The California Gull breeds around Mono Lake but spends so much of its time in Utah that it’s the state bird. A Salt Lake City monument honors California Gulls because the birds twice saved crops of Mormon settlers from grasshopper plagues…

The Canvasback duck can be recognized from a distance by its Roman profile. They show a continuous line from their dramatic sloping foreheads down to their large dark bills…

When I hear their soft-pitched trill whistle, I quickly look up in the tops of the trees for the gentle Cedar Waxwings. They are silky, sleek fawn-colored birds with a prominent crest and striking black band through their eye…

These are the famous swallows of San Juan Capistrano whose return has been recorded around March 19 since 1775. They winter in Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina…

The Common Merganser is an elegant-looking bird. The "common" refers to its being the most abundant of the mergansers. They have slender red bills, which are serrated to grasp slippery fish; hence the name "saw-bill"…

Somehow the word ‘common’ doesn’t fit this bird that is known for its intelligence, aerial acrobatics, and impressive repertoire of vocalizations.

Spring is the time songbirds return to our yards to breed and it’s time to start planning for the spring. While many of us enjoy birds at our feeders, we can also attract them to what we plant in our yards...

A friend once asked me what beautiful bird was it that bravely sang so melodiously, so close to him. I sighed as I told him it was the European Starling…

Fox Sparrows are brown with heavily-streaked breasts of triangular markings that merge to a central spot. The legs are pale…

Even though the Common Goldeneye has no lips it is called The Whistler, because of the sound the male's wings make in flight…

The Great Blue Heron is aptly named. It is the largest heron at 4 feet tall and has a wingspan of 7 feet…

The ethereal, flute-like song of the Hermit Thrush has inspired poets such as Whitman and Burroughs. It has been called the American nightingale…