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Urban birds in Flagstaff
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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
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Secondary cavity nesters
House Sparrow Pygmy Nuthatch Mountain Chickadee White-breasted Nuthatch European Starling Violet-green Swallow Western Bluebirds House Wren
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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
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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
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Summer resident (migratory) open-cup nesters
Broad-tailed Hummingbird Lesser Goldfinch
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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
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Woodpeckers-more common at feeders in fall and winter
Red-shafted Flicker Hairy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Acorn Woodpecker
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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 days (except Downy=18-21) Nest predators same as for secondary cavity nesters
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Corvids Common Raven Steller’s Jay American Crow
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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
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Year-round resident tree-nesting species
Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove House Finch
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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
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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 days Nestling period lasts 9-12 days Common on ground beneath bird feeders
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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
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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!
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Migratory and winter feeder visitors
Variety of Hummingbirds use Flagstaff Feeders in winter and fall Pine Siskins are common and abundant winter visitors
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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
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