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The following is general information on some of the species of migratory birds that will benefit from the Jordan River habitat restoration project (plus some info about permanent residents and invasive bird species like cowbirds and starlings).

The following photos are used with permission from the photographers.
Most of these images were obtained from the Breeding Bird Survey web page --visit this site for more detailed information.

To read an excellent article about songbird ecology that explores possible reasons for declining songbird numbers, click here. The following information is drawn primarily from these excellent resource guides:
Ehrlich, Paul R., Dobkin, David S., and Wheye, Darryl,
The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds (New York: Simon & Schuster), 1988 Behle, William H. and Perry, Michael L., Utah Birds (Salt Lake City: Utah Museum of Natural History), 1975.

 


Black-chinned Hummingbird: Archilochus

Common Summer Resident:
March 12 to September 30.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees at a height of 4-8 feet on
small limbs often over or near streams.
Cup shaped nest.
Female incubates 2 white unmarked eggs
for 13-16 days. Fledge in 21 days.

Food:
Flower nectar, insects and spiders.

Winters:
From north to central Mexico.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird: Selasphorus platycercus

Common Summer Resident:
March 18 to September 30.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees at a height of 3-15 feet, usually on horizontal limb.
Cup shaped nest.
Female incubates 2 white unmarked eggs for 14-17 days.
Fledge in 21-26 days.

Food:
Flower nectar, insects and spiders.

Winters:
Highlands of northern Mexico and Guatemala.

Downy Woodpecker: Picoides pubescens.

Common Permanent Resident:
Shows altitudinal migration.

Nesting Information:
Nests in tree snags at a height of 3-50 feet
makes new cavity yearly.
Both male and female incubate 4-5 white unmarked
eggs for 12 days. Fledge in 20-25 days.

Food:
Insects (75-85%) fruit, seeds and sap from sapsucker holes.

Winters:
North America.

Northern Flicker: Colaptes auratus.

Common Permanent Resident:

Nesting Information:
Nests in tree snags at a height of 6-15 feet.
Cavities often perennial.
5-8 white unmarked eggs are incubated by both
sexes for 11-14 days. Fledge in 25-28 days.

Food:
Insects especially ants and occasionally seeds, acorns, nuts and grain.

Winters:
North America.

Western Kingbird: Tyrannus verticalis.

Common Summer Resident:
February 24 to October 2.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees or shrubs at a height of 15-30 feet, usually on a
horizontal branch against or near the trunk.
Nest cup shaped.
Female incubates 3-4 white, creamy or pinkish, mottled
eggs for 18-19 days. Fledge in 16-17 days.
Rare cowbird host.

Food:
Insects and berries.

Winters:
From southern Mexico to southwest Costa Rica.

Eastern Kingbird: Tyrannus tyrannus.

Common Summer Resident:
April 15 to September 27.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees and shrubs at a height of 8-15 feet usually at mid height of tree,
midway between trunk and canopy edge on horizontal limb.
Nest cup shaped.
3-4 white, creamy, pinkish, mottled eggs incubated by female for 16-18 days.
Fledge in 16-18 days.
Common cowbird host, but usually ejects or damages parasites' eggs.

Food:
Insects and some fruit.

Winters:
From Colombia south to northern Chile and northern Argentina.

Western Wood-Pewee: Contopus sordidulus.

Common Summer Resident:
April 7 to September 13.

Nesting Information:
Nests in coniferous trees at a height of 15-35 feet,
usually on a horizontal limb far from trunk.
Nest cup shaped.
The female incubates 3 white to creamy marked eggs for 12-13 days.
Fledge in 14-18 days.
Rare cowbird host.

Food:
Insects, few berries.

Winters:
From Colombia and Venezuela south to Peru and Bolivia.

Willow Flycatcher: Empidonax trailli.

Common Summer Resident:
May 1 to September 14.

Nesting Information:
Nests in shrubs at a height of 2-10 feet in an
upright or slanting fork.
Nest cup shaped.
The female incubates 3-4 usually buff eggs marked
with brown spots for 12-13 days. Fledge in 12-14 days.
Common cowbird host.

Food:
Insects and sometimes berries and seeds.

Winters:
From southern Mexico to Panama.

Tree Swallow: Tachycineta bicolor.

Common Summer Resident:
February 16 to September 8.

Nesting Information:
Nests in tree snags at a height of 5 or more feet.
Cavity nester.
Will use nest boxes.
4-6 white unmarked eggs incubated by the
female for 13-16 days. Fledge in 20 days.
Rare cowbird host.

Food:
Insects caught in flight and occasionally berries.

Winters:
South to Honduras, Nicaragua, and central Costa Rica.

Violet-green Swallow: Tachycineta thalassina.

Common Summer Resident:
April 10 to September 28

Nesting Information:
Nests in cavities in snags at a height of 5 or more feet.
Will use nest boxes.
4-6 white unmarked eggs incubated by the female
for 13-14 days. Fledge in 16-24 days.

Food:
Insects almost always caught in flight, only rarely taken on ground.

Winters:
South to Honduras.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow: Stelgidopteryx serripennis.

Common Summer Resident and transient:
March 8 to October 2.

Nesting Information:
Nests in burrows in banks. In addition to excavating burrows.
Nests in deserted kingfisher burrows, rodent holes, and a wide variety of niches
under bridges and wharves, in culverts, sewer pipes, etc.
5-6 white unmarked eggs incubated by the female for 12 days. Fledge in 19-21 days.

Food:
Insects caught in flight and occasionally taken on ground.

Winters:
South to Panama.

Bank Swallow: Riparia riparia.

Common Summer Resident:
March 25 to October 15.

Nesting Information:
Nests in burrows in banks mostly in disturbed sites.
Usually pair excavate own burrow, but sometimes uses deserted Kingfisher burrow.
4-5 white unmarked eggs incubated by both male and female for 14-16 days. Fledge in 18-24 days.
Rare cowbird host.

Food:
Insects caught in flight and rarely taken on ground.

Winters:
South America east of the Andes from Venezuela south to Peru, northern Argentina and Paraguay.

Cliff Swallow: Hirundo pyrrhonota.

Common Summer Resident:
April 1 to October 17.

Nesting Information:
Nests are made of mud pellets plastered on the undersides of
bridges and culverts, on cliffs, walls under eaves, or other vertical surfaces.
Both the male and female incubate 4-5 white, creamy, or pinkish white, spotted with brown eggs for 14-16 days. Fledge in 21-24 days.
Rare cowbird host.

Food:
Insects caught in flight, occasionally gorges on berries.

Winters:
South America from Paraguay and central and southeast Brazil, south to central Argentina.
Barn Swallow: Hirundo rustica

Common Summer Resident and transient:
April 8 to November 7.

Nesting Information:
Nests are made of mud pellets plastered on ledges and walls of buildings.
4-5 white spotted with brown eggs are incubated
by both the male and female for 13-17 days. Fledge in 18- 23 days.
Rare cowbird host.

Food:
Insects caught in flight, occasionally berries and seeds.
Winters:
From Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and Panama to southern tip of South America.

(Chickadees)
Black-capped Chickadee: Parus atricapillus.

Common Permanent Resident:

Nesting Information:
Nests in cavities in trees at a height of 4-8 feet.
Will use nest boxes.
Both the male and female incubate 6-8 white eggs finely marked with reddish-brown for 11-13 days. Fledge in 14-18 days.
Rare cowbird host.

Food:
Mainly insects and occasionally seeds and fruit.

Winters:
In North America.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: Polioptila caerulea.

Common Summer Resident:
April 3 to September 16.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees at a height of 2-25 feet.
Cup shaped nest saddled on horizontal branch or in fork.
4-5 pale blue to bluish-white flecked with brown eggs are incubated by both the male and female for 13 days.
Fledge in 10-12 days.
Common Cowbird host.

Food:
Insects and spiders.

Winters:
South to Bahamas, western
Greater Antilles, Guatemala and Honduras.
 

Winter Wren: Troglodytes troglodytes.

Uncommon Winter Visitant:
August 27 to March 25.

Nesting Information:
Does not nest in our area.

Food:
Mainly insects.

Marsh Wren: Cistothorus palustris.

Common Permanent Resident:

Nesting Information:
Nests attached to reeds at a height of 1-9 feet.
The nest is spherical or globe shaped.
4-6 dull brown, usually marked with darker brown eggs incubated by female for 12-16 days. Fledge in 13-16 days.

Food:
Insects including aquatic insects.

Winters:
Here and along the coastal areas,
elsewhere south to central Mexico.
 

Mountain Bluebird: Sialia currucoides.

Common Summer Resident:
February 2 to October 26.

Nesting Information:
Nests in snags at a height of 2-50 feet.
Cavity nester, often in woodpecker excavated cavity.
The female incubates 5-6 pale blue to bluish white unmarked eggs for 13-14 days. Fledge in 22-23 days.
Rare Cowbird host.

Food:
Insects occasionally fruit especially in winter.

Winters:
South to central Mexico.

American Robin: Turdus migratorius.

Common Permanent Resident:

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees at a height of 10-20 feet.
Cup shape nest usually built in forks of
horizontal limbs. 4 pale blue unmarked eggs
incubated by the female for 12-14 days.
Fledge in 14-16 days.
Rare Cowbird host.

Food:
Insects, earthworms, snails and fruit.

Winters:
South to Bermuda and Guatemala.

Northern Shrike: Lanius excubitor.

Uncommon Winter Visitant:
Some winters abundant.
August 13 to March 31.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees (mainly in spruce) at a height of 6-12 feet.
Cup shape nest is bulky but symmetrical, made of twigs,
matted grass, inner bark, moss, feathers, and hair.
Female incubates 5-6 grayish or greenish white eggs, heavily blotched with olive, brown, and lavender for 15-16 days.
Fledge in 20 days.

Food:
Mice and large insects.

Winters:
In North America.

Loggerhead Shrike: Lanius ludovicianus.

Common Summer Resident:
March 1 to September 30.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees and shrubs at a height of 3-30 feet.
Cup shape nest is usually hidden below crown in crotch or on large branch, bulky, well made of twigs, forbs, bark strips woven together, lined with fine materials.
5-6 grayish-buff eggs marked with gray, black and browns are incubated by female for 16-17 days. Fledge in 17-21 days.

Food:
Mostly large insects and sometimes birds, mice and lizards.

Winters:
Mostly central Mexico.

Warbling Vireo: Vireo gilvus.
Common Summer Resident:
March 26 to October 15.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees at a height of 30-90 feet.
Basketlike deep cup shaped nest suspended by rim
from prongs of forked twig.
4 white eggs spotted with browns and
black are incubated by both sexes for 12 days.
Young fledge in 16 days. Common Cowbird host.

Food:
Almost entirely insects, occasionally berries.

Winters:
From northwest Mexico south to El Salvador.

Yellow Warbler: Dendroica petechia.
Common Summer Resident:
April 12 to September 23.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees and shrubs at a height of 1 to 14 feet.
Commonly nests in Boxelder trees. Cup shaped nest usually compact and neat. 4-5 off-white eggs, occasionally pale green marked with browns, olive, gray, from barely spotted to strongly blotched are incubated by the female for 11-12 days. Fledge in 9-12 days. One of the three most frequent cowbird hosts.

Food:
Insects and a few berries.

Winters:
South to Bahamas, northern Mexico, Peru,
Bolivia and Brazilian Amazon.

Yellow-rumped Warbler: Dendroica coronata.
Common Summer Resident:
April 2 to October 16.

Nesting Information:
Nests in coniferous trees at a height of 4 to 50 feet.
Cup shaped nests usually on horizontal branches.
The female incubates 4-5 white to creamy eggs, marked with browns and gray, occasionally wreathed, for 12-13 days.
Fledge in 10-12 days. Rare cowbird host.

Food:
Insects and a few berries.

Winters:
South to Central America.

Common Yellowthroat: Geothlypis trichas.
Common Summer Resident:
April 20 to October 5.

Nesting Information:
Nests in shrubs at a height of 0 to 3 feet. Cup shaped nests are bulky, loosely made of weed stems, grass, bark, ferns and lined with fine materials. The female incubates 3-5 white to creamy eggs marked with browns and black, occasionally wreathed, for 12 days. Fledge in 10 days. One of the three most frequent cowbird hosts.

Food:
Insects and a few seeds.

Winters:
South to Bahamas, West Indies and Panama.

Yellow-breasted Chat: Icteria virens.
Common Summer Resident:
April 25 to September 25.

Nesting Information:
Nests in shrubs at a height of 1 to 5 feet.
Cup shaped nests are large but well concealed.
The female incubates 3-4 white to creamy
eggs marked with browns for 11 days.
Fledged in 8 days. Frequent host of cowbird parasitism.

Food:
Insects and berries equally.

Winters:
South to Panama.

Western Tanager: Piranga ludoviciana
Common Summer Resident:
April 25 to September 26.

Nesting Information:
Nests in coniferous trees at a height of 6-65 feet.
Cup shaped next in fork on horizontal branch well
out from trunk. 3-5 bluish eggs, marked with browns,
often wreathed, incubated by female for 13 days.
Fledge in 13-15 days. Rare cowbird host.

Food:
Insects and some fruit.

Winters:
In mostly highlands from central Mexico to Costa Rica.

Black-headed Grosbeak: Pheucticus melanocephalus
Common Summer Resident.
April 25 to September 30.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees and shrubs at a height of 4-12 feet.
Cup shaped nest is bulky, loosely built of twigs and
plant stems, rootlets, lined with finer stems and rootlets.
3-4 pale-green, blue or bluish-green eggs, marked with
browns or purples especially on large end are incubated
by both sexes for 12-13 days.
Fledge in 11-12 days. Uncommon cowbird host.

Food:
Insects, seeds and fruits.

Winters:
South through Mexico to Oxaca and Vera Cruz.

Blue Grosbeak: Guiraca caerulea.
Common Summer Resident:
April 26 to September 27.

Nesting Information:
Nests in shrubs and trees at a height of 5-15 feet. Cup shape nest composed of twigs, rootlets, and inner bark stripping. 4 pale bluish-white unmarked eggs incubated by the female for 11-12 days. Fledged in 9-10 days. Frequent cowbird host.

Food:
Insects, seeds and occasionally fruits.

Winters:
From northern Mexico south to Panama, Bahamas and Cuba.

Lazuli Bunting: Passerrina amoena.
Common Summer Resident:
April 17 to September 15.

Nesting Information:
Nests in shrubs at a height of 1.5-15 feet. Cup shaped nest is well woven of dried grass, dead leaves, bark strips and weed stems. The female incubates 3-4 pale bluish-white to pure white, usually unmarked eggs for 12-13 days. Fledge in 9-10 days. Frequent cowbird host.

Food:
Insects, seeds and berries.

Winters:
From south Florida and central Mexico south to
Panama, Greater Antilles and Bahamas.

Rufous-sided Towhee: Pipilo erythophthalmus.
Common Permanent Resident:

Nesting Information:
Nests on ground and rarely in shrubs at a height of 0-.5 feet.
Cup shaped nest often in scratched depression, rim of cup flush with ground surface,
made of leaves, grass, bark, twigs and rootlets.
3-4 grayish to creamy white eggs, spotted with browns, often wreathed or capped,
are believed to be incubated by both sexes for 12-13 days.
Fledged in 10-12 days. Frequent cowbird host.

Food:
Insects, seeds and berries.

Grasshopper Sparrow: Ammodramus savannarum.
Rare Summer Resident.
Formerly a common summer resident until its
habitat was devastated due to overgrazing.

Nesting Information:
Cup shaped nest made in a slight depression on the ground,
rim flush with ground level, well concealed by
overhanging grass and forbs, arched or domed at back.
4-5 creamy white marked with reddish-brown, occasionally wreathed eggs are incubated by the females for 11-12 days. Fledged in 9 days.
Uncommon cowbird host.

Food:
Insects and seeds.

Winters:
South to northern South America and Antilles.

American Tree Sparrow: Spizella arborea

Uncommon Winter visitant:
September 12 to April 10.
 

Yellowheaded Blackbird: Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
Common Summer Resident:
March 14 to October 18.

Nesting Information:
Nests in reeds at a height of 1/2 to 3 feet. Cup-shaped nest over water, bulky, firmly woven of wet vegetation lined with dry grass. 4 grayish-white to pale greenish-white eggs, marked with browns and grays are incubated by the female for 11 to 13 days. Young fledge in 9 to 12 days. Rare cowbird host.

Food:
Mainly insects, sometimes spiders, grass and forb seeds.

Winters:
South to southern Mexico.

Bullock's Oriole: Icterus bullockii
Common Summer Resident:
April 17 to August 30.

Nesting Information:
Nests in trees at a height of 15-30 feet. Pendent shaped nest is usually attached at rim or secured at sides to a drooping branch. The female incubates 4-5 pale grayish to bluish-white eggs, marked with dark colors 12-14 days. Fledge in 12-14 days. Uncommon Cowbird host.

Food:
Insects, spiders, snails, some buds in spring.

Winters:
From Central Mexico south to northeast South America.