Urban birds in Flagstaff

Species of interest Secondary cavity nesters Common Raven American Robin Northern Cardinal Steller’s Jay House Sparrow Broad-tailed Hummingbird Eurasian Collared Dove Mourning Dove Woodpeckers Hairy Downy Red-shafted Flicker Acorn Additional species: American Crow Mountain Chickadee Lesser Goldfinch Dark-eyed Junco House Finch Pine Siskin Nuthatches Western Bluebird Violet-green Swallow European Starling House Wren Secondary cavity nesters

Secondary cavity nesters House Sparrow Pygmy Nuthatch Mountain Chickadee White-breasted Nuthatch European Starling Violet-green Swallow Western Bluebirds House Wren

Considerations for building nest boxes Shade vs. open depends on what species you want to attract Hole size will define who can and cannot enter your nest box (see handout) Wood should be at least ¾” thick House Sparrow Natural enemies: Anyone who also nests in nest boxes! Egg and nestling-eating birds (e.g., Jays, Crows, Ravens) Small mammals Snakes Ants Less likely to be an issue for cavity-nesters Competition will be the biggest issue… with regard to both non-native and natural competitors European Starling

Secondary cavity nester basic biology species migratory status # eggs food preferences House Sparrow resident 4-5 primarily grains Mountan Chickadee 6 primarily insectivorous; seeds in fall and winter Pygmy Nuthatch 5-9 White-breasted Nuthatch 5-7 European Starling largely insectivorous; fruit; other plant material Western Bluebird insects; fruit House Wren summer resident 4-7 primarily insectivorous Violet-green Swallow 4-6 Insectivorous

Summer resident (migratory) open-cup nesters Broad-tailed Hummingbird Lesser Goldfinch

Goldfinch and hummingbird basic biology Both species largely nest in trees Primary predators same, but greater susceptibility Food preferences: Hummingbirds eat nectar and invertebrates Lesser Goldfinch primarily granivorous Species # eggs Incubation length (days) Nestling period length (days) Broad-tailed Hummingbird 2 16-19 21-26 Lesser Goldfinch 3-5 12-15 13-17

Woodpeckers-more common at feeders in fall and winter Red-shafted Flicker Hairy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Acorn Woodpecker

Woodpecker basic biology Food habits All but Acorn Woodpecker primarily insectivorous Acorn Woodpecker diet 50% acorns; remainder is fruit and insects Prefer suet, but will also use seed feeders (mostly Hairy and Downy) Nesting Clutches typically 5-7 eggs Typically excavate primary cavities Incubation period~11-15 days Nestling period typically 25-30 days (except Downy=18-21) Nest predators same as for secondary cavity nesters

Corvids Common Raven Steller’s Jay American Crow

Corvid basic biology Resident species Typically lay 4-5 egg cluches Primary predators same as for other species Steller’s Jays will use seed feeders Food preferences: Steller’s Jays largely eat nuts and seeds, but also some insects Ravens and Crows are omnivorous, for example small reptiles, fish, amphibians, small mammals, fruit, invertebrates, grains, eggs and nestlings, garbage, carrion Species Incubation length Nestling period length Common Raven 21-25 days 4-7 wk Steller's Jay 16 days American Crow 16-20 days 31-36 days

Year-round resident tree-nesting species Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove House Finch

Dove and finch basic biology All species largely granivorous, but also eat fruit and insects All three species largely nest in trees; House Finch and Eurasian Collared-Dove sometimes nest on man-made structures House Finches are common seed feeder visitors Both doves will forage on ground below feeder Species # eggs Incubation period (days) Nestling period length (days) Eurasian Collard-Dove 2 15 18 Mourning Dove 14 13-15 House Finch 4-5 13-14 16

Ground nester and forager – Dark-eyed Junco Resident and migratory populations in Flagstaff Primarily nest on or near ground Largely granivorous, but also eat fruit and insects Typically lay 4 eggs Incubation period lasts 12-13 days Nestling period lasts 9-12 days Common on ground beneath bird feeders

Bird habitat tips – have a variety of bird feeders! Mixed seed Doves Dark-eyed Junco Northern Cardinal House Sparrows Nyjer seed Lesser Goldfinch Pine Siskin Black-oil Sunflower Favored by many winter species Sugar water Variety of Hummingbirds Black-oil Sunflower seed

Suet a good option for winter feeding of insectivorous birds… especially woodpeckers Peanuts are loved by Jays and some woodpeckers Homemade suet is easy to make!

Migratory and winter feeder visitors Variety of Hummingbirds use Flagstaff Feeders in winter and fall Pine Siskins are common and abundant winter visitors

Creating natural food resources Plant locally-native annuals and shrubs that can serve as food sources to a variety of birds Sunflowers – Finches Native forbes or flowering shrubs