Bewick's Wren Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

If you come across a noisy, hyperactive little bird with bold white eyebrows, flicking its long tail as it hops from branch to branch, you may have spotted a Bewick’s Wren. These master vocalists belt out a string of short whistles, warbles, burrs, and trills to attract mates and defend their territory, or scold visitors with raspy calls. Bewick’s Wrens are still fairly common in much of western North America, but they have virtually disappeared from the East.

Northern Pygmy-Owl Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots.

Elegant Tern Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Elegant Tern is a sleek seabird with a stiletto-like orange bill, a shaggy black crest, and a blush of rose-pink to the underside during the breeding season. It nests in just a few colonies in California and in Mexico, the biggest being tiny Isla Rasa in the Gulf of California. Elegant Terns flutter above the ocean on their long, pale wings, and then plunge into the water to catch small fish, particularly anchovies. After breeding, Elegant Terns disperse far and wide in search of plentiful anchovy stocks.

California Thrasher Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

A long-tailed, lanky songbird with a deeply curved bill, the California Thrasher is a key species of California chaparral. This relative of mockingbirds is an exuberant songster, and both males and females sing from the tops of shrubs, sometimes duetting. They forage on the ground, using their strong legs and long tail for leverage as they sweep the bill through leaf litter to uncover insects and other prey. This species is on the Yellow Watch List for its restricted range.

Bewick's Wren Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

If you come across a noisy, hyperactive little bird with bold white eyebrows, flicking its long tail as it hops from branch to branch, you may have spotted a Bewick’s Wren. These master vocalists belt out a string of short whistles, warbles, burrs, and trills to attract mates and defend their territory, or scold visitors with raspy calls. Bewick’s Wrens are still fairly common in much of western North America, but they have virtually disappeared from the East.

Northern Pygmy-Owl Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Northern Pygmy-Owl may be tiny, but it’s a ferocious hunter with a taste for songbirds. These owls are mostly dark brown and white, with long tails, smoothly rounded heads, and piercing yellow eyes. They hunt during the day by sitting quietly and surprising their prey. As a defensive measure, songbirds often gather to mob sitting owls until they fly away. Mobbing songbirds can help you find these unobtrusive owls, as can listening for their call, a high-pitched series of toots.

Glass Collisions: Preventing Bird Window Strikes

Learn about the widespread, but preventable, problem of bird-window collisions and what the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is doing to promote solutions.

California Birds