Top 20 Most Common Bird in Cheney

One of the earliest spring harbingers in North America, the red-winged Blackbird migrates in enormous flocks. Gathered in these large groups, the songbirds produce a loud cacophony. The red-winged Blackbird is an opportunistic omnivore. It feeds on numerous insect species, keeping pests under control, but due to its preference for crops and berries, the red-winged Blackbird is sometimes considered a pest itself.

The mallard is the most abundant duck species in the world, and the ancestor of all domestic ducks. Only the female can produce the distinctive "quack" sound. When the female lays eggs, the male abandons its mate, while the protective mother stays with the ducklings for a long time. This migratory species inhabits shallow waters and it's one of the most popular game birds.

Though this large, widespread bird is mainly known for its aggressively territorial nature, often shown by spitting, chasing, honking, or attacking, the canada Goose does have more loving traits. They mate for life, and this species is one of the birds that has minimal “divorce rates.” Interestingly, they choose mates by size, so smaller geese will mate with other small geese, and larger geese with other large geese.

The american Robin is the most common, and largest, thrush in North America. It's a bird of striking colors, including its vibrant, red-breasted plumage and pale blue eggs. It likes to feed on summer fruit and berries, but worms play an important role in its diet as well. This songbird is a state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Its cheery song is considered one of the first signs of spring.

Frequent in urban environments and human-created habitats such as parks and backyards, the little house Finch is known for its loud but pleasant, cheerful singing. It feeds on the ground, mostly on seeds, berries, and other plant material. This bird is highly sociable and very adaptable. It often visits feeders.

In the search of its favorite food—ants—the northern Flicker often forages leaf litter and tree bark, which makes it the only ground forager in the woodpecker group. It's a migratory species, which is quite a rare behavior for woodpeckers, as well. The northern Flicker has an eastern (yellow-shafted) and a western (red-shafted) form. It lays a large number of eggs - the known record is 71 eggs in 73 days.

The european Starling, a large, hardy songbird, is one of the most commonly seen bird species in North America. Originally from Europe, this species was brought to the U.S. in the 1890s by enthusiasts of William Shakespeare, who had the unique goal of bringing over every single species of bird that was mentioned in Shakespeare's collective works. Unfortunately, the european Starling, being an adaptable, generalist species, spread invasively across the continent, hurting many native species' populations in the process.

This shorebird is slender and lanky, with long wings and a long tail that ends at a point. If its nest is being threatened by a predator, the killdeer is known to pretend that it has a broken wing, making itself a target in order to lure the predator away from the nest. They have the curious habit of collecting mostly light colored items to build their nests.

The american Coot is easily mistaken for a species of duck but does not have webbed feet and does not have a waddling gait. They can be found in and around ponds and lakes and frequently dive under the surface to feed on algae and other vegetation. These birds can live to be 22 years old!

The song Sparrow can be found low to the ground in vegetation and thickets in nearly all habitat conditions, including suburban areas. They are frequent visitors to home birdfeeders but can also be seen foraging for food on the ground. Their appearance can differ across the 24 known subspecies, but all of them tend to only make short, fluttery flights.

Perched high in trees, the red-tailed Hawk watches for its prey: mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, large insects, and occasionally fish. It's the most common hawk in North America. Highly territorial and monogamous, the red-tailed Hawk is relatively long-lived. Many of them die young, but those who survive can live up to 20 years.

Brilliant yellow plumage characterizes the small american Goldfinch, but this prominent yellow color is present only in males during the mating season. A strict vegetarian, this bird feeds on seeds and other plant material. The american Goldfinch is an active and acrobatic bird, which can be often seen flying in a bouncy pattern.

Measurements: Length: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm) Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (9-11 g) Wingspan: 19.7 cm (7.75 in) It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuous parts of the western U.S. (northwest U.S., Sierra Nevada range, southern Rockies, etc.), to central Mexico. It is usually found in pines (especially ponderosa pines), Douglas-firs, and other conifers. Pygmy nuthatches clamber acrobatically in the foliage of these trees, feeding on insects and seeds; less often they creep along limbs or the trunk like bigger nuthatches. Pygmy nuthatches nest in cavities in dead stubs of conifers, lining the bottom of the cavity with pine-cone scales, plant down, and other soft plant and animal materials. They may fill cracks or crevices around the entrance with fur; the function of this behavior is unknown. The female lays 4–9 eggs, which are white with fine reddish-brown spotting. She does most of the incubation, which lasts about 16 days. The young leave the nest about 22 days after hatching. This species is highly gregarious. A nesting pair may have other birds as helpers. Outside the breeding season, this bird wanders in noisy flocks. It also roosts communally; over 100 birds have been seen huddled in a single tree cavity. All plumages are similar, with a warm gray cap, blue-gray upper-parts, and whitish underparts. The only feature not seen in the photograph is a whitish spot on the nape, particularly in worn plumage (summer). Vocalizations are highly varied chirps, peeps, and chattering. This species is very similar to the brown-headed nuthatch of the southeastern U.S. Their ranges have no overlap. The pygmy nuthatch features prominently in the climax of the 2000 film Charlie's Angels, in which Cameron Diaz's character, Natalie, discovers the location of the villains' fortress by identifying the call of the pygmy nuthatch, which she says only live in Carmel, California—though the bird shown is not a pygmy nuthatch, which in any case is found in a much wider range. (The Hollywood impostor is a Venezuelan troupial, Icterus icterus.)

One of the most famous and widespread doves of North America, the mourning Dove can be often seen in urban areas perching on telephone wires. It is named after its distinctive, plaintive-sounding song. It is also a popular game bird, but its population is still abundant thanks to the prolific breeding and its ability to raise up to five to six broods in a single year.

The california Quail is a small, ground-dwelling bird that is well adapted to urban environments. This unobtrusive and highly sociable bird lives in large flocks that sometimes count more than 70 individuals. The male and the female produce different calls, often singing in "orchestral patterns". A state bird of California, a california Quail appeared as a character in Walt Disney's "Bambi."

This small songbird is the most common garden bird in Canada and the northern USA, and also one of the most scientifically studied birds in the world. Able to produce more than 15 complex sounds, the black-capped Chickadee can easily confuse predators with its calls. It's a clever, skillful, and adaptable bird—it can retrieve hidden food after a month and it's able to fly even when its body temperature drops.

Just as its name implies, the little house Sparrow socializes with humans more than any other bird species. Able to adapt and thrive in almost any habitat, excluding the extremes such as deserts and mountain peaks, this species was once restricted only to North Africa and Eurasia but now is found across the globe. Unfortunately, this opportunistic eater is not completely harmless—it can cause considerable damage to crops.

One of the most common swallow species in North America, the tree Swallow is known to fly the highest. On the other hand, this short-tailed swallow is less aerobatic than its close cousins. When winter arrives, the tree Swallow, gathered in large flocks, is headed to South America. This highly territorial bird prefers natural nesting sites such as tree cavities, but it's sometimes seen in nest boxes.

The common Raven is one of the most ubiquitous species of birds and is revered for its high intelligence. These birds prefer open habitats, but can be found in nearly all environmental conditions besides rainforests. As a social species, some subspecies of common Raven have been known to have 15 to 33 different categories of calls!

The great Blue Heron, the largest such bird in North America, is quite adaptable and thrives in various wet habitats. Silent, patient, and often motionless, this majestic bird always makes a spectacular sight. Thanks to its specially shaped neck and extremely good night vision, this wading bird is a quick and skilled fish predator. Since the great Blue Heron accumulates toxins in its body, researchers use it as an indicator of dangerous contaminants in local wetlands.