Songbirds, also called passerines, make up a majority of the bird species in Lake Roosevelt. These species have a highly developed vocal organ, which can be used to produce elaborate and diverse songs and calls. Songbirds use their vocalizations for attracting mates and establishing territory. They can learn a vast array of complex vocal patterns, and many species continue to learn and remember new songs throughout their life. The calls of songbirds in the trees and meadows are a significant part of the soundscape of Lake Roosevelt.
Woodpeckers are known for their ability to probe for insects in the bark of trees by boring into the wood with their powerful beaks. While some species can be quite vocal, woodpeckers are more often noticed due to their distinctive drumming on trees, which can be used for establishing territory as well as feeding and carving nest cavities in dead wood. The pine forests in the northern part of Lake Roosevelt are prime habitat for several woodpecker species.
Songbirds
American goldfinch
NPS Photo
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
Adult males in spring and summer are bright yellow with black forehead, black wings with white markings, and white patches both above and beneath the tail. Adult females are duller yellow beneath, olive above. Winter birds are brown with black wings and two pale stripes
Found in weedy fields, open floodplains, and other overgrown areas
Eats seeds primarily from sunflower, aster, and thistle plants
Males sing a long and variable series of twitters and warbles that can be several seconds long, with notes and phrases repeated in a seemingly random order
American robin
NPS Photo
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Gray-brown upperpart with orange underparts and dark heads; a white patch on the lower belly and under the tail can be seen in flight
Common in woodlands, forests, parks and lawns
Eats invertebrates such as earthworms, insects, and snails, as well as a variety of fruits and berries
Sings a string of 10 or so clear whistles assembled from a few often-repeated syllables that rise and fall in pitch delivered at a steady rhythm
American Robin (song)
American Robin song recorded at the East Inlet in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Blue back, wings, and tail, and rufous to tawny underparts; blue crown and face with the cinnamon-colored forehead and throat
Feeds on the wing, snagging insects from just above the ground or water to heights of 100 feet or more
Forages in open grassland habitat and over open water such as lakes, ponds, and coastal waters
Builds nests in eaves, rafters, and cross beams of barns, sheds, and stables, and the undersides of bridges
Black-billed magpie
NPS Photo
Black-billed Magpie
Pica hudsonia
Black and white overall with blue-green iridescent flashes in the wing and tail; upperparts are mostly black with a white patch in the outer wing and two white stripes on the back
Lives among meadows, grasslands, and sagebrush plains
Noisy, with a habit of sitting conspicuously at the tops of trees or fenceposts so they can be easy to hear and see
In the corvid family, along with crows, ravens, and jays
Wide-ranging diet including wild fruit, grain, grasshoppers, beetles, maggots, and carrion
Black-billed Magpie (call)
Black-billed Magpie call recorded in Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park. A hummingbird can be heard flying by, and a House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and American Crow can be heard in the background.
Black cap and chin, white cheeks, gray back, gray wings edged with white, and pale underparts grading from buff to white at the stomach
Found in deciduous and mixed forests, open woods, parks, willow thickets, cottonwood groves, and disturbed areas
Feeds on seeds, berries, and other plant matter, as well as insects, spiders, suet, and occasionally fat and bits of meat from frozen carcasses
Makes their ‘chickadee-dee-dee’ call using increasing numbers of ‘dee’ notes when alarmed
Cedar Waxwing
NPS Photo
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Medium-sized, sleek bird with crested head, short, wide beak, and short, square-tipped tail
Pale brown on the head and chest fading to soft gray on the wings. Wings have red waxy tips that are not always easy to see. Pale yellow belly and gray tail with a bright yellow tip. The face has a narrow black mask neatly outlined in white
Lives in open woodlands, forest edges, fruiting trees, and grasslands, common in towns and suburbs
Diet includes a wide variety of berries and small fruits, including juniper, dogwood, and wild cherries. Eats many insects in summer, including beetles, caterpillars, ants
Social birds, forming large flocks when foraging on trees or bushes
Mountain bluebird
NPS Photo
Mountain Bluebird
Sialia currucoides
Males are sky-blue overall, darker on wings and tail and a paler below, with white under the tail. Females are mostly gray-brown with tinges of pale blue in the wings and tail. Both sexes occasionally show orange-brown on the chest
Found in open woodlands with a mix of short grasses, shrubs, and trees
Eats mostly insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, and especially caterpillars, and small fruits and seeds in the winter
Builds nests in tree cavaties
Mountain Bluebird (song)
Mountain Bluebird song recorded at Twin Owls in Rocky Mountain National Park. Note that the buzz of a hummingbird flying by, the song of a House Wren and the call of a Green-tailed Towhee can also be heard in the recording.
Brown body with thick streaks on a white chest and flanks; head is red-brown and slate gray
Lives in open woodland habitat
Diet of insects and other invertebrates in the summer, and seeds and fruits all year round
Sings a loud song of 2–6 phrases that typically starts with abrupt, well-spaced notes and finishes with a buzz or trill
Song Sparrow (song)
Song Sparrow song recorded on the Cub Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. Note that an American Robin and a Lincoln's Sparrow can be heard in the background.
Blue-gray with strongly patterned heads; a black cap and stripe through the eye broken up by a white stripe over the eye; underparts are rusty-cinnamon, paler in females
Lives in coniferous forests of spruce, fir, pine, hemlock, larch, and western red cedar
Feeds on a variety of insects and conifer seeds
Often seen on tree trunks and branches, where it moves up, down, and sideways over the bark in quick movements
Red-breasted Nuthatch (call and
Red-breasted Nuthatch call and "song" recorded on the Sun Valley Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. Note that a Yellow-rumped Warbler can also be heard in the recording.
Adult males are red overall, with darker wings and tail. Females are mostly yellowish below, brownish or olive brown above
Found in conifer forests and groves
Eats seeds of spruce, pine, Douglas-fir, hemlock, or larch
Distinctive twisted bill that crosses when closed, specialized for opening pine cones
Red Crossbill (call)
Red Crossbill call recorded on the Cow Creek Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. Note that a Ruby-crowned Kinglet can also be heard in the recording.
Olive-green birds with a prominent white eye ring and white and black bars on wing; the “ruby crown” of the male is only occasionally visible
Forages through lower branches of shrubs and trees, constantly flicking its wings
Preys on spiders and many types of insects, including aphids, wasps, ants, and bark beetles
Males sing a jumbled song starting with soft, high notes that accelerate into a musical twittering, then abruptly shifts into a loud series of 2- or 3-parted notes
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (song)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet song recorded at Mill Creek Basin in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Black upperparts are checked with white on the wings, the head is boldly striped, and the back has a broad white stripe down the center. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head
Slightly smaller and shorter bill than hairy woodpeckers
Lives in open woodlands, particularly deciduous woods and along streams
Eats mainly insects, including beetle larvae, ants, and caterpillars, as well as berries, acorns, and grains
Moves horizontally and downwards on trees more readily than other woodpeckers
Downy Woodpecker (call)
Downy Woodpecker call recorded in the Mill Creek Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Black wings are checkered with white; head has two white stripes; males have a flash of red toward the back of the head; large white patch runs down the center of the black back
Slightly larger than downy woodpecker, with a longer bill
Both sexes average 7–10 inches in length, 1.5–3.5 oz in weight, with a 13–16 inch wingspan
Lives in a wide variety of habitats with large trees, including forests, woodlands, river groves, and shade trees
Diet made up primarily of insects, particularly the larvae of wood-boring beetles and bark beetles, ants, and moth pupae in their cocoons
Hairy Woodpecker (call and rattle call)
Hairy Woodpecker call and rattle call recorded on the Cub Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Mostly black with white stripes on the face and neck and a flaming-red crest; males have a red stripe on the cheek
Averages 15–19 in length, 8–12 oz in weight, with a 26–29.5 inch wingspan
Lives in mature deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous woodlands of nearly every type
Primarily eats various ant species, as well as termites, larvae, insects, nuts, and berries
Bores into bark of trees to find ants, creating characteristically rectangular holes
Red-naped sapsucker
NPS/Larry Putnam
Red-naped Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus nuchalis
Black and white overall with a red cap, nape, and throat; long white bar on the folded wing; black stripe through the eye is bordered by white stripes; belly is mottled black and white, with a yellow tint. Female Red-naped Sapsuckers have a white patch on the chin while males have entirely red chins
Drills neat little rows of holes in aspen, birch, and willow trees to feed on the sugary sap that flows out; sap sticks to stiff hairs on their specialized tongue, allowing them to lap it up
Breeds in deciduous and evergreen forests with a mix of willow, aspen, birch, ponderosa pine, juniper, or Douglas-fir trees
Nests in cavities they excavate in live or dead trees, typically quaking aspens, but also use western larch, lodegpole pine, Douglas-fir, paper birch, black cottonwood, and ponderosa pine
Last updated: October 23, 2023
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Contact Info
Mailing Address:
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
1008 Crest Drive
Coulee Dam,
WA
99116
Phone:
509-754-7800
Please leave a detailed message if no one answers your call. Our rangers are often out talking to visitors.
