Species Observed, with notes on status from Russell and Monson, The Birds of Sonora (1998)
Greater White-fronted Goose: 9 at Rodriguez Reservoir; Russell lists only 3 previous records from the interior of Sonora.
Snow Goose: ca. 200 at Rodriguez Reservoir, among them at least 2 Blue Geese.
Ross’s Goose: at least 2 at Rodriguez Reservoir; Russell lists no records for Sonora.
Gadwall: at least 4 at Rodriguez Reservoir.
American Wigeon: at least 25 at Rodriguez Reservoir.
Mallard: Mexican Duck seen at Imuris.
Northern Shoveler: ca. 100 at Rodriguez Reservoir.
Northern Pintail: ca. 40 at Rodriguez Reservoir.
Green-winged Teal: ca. 500 at Rodriguez Reservoir.
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca: one well seen on San Nicolas / Santa Rosa Road; Russell lists only one record from the Yecora area.
Wild Turkey: remains of one bird in an oak forest at KM275.3.
Montezuma Quail: 10 at La Palmita.
Elegant Quail: total of about 20 along MX 16.
Gambel’s Quail: 2 on MX 15 south of Imuris.
Pied-billed Grebe: 2 at Yecora Ponds.
American White Pelican: only about 4 at Rodriguez Reservoir.
Great Blue Heron: small numbers throughout.
Great Egret: small numbers throughout.
Green Heron: 2 at Puente San Jose de Pimas.
Black Vulture: unexpectedly small numbers; ubiquitous from Hermosillo to Yecora, but no large concentrations.
Turkey Vulture: ubiquitous and abundant.
Sharp-shinned Hawk: total of 3.
Cooper’s Hawk: total of 2.
Gray Hawk: 1 adult on Santa Ana Road.
Harris’s Hawk: small numbers in desert habitats.
Zone-tailed Hawk: 1 on roost at Imuris Bridge.
Red-tailed Hawk: scarce in the mountains, very common on MX 15.
Golden Eagle: 1 at La Palmita, 1 at Puente San Nicolas.
Crested Caracara: surprisingly scarce; the northernmost just south of Benjamin Hill, the easternmost at KM103 on MX 16. Total fewer than 30.
American Kestrel: common throughout.
Merlin: one east of Yecora.
Peregrine Falcon: total of 4, all adults, around Yecora.
American Coot: small numbers on Yecora Ponds and at Rodriguez Reservoir.
Killdeer: common throughout.
Black-necked Stilt: ca. 25 at Rodriguez Reservoir.
American Avocet: ca. 220 at Rodriguez Reservoir.
Greater Yellowlegs: a few identifiable at Rodriguez Reservoir.
Spotted Sandpiper: small numbers throughout.
Least Sandpiper: some 1,000 stints at Rodriguez Reservoir were likely nearly all of this species.
Long-billed Dowitcher: ca. 40 at Rodriguez Reservoir.
Rock Pigeon: common in urban areas.
White-winged Dove: common in desert habitats.
Eurasian Collared-Dove: common throughout.
Mourning Dove: abundant in desert habitats; a very few in mountains.
Inca Dove: small numbers in desert habitats.
Common Ground-Dove: small numbers in desert habitats, but seen as high as La Palmita.
White-tipped Dove: 2-3 heard at Puente San Nicolas.
Roadrunner sp.: roadside birds high in the Sierra were unidentified to species; at least some were likely Lesser Roadrunners.
Greater Roadrunner: roadside birds in desert habitats were almost certainly of this species.
Common Poorwill: one seen well on road east of Yecora.
Broad-billed Hummingbird: common in riparian and lowland habitats.
White-eared Hummingbird: common in high-elevation habitats; the most frequent hummingbird in the mountains.
Berylline Hummingbird: 1 male at Puente San Nicolas.
Violet-crowned Hummingbird: 1 at bridge on San Nicolas / Santa Rosa road.
Blue-throated Hummingbird: 1 in Nicotiana above The Barranca.
Anna’s Hummingbird: surprisingly scarce; 1 at Imuris Bridge.
Belted Kingfisher: 1 at Yecora Ponds.
Green Kingfisher: 1 at Imuris Bridge; 1 at Puente Rio Yaqui; a pair at Puente San Nicolas.
Acorn Woodpecker: common throughout in oaks.
Gila Woodpecker: common throughout in desert habitats.
Red-naped Sapsucker: small numbers throughout, from Imuris to El Aguejito.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker: common in desert habitats.
Arizona Woodpecker: 1 at Mesa El Campañero, 1 heard above El Aguejito.
White-striped Woodcreeper: vocal and conspicuous at Mesa El Campañero (1-2 birds) and at Puente San Nicolas (1).
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet: 1 at Puente San Nicolas.
Tufted Flycatcher: 5-6 at Puente San Nicolas.
Greater Pewee: 1-2 at Puente San Nicolas.
Hammond’s Flycatcher: small numbers throughout.
Dusky Flycatcher: common at mid- and high elevations.
Gray Flycatcher: common at lower elevations.
Pacific-slope Flycatcher: 3-4 at Puente San Nicolas.
Buff-breasted Flycatcher: 1 at Puente San Nicolas.
Black Phoebe: common throughout in all wet habitats.
Eastern Phoebe: 1 at Puente San Nicolas; Russell lists only 6 previous records for Sonora.
**Say’s Phoebe: small numbers throughout.
Vermilion Flycatcher: small numbers throughout lowlands and deserts.
Dusky-capped Flycatcher: heard at Tepoco.
Ash-throated Flycatcher: heard at Puente Rio Yaqui.
Nutting’s Flycatcher: 1 seen at Tepoco; common in tropical deciduous forest near KM196 figs.
Cassin’s Kingbird: common throughout, with some 50 individuals roosting at Puente San Nicolas.
Thick-billed Kingbird: 1-2 at Puente San Nicolas.
Western Kingbird: 1 on Santa Ana Road.
Rose-throated Becard: 1 at Puente San Nicolas.
Loggerhead Shrike: scattered singles, the highest-elevation individual 1 at Yecora.
Plumbeous Vireo: 1 at Imuris; other “Solitary” vireos heard.
Hutton’s Vireo: common in oaks.
Warbling Vireo: 2-3 at Puente San Nicolas.
Steller’s Jay: common at high elevations.
Black-throated Magpie-Jay: 6 at Puente San Nicolas; 5-7 on MX 16 slightly farther west.
Mexican Jay: abundant in oaks.
Chihuahuan Raven: a flock of 835 ravens coming off the roost at Nogales likely contained many of this species.
Common Raven: common throughout.
**Purple Martin: a very surprising 3 individuals, one of them a dark-bellied adult male, in a flock of swallows over the bridge on the San Nicolas / Santa Rosa Road. Russell notes no records from the mountains of eastern Sonora, and his latest autumn date is October 12.
Violet-green Swallow: large flocks in uplands.
Mexican Chickadee: common in pines.
Bridled Titmouse: common in oaks and pines.
Verdin: common in lowlands.
Bushtit: a single black-eared bird in a mixed flock above The Barranca.
White-breasted Nuthatch: common at upland sites and along rivers.
Brown Creeper: very common in mixed flocks at Mesa El Campañero.
Spotted Wren: common and conspicuous at The Barranca and in the canyon two curves above, where a group was busily constructing a nest in the top of a pine.
Rock Wren: heard at Rio Puente Yaqui, and 1 seen at bridge on the San Nicolas / Santa Rosa Road.
Canyon Wren: common throughout.
Sinaloa Wren: 1-2 heard at Puente San Nicolas.
Bewick’s Wren: common at Imuris and Terrenate.
House Wren: common throughout. All seen well were Parkman’s Wrens.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: abundant throughout.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: heard and seen at Imuris, Terrenate, and Puente Rio Yaqui.
Black-capped Gnatcatcher: small numbers on Santa Ana Road and at Puente San Nicolas.
Eastern Bluebird: common throughout in oaks.
Brown-backed Solitaire: 5-6 singing birds seen well just west of Yecora.
Hermit Thrush: 1 at Mesa El Campañero.
American Robin: common at higher elevations.
Northern Mockingbird: common at lower elevations.
Curve-billed Thrasher: small numbers throughout, up to La Palmita, where 2-3 roosted in bougainvillea.
European Starling: common from Nogales to Imuris.
American Pipit: 5-6 at Yecora Ponds.
Phainopepla: small numbers at lower elevations.
Olive Warbler: 3-4 in mixed flocks at Mesa El Campañero.
Orange-crowned Warbler: common throughout.
Yellow-rumped Warbler: abundant throughout; all birds examined were Audubon’s Warblers.
Black-throated Gray Warbler: small numbers throughout.
Townsend’s Warbler: common at high elevations.
Hermit Warbler: several in mixed flocks on Mesa El Campañero.
Grace’s Warbler: 1 at Mesa El Campañero.
Common Yellowthroat: 1 male at Terrenate.
Wilson’s Warbler: small numbers throughout.
Painted Redstart: common at high elevations.
Slate-throated Redstart: 1 at The Barranca.
Rufous-capped Warbler: 1 above The Barranca, 2 at KM196 figs, 2 at Puente San Nicolas.
Hepatic Tanager: common at high elevations.
Western Tanager: 1 at Puente San Nicolas.
Northern Cardinal: common at low elevations up to Tepoco.
Pyrrhuloxia: common at low elevations.
Black-headed Grosbeak: small numbers throughout, with 25-30 at Puente San Nicolas.
Blue Grosbeak: 3-4 at Puente San Nicolas.
Lazuli Bunting: 1 at Puente San Nicolas.
Green-tailed Towhee: common throughout, particularly so at Puente San Nicolas.
Spotted Towhee: 1 heard on Mesa Grande Road, 1 seen at Puente San Nicolas.
Canyon Towhee: small numbers throughout.
Rufous-crowned Sparrow: 1-2 in canyon two curves above The Barranca.
Rusty Sparrow: 1 at Wall Cut, 1-2 in canyon two curves above the
Barranca, at times in direct comparison with a Rufous-crowned Sparrow.
Chipping Sparrow: abundant throughout.
Lark Sparrow: common throughout.
Black-throated Sparrow: 1-2 heard east of Hermosillo.
Savannah Sparrow: 4-5 on Mesa Grande Road.
Song Sparrow: common along lowland streams.
Lincoln’s Sparrow: small numbers throughout, 15 or more at Puente San Nicolas.
White-crowned Sparrow: common throughout.
Dark-eyed Junco: small numbers of Gray-headed Juncos at high elevation.
Yellow-eyed Junco: common at Mesa El Campañero.
Yellow-headed Blackbird: ca. 20 at feedlot on south edge of Hermosillo.
Brewer’s Blackbird: common throughout, as high as Yecora.
Great-tailed Grackle: common throughout, as high as Yecora.
Brown-headed Cowbird: abundant in Yecora and Hermosillo.
Black-vented Oriole: 1 at Puente San Nicolas.
Orchard / Hooded Oriole: 6-8 at Puente San Nicolas.
Streak-backed Oriole: 1-2 at Puente San Nicolas; nests seen on several watercourses.
Scott’s Oriole: 4 or more on Mesa Grande Road.
House Finch: common throughout.
Pine Siskin: 40 on Mesa Grande Road.
Lesser Goldfinch: common throughout.
House Sparrow: common in lowland towns.
