BIRDS IN THE BOISE AREA

AND HOW TO ATTRACT THEM TO YOUR BACKYARD

Top 15 Birds

• Dark-eyed Junco• House Finch• Northern Flicker• American Goldfinch• Pine Siskin• Mourning Dove• American Robin

• House Sparrow• European Starling• Red-winged Blackbird• Black-capped Chickadee• Red-breasted Nuthatch• Downy Woodpecker• California Quail• Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

• “Snowbirds”

• Arrives early winter

• Sparrow family

• Prefers millet, weeds, grasses

• Ground feeder

• Pink bill, white belly

House Finch

• Color is dependent on the amount of carotenoid pigments found in food sources

• 97% vegetarian• Will drink nectar• Attracted to water• Will return to same area

to breed

Northern Flicker

• Prefer to eat ants

• Love peanuts and seeds too

• Tongue 2-3 times longer than bill

• Tongue retracts into skull behind right eyeball

American Goldfinch• Latest nester of birds – late June to July

• Use thistle down in their nests

• Completely molt feathers twice yearly

• Favorite food is niger (thistle)

• Will readily accept and eat sunflower chips

• Love purple coneflower seeds

Pine Siskin

• Most common winter finch at feeders

• Natural foods are hemlocks, alders, birches and cedars

• Irruptions occur every 3-4 years

• Prefer niger, black oil sunflower and chips

Mourning Dove

• One of few species of birds that suck water up instead of trickling down

• Monogamous during breeding season

• Male incubate eggs during hot part of day

• 1 of most abundant birds - 400 million in fall

• Large crop allows large amounts of seed to be eaten

American Robin

• Found throughout North America

• Some robins stay north throughout the winter

• Robins migrate in flocks

• Attracted to open lawns and gardens with mature shrubs and trees

• Eat insects and berries

• They LOVE water

House Sparrow

• Introduced from England in 1851

• Are now on all continents except Antarctica

• Prefer to feed on the ground

• Adapt anywhere there are humans

• One of three unprotected birds

European Starling

• Introduced from Europe in 1891

• Negatively impacted bluebirds, woodpeckers and Purple Martins

• Mimic other birds calls

• Return to same nest cavity year after year

• Eat insects, fruit and seeds

• Not a protected bird

Red-Winged Blackbird

• Will increase feeding rate to match others

• Will fiercely defend territory

• Most polygamous of all birds

• Typically raise one brood per year

• Partial migrator

• Do not like safflower seed

Black-capped Chickadee

• Found in more wooded areas

• Primarily insect eater during breeding, ½ insects ½ seeds rest of time

• Generally monogamous, mating for life

• Cavity nesters

• Will visit feeders, 75-80% of foods from natural sources

Red-breasted Nuthatch

• One toe faces backward to allow downward climbing

• Aggressive defender of nesting cavity

• Likes sunflower and will hide it in tree bark

• Earliest species to begin migrating in summer/fall

• Also eat suet

Downy Woodpecker

• Eat at least 44 different types of insects

• Air bubbles in skulls act as shock absorbers

• Use stiff tail feathers to prop against trees

• Very long retractable tongue

• Eats peanuts, sunflowers, suet in winter

California Quail

• Prefer mixed seeds of millet and cracked corn

• Can fly but prefer to walk

• Broods combine to form large coveys

• Ground nesters mostly

• Roost in spruce trees if available

Song Sparrow

• Most common and widespread sparrow

• Adult males perform 6-20 different melodies

• They sing throughout the year

• Prefer to feed on the ground

• Will visit feeders, especially like millet

• Rarely feeds in flocks