Walk outside and listen. Spring has officially begun and bird songs are everywhere. But, what are those birds serenading you every day?
A list compiled by the website Stacker of the top birds spotted in Oregon might give you some clues.
The list uses data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch. According to Stacker, that data was collected from 200 sites in Oregon between Feb. 18 and March 3. Birds are ranked by the percentage of sites visited during that time.
Somehow, “crow” doesn’t make it in the top 10, so to find out where crow landed and for the full top 50 birds, visit Stacker.
10. American robin
An American Robin in the Cleveland Heights backyard of Andy Jones, curator of ornithology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
For novice bird identifiers, this is an easy one. In fact, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife calls the American robin, “arguably the most widely recognized of Oregon’s birds.”
This bird is so ubiquitous that Raffi even has a song about it, which is good but not as good as the song the robin sings about itself.
9. California scrub-jay
American scrub-jay in Portland, OR on March 20, 2023.Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian
In the middle of writing this list, I went for a walk to get tea and a banana chocolate chip muffin. The first bird I noticed upon leaving my house? A California scrub-jay. If you’re wondering what bird you are hearing right now outside your window, it’s probably a scrub-jay.
The best part of the California scrub-jay is telling people from the East Coast, “No, that’s not a blue jay.”
8. Lesser goldfinch
The second bird I saw when I left myself? A lesser goldfinch, though let’s be clear: There’s nothing “lesser” about these cute little yellow birds. Mix their song with the song of the scrub-jay and you have yourself a Portland springtime symphony.
7. Song sparrow
Many colorful birds could be seen at Frohring Meadows in Chagrin Falls recently as the signs of spring are beginning to appear in Northeast Ohio. A song sparrow looks around while sitting in a tree.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Speaking of cute little birds with pleasing chirps, say hello to the song sparrow. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the song sparrow is aptly named as its song can be heard any time of year and “juvenile birds begin to sing full songs within two months of hatching.”
6. Spotted Towhee
The spotted towhee is a large sparrow with a black hood, and another bird with a call you might recognize.
According to Portland Audubon, “Early in the breeding season, male Spotted Towhees are dedicated songsters, spending 70 to 90 percent of their mornings singing to attract a mate. Once they find their match, they shift their focus and only spend about 5 percent of their time singing.”
5. Northern flicker
A northern flicker sits on a post at Sauvie Island Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. Mark Graves/The Oregonian
The northern flicker is a delightfully decorated woodpecker, mostly brown with a “spotted buff” and “red mustache” on males. Even though this bird is a woodpecker, it mostly forages for bugs on the ground. Another delightful detail about this bird? According to Portland Audubon, it is know for “boisterous interactions.”
Of course, it also has a lovely call.
4. House finch
– A flock of house finches arrive to eat at the feeders of the Blue Heron Nature Center in Annadale. The do have red on their necks and chests, but not as much as the cardinal. (Life-Wire News/Meredith Arout) Life-Wire NewsLife-Wire News
If you see a red finch in Oregon, it’s probably a male house finch (the females are brown, unfairly). According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, this bird is “a congenial, cheerful singer from urban areas to desert plateaus.”
Want to be cheered? Here’s that song.
3. Anna’s hummingbird
This Anna’s hummingbird zoomed into my laundry room on Dec. 22, 2022 in Portland.
If you see a hummingbird in Oregon in the winter, it’s probably an Anna’s hummingbird. The Anna’s hummingbird is also the biggest hummingbird common to Oregon.
It’s certainly a thrill to see one of these birds frozen in mid-air, wings beating in front of a flower. And it’s nice these birds look so cool because the Anna’s hummingbird’s song isn’t its best quality.
2. Black-capped chickadee
Black-capped chickadee at Beaver Lake Nature Center. (Dick Blume/The Post Standard)
Anyone who has spent any time in Oregon knows the Black-capped and its distinctive call. If you think the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife liked the house finch, just know they also said: “The Black-capped chickadee is widely heralded as one of Oregon’s friendliest and cheeriest residents.”
Sorry other birds!
1. Dark-eyed junco
The Dark-eyed junco is one of the species spotted in the Lehigh Valley during the 2019 Great Backyard Bird Count.Jay McGowan, Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab of Ornithology
You might think you don’t know what a dark-eyed junco is, but you probably just don’t know its name. According to Portland Audubon, there are about 630 million dark-eyed juncos in North America, making it one of the most common birds on the continent.
Listen to its song and you will recognize its trill immediately.
Now, go outside and listen to some birds!
Want more? Read the top 50 birds spotted in Oregon from Stacker.
— Lizzy Acker
503-221-8052; lacker@oregonian.com; @lizzzyacker
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