Number 1

The brightly-colored male American Goldfinch looses its colors in the fall. In the winter, it looks a lot like the female American Goldfinch shown below.

Female American Goldfinch

Number 2

The Robin red breast spends spring and summer months hunting for worms. In the winter they sometimes form very large flocks (up to tens of thousands of robins) and switch to fruit and berries.

Number 3

The Black-capped Chickadee is a favorite feeder bird. The very similar Carolina Chickadeeis found in the southern United States.

Number 4

The beautiful Blue Jay is an under-appreciated mimic, and does an excellent Red-shouldered Hawk.

Number 5

The Brown-headed Cowbird is a parasitic nester. The female lays her eggs in the nest of other species.

Number 6

American Crows have been hard hit by the West Nile virus. The Fish Crow and Northwestern Crow are very similar on appearance.

Number 7

Male and female Common Grackles are similar in appearance, females are less glossy and slightly smaller. The Common Grackle is one of the three grackle species in the United States. It is sometimes confused with Brewer’s Blackbird.

Number 8

Downy Woodpeckers are common at backyard feeder stations. The very similar Hairy Woodpecker is larger, with a longer bill.

Number 9

The Eurasian Collared-Dove is an introduced species that is very rapidly expanding across the country, from initial Florida populations.

Number 10

Dark-eyed Juncos are a common and popular backyard bird. They only appear in large parts of the country in winter and are sometimes referred to as snow birds. Several different races were previously considered separate species.

Number 11

The enterprising European Starling was introduced into the United States from Britain in the 1800s. It does millions of dollars in crop damages each year and competes with native species for nesting locations. This bird is in breeding plumage.

Winter plumaged European Starling.

Number 12

Originally a bird of the west coast, House Finches were sold as pet birds in New York City. Escaped birds formed a local population, which has expanded to the point that House Finches can now be found throughout the United States. Only the male has the reddish color. Easily confused with the Purple Finch.

Female House Finch

Number 13

Another import from England, the very common House Sparrow is found throughout the United States. It is an aggressive species that will even kill adult bluebirds to take control of a nesting cavity. Male shown in this image.

Female House Sparrow

Number 14

The Killdeer is a type of shorebird, although it will nest far from beaches or shorelines, including rooftops and driveways.

Number 15

The ubiquitous Mallard is America’s best known duck. Wild populations are generally migratory. Male Mallard shown here.

Female Mallard.

Number 16

The Mourning Dove is common in backyards and continues to be a widely-hunted game bird.

Number 17

The beautiful male Northern Cardinal is a popular subject for both amateur and professional photographers.

The female Northern Cardinal is not as colorful as the male, but can match or even exceed his singing skills.

Number 18

The Northern Mockingbird is a master singer and may know as many as 200 different songs.

Number 19

The Red-tailed Hawk is often seen perched on telephone poles or fence posts.