes as many as three broods. The male and the female share responsibility for incubating the eggs for eighteen to twenty days. The young fledge at twenty-five to thirty days. Both parents care for the young.

The Band-tailed Pigeon is a year around resident in King County and other areas west of the Cascades. It reaches its largest numbers here between mid-April and mid-October. It is also a summer visitor east of the Cascades. Migrating Band-tailed Pigeons winter south to Mexico and Central America. The Band-tailed Pigeon is in need of protection in Central America in part because it lives in the highlands there where human population are densest and because its large, conspicuous flocks make it vulnerable to shooting.

Brewer's Sparrow

The Brewer's Sparrow is brown above and white below. It has fine, black streaking on the crown and a distinct white eye ring. It also sports a white eyebrow, brown ear patch and black whisker stripe.

The Brewer's preferred habitat in Washington is the sagebrush desert. The cup shaped nest is constructed of grass and rootlets and is located in a low shrub. The average clutch size is three to four eggs. Incubation takes eleven to thirteen days and the young fledge at eight to nine days after hatching. Little is known about the division of responsibilities between the sexes.

The Brewer's Sparrow is a summer visitor east of the Cascades in Washington. It arrives in about mid-April and leaves in early September for its wintering grounds south to central Mexico. If you are visiting eastern Washington, look for the Brewer's Sparrow in some areas of Okanogan, Kittitas, Yakima and Douglas Counties.

Long-billed Curlew

The Long-billed Curlew is the largest member of the Sandpiper family. It is cinnamon brown above and buff below with bright pink-cinnamon wing underlinings which are visible in flight. Its strongly down curved bill is up to nine inches in length. The curlew's call is a loud, plaintive cur-lee or cur-lew.

The Long-billed Curlew nests in a damp, grassy hollow. The average clutch size is three to five eggs. The male and female share in egg incubation which lasts from 27-30 days. The young are precocial at birth (down covered, mobile and able to follow their parents and feed themselves). The young are cared for by both the male and female and fledge at 32 to 45 days.

The Long-billed Curlew is declining over much of its range due to habitat loss. There is also some evidence that it is victimized by organcholrine (any hydrocarbon pesticide containing chlorine) poisoning. It can be seen, though rarely, at parts of the Washington coast (the Tokeland area is a possibility) in the winter. It is uncommon east of the Cascades (Okanogan and Benton counties and the Columbia Basin) in the summer though it does nest in eastern Washington's dry grassland habitats. The Long-billed Curlew winters primarily along beaches as far south as Central America.
 

Killdeer

The Killdeer is brown above and white below with distinctive double breast bands and a white eyebrow. Its bright yellow-buff rump is visible in flight. Killdeer nest on open ground, often forming a scrape in gravel. The average clutch size is four and Killdeer often raise two broods. Both the male and female are responsible for incubation which lasts 24 to 28 days. Both adults share responsibility for watching over the precocial young until they fledge at about 25 days after hatching. Mates are often retained in successive seasons.

The Killdeer is a year around resident in King County and other counties west of the Cascades. East of the Cascades Killdeer are seen in their largest numbers from mid-March through early October. Killdeer are common in meadows, farm fields, lawns, shores, and riverbanks. Listen when you are out for their loud, piercing kil-dee call. Migrating Killdeer winter south the Central America and into South America.
 

Lewis' Woodpecker

The Lewis' Woodpecker has a greenish head and back, a gray collar and breast, a pink belly, and a bright red face.

The Lewis' Woodpecker prefers open woodland, coniferous forests and riparian woodland for nesting and breeding. The male chooses a nest site and excavates a cavity, usually located in a snag, stub of a live tree or even a pole. The average clutch size is six to seven eggs. The male and female share incubation duties which last about thirteen to fourteen days. The young fledge at twenty-eight to thirty-four days. Both adults care for the young.

The Lewis' Woodpecker is unusual among woodpeckers in its aerial feeding habits. It launches itself from a perch into a graceful glide to catch flying insects.

The Lewis' Woodpecker was an occasional nester in King County until about forty years ago. Now it is primarily a summer visitor of the Cascades arriving in early April and departing by mid-September for wintering grounds south to Mexico. Look for Lewis' Woodpeckers in areas of Okanogan, Chelan, Yakima, Klickitat and Spokane counties.
 

Loggerhead Shrike

The Loggerhead Shrike has a bluish-gray head and back with white, faintly barred underparts. Its black mask extends above the eye and very thinly across the top of the bill. White wing patches are most visible in flight.

The cup shaped nest of the Loggerhead Shrike is constructed of woven twigs and strips of bark by both the male and female. The nest is usually located on a large branch of a tree or shrub from three to thirty feet off the ground. The average clutch size is five to six eggs and these shrikes sometimes raise as many a three broods. The female is responsible for incubation which lasts sixteen to seventeen days. The young fledge at seventeen to twenty-one days and continue to be fed by the adults for up to another three to four weeks.

The diet of the shrike consists mostly large insects but also includes small birds and mice. As the shrike lacks the talons of raptors, prey is often killed by a blow of the beak. Food is often cached on thorns or barbed wire, earning the shrike the nickname "butcher bird".

In Washington the Loggerhead Shrike is a Summer visitor east of the Cascades and is found most frequently in dry grassland and sagebrush desert habitats. It begins arriving in mid-March and by mid-September, it has returned to its wintering grounds as far south as central Mexico.

The Loggerhead Shrike is declining over much of its range. Habitat loss is the primary reason but this shrike may also be a victim of pesticide poisoning.
 

Olive-sided Flycatcher

The Olive-sided Flycatcher is brownish olive above with two white wing bars and distinctive but frequently hidden white tufts at the sides of the rump.

The Olive-sided's preferred nesting habitat is wet coniferous forest with abundant dead trees. A cup shaped nest of twigs, rootlets, lichen, and pine needles is located high in a tree (up to seventy-five feet from the ground). The average clutch size is three eggs. The female incubates the eggs for about fourteen days and the young fledge at twenty-one to twenty-three days. Both adults care for the young.

The diet of the Olive-sided consists entirely of insects that can be captured in the air. The flycatcher launches itself from a perch, captures the insect and returns to its perch. In fact the Olive-sided is most often seen on an exposed perch, high in a tree.

The Olive-sided Flycatcher is a summer visitor to King County and other areas western Washington, as well as the mountains and the east side of the Cascades. It arrives in about mid-May and departs for its wintering grounds south to South America by mid-September. When you are in appropriate habitat, listen for the Olive-sided demanding call of "quick, three beers".
 

Burrowing Owl

The Burrowing Owl is long legged, short tailed, brown, and boldly spotted and barred. It is an owl of the open country. Its preferred nest site is an abandoned mammal burrow which it sometimes enlarges by kicking out dirt. The nest, constructed by both the male and female, is lined with cow chips, dry grass, weeds, and feathers. The average clutch size is 7 to 9 eggs which are incubated by both the male and female. Incubation lasts 21 to 28 days. The young fledge at 28 days from time of hatching and are cared for by both adults.

The Burrowing Owl is declining over much of its range due to habitat loss. It is also an unintended poisoning victim in ground mammal eradication campaigns. The Burrowing Owl is a summer visitor to Washington east of the cascades where it nests. It is uncommon in dry grassland and common in the sagebrush desert country. Look for it from mid March through July in Okanogan and Yakima counties and in the Columbia Basin.
 

Rufous Hummingbird

The Hummingbird is the smallest of the world's birds. Its small size and high activity level mean the hummingbird must burn food fuel at a very rapid rate to maintain its body temperature. On average, a hummingbird will consume its weight in nectar every day in order to maintain its metabolic rate. To accomplish this, the Rufous Hummingbird forages 14 to 18 times an hour in bouts of about one minute each. In between foraging bouts, the hummingbird perches quietly for up to 4 minutes while its crop partially empties.

The Rufous Hummingbird is the most common hummingbird in King County during the Spring and Summer. The male arrives first, usually in early March. He has a solid rufous back, white chest and brilliant scarlet gorget (throat feathers). The female is metallic green above with pale rufous sides.

The nest, built by the female, is located from 5 to 50 feet above the ground, usually on a drooping branch of a conifer. The cup shaped nest is constructed of plant down and lined with lichen, moss and other plant materials. A nest is often modified and reused in succeeding years.

Rufous Hummingbirds are promiscuous. The male briefly courts the female, mates and leaves her to raise the young. The usual clutch size is 1 to 3 eggs. Incubation is estimated to be 12 to 14 days and the young fledge at about 20 days. By mid-July, the males have left our area with females and young following by early September.
 

Vaux's Swift

The Vaux's Swift has a cigar shaped body with a short tail and, like all swifts, long, pointed wings. It is dark above and paler below with an almost white throat.

The saucer shaped nest is usually attached to the inside wall of a hollow tree though a chimney will occasionally be selected as a nest site. The nest is constructed of twigs, broken off in flight, or conifer needles. These are glued together and to the wall with saliva. The average clutch size is four to five eggs and incubation responsibilities are shared by both adults. Incubation lasts eighteen to twenty days. The young fledge at about twenty-eight days. Both the male and the female care for the young. Post breeding flocks of Vaux's swifts often roost together in chimneys.

The Vaux's Swift is a summer visitor to Washington both east and west of the Cascades.

It arrives in early May and leaves by mid-September on the east side and mid-October on the west side. Look for Vaux's Swifts in woodlands near lakes and rivers.
 

Western Tanager

The male Western Tanager has a yellow body with a strawberry red head and a black back, tail and wings. The wings sport two white wing bars. The female is a dull greenish yellow above and yellow below. She also sports the white wing bars.

The Western Tanager arrives in our area in early May. Construction of the loose, cup shaped nest may begin as soon as early June. The nest is constructed of twigs, grass and moss and lined with hair and plant down. Western Tanagers prefer to nest in evergreen trees. They usually locate the nest at the outer end of a limb, ten to sixty-five feet from the ground. It is not known whether nest construction is a shared responsibility or the responsibility of primarily one sex.

The female incubates the eggs, usually three to five in number, for about thirteen days. Both adults care for the young. It is not certain at what age the young fledge but estimates range from thirteen to fifteen days.

Each Spring I anticipate the return of the Western Tanagers. Spotting them is one of the great joys of the season for these birds truly are fantastic. This Spring when you are out, listen for the sound of a hoarse Robin then look for the yellow bird with the red head.

Western Tanagers return to their wintering grounds, which range from Mexico to Central America, around the end of September.
 

Yellow-headed Blackbird

The male Yellow-headed Blackbird is a striking bird with his black body, yellow head and breast and white wing patch. The female is brownish rather than black and has a buffy to yellow eyebrow, lower cheek and throat. She lacks the white wing patch.

The preferred breeding habitat of the Yellow-headed is freshwater marsh where it nests in large colonies. The female builds a bulky, cup shaped nest of wet vegetation. The nest is located over water in the marsh reeds. The average clutch size is four eggs. The female is responsible for incubation which lasts eleven to thirteen days. The young fledge at nine to twelve days. The female has primary responsibility for caring for the young with limited assistance from the male.

Yellow-headed blackbirds are seen in small numbers West of the Cascades during migration. The Montlake Fill near the University of Washington seems to attract a few each Fall. The Yellow-headed is a summer visitor east of the Cascades from mid-April through August. They winter south to southern Mexico.

Check out the fresh water marshes of Walla Walla, Spokane, or Grant counties if you are driving through. Listen for the sound of east hundreds of doors with rusty hinges opening at once, then look for these beautiful birds with the black bodies and yellow heads.

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