Birding Arizona's hotspots with Southwest Trekking

Southeast Arizona offers a diversity and uniqueness of birdlife unlike anywhere else in the world. Habitat diversity presented in an array of breathtaking and often surreal landscapes creates ecological niches for a stunning variety of avifauna. Here in the Basin and Range region abrupt elevation changes create 'sky islands' of coniferous forest separated by seas of desert and grassland. This combination of northern and southern habitat types brings breeding birds associated with cool northern forests into proximity with hot climate desert and tropical species. Added to this collection is a wealth of migrants which brings the total Southeast Arizona bird list to well over 400 species.

Explore a land where Phainopeplas and Pyrrhuloxias, species as bizarre and beautiful as their names, flit through the beautiful desert landscape, while Gila Woodpeckers and Gilded Flickers excavate nesting cavities in towering saguaro cacti. A dozen species of hummingbirds take advantage of nectar from a palette of desert blooms while raptors soar above searching for prey. Look to the sky for a "pack" of Harris's Hawks, one of the few places in the United States to see this impressive raptor unique for its cooperative group hunting behavior. Here one can watch wintering Sandhill Cranes strut across valley grasslands with an unexpected plethora of waterfowl utilizing the dispersed open water areas. With some helpful guiding and a little luck Elegant Trogons can be seen in the Santa Rita Mountains near the sycamores where they nest. Southeast Arizona is the only place in the United States to see this amazingly colorful tropical bird.

Whether a driven life lister or a casual birder out to see some new birds in a unique setting, Southwest Trekking has something for you. Based in Tucson, Southwest Trekking has fast and easy access to world renowned birding areas. Knowledgeable and helpful guides will get you to these hotspots increasing your chances of viewing species of interest while aiding you in identification and informing you of avian natural history. Come bird with us!

Madera Canyon
Madera Canyon offers an incredible host of bird species and habitat types with only a 45 minute drive from Tucson. Desert grasslands give way to oak woodlands as we rise in elevation, with lush riparian woodlands along the way. Several trails lead further up in eventually topping out at ~10,000ft on Mount Wrightson. This is classic 'sky island' country with the diversity of habitat and bird life only it can offer. Rufous-winged Sparrows and Costa's Hummingbirds can be observed in the lower grasslands while Painted Redstarts, Bridled Titmouse and Hepatic Tanagers can be spotted in the steam side areas further up the road. From here it is time to get out the hiking boots and cross your fingers for a glimpse of an Elegant Trogon along the first mile or so of trail. For the adventurous, the steep windy Old Baldy Trail will challenge your stamina as well as your birding skills. We will be peering into the conifer canopy with hopeful rewards of Red Face, Olive and Grace's Warblers and perhaps a Greater Pewee or two. It is hard to beat the beauty and diversity of habitat and eclectic selection of species found at Madera Canyon.

Birding Narratives

Phainopepla

These strange and beautiful birds are exclusive to the Southwest United States and Mexico the Phainopepla is an arid land specialist almost entirely dependent on desert mistletoe plants for food and nesting sites. The mistletoe is an oddity of the plant world in that it is a parasite. Misletoes tap into the vascular system of tree branches taking water and nutrients from the host tree an therefore do not need to photosynthesize their own food. The berries of the mistletoe and small insects are the main food source of the Phainopepla and also supply a dense cover for nesting sites. This mutualistic relationship benefits both Phainopepla and desert mistletoe. The Phainopepla gets a steady supply of food and shelter and the mistletoe gets dispersed to new host trees through the Phainopepla's droppings. The mistletoe seeds contained within the berries survive the digestive tract of the Phainopepla and germinate when deposited on branches of Mesquite and other desert scrubland trees.

Vermilion Flycatcher

Arizona offers the best chance in the United States for seeing this intense, vibrantly colored flycatcher. Find Vermilion Flycatchers hovering over water bodies hunting for flying insects. The brightly colored male will feed the drabber colored female as she incubates eggs while nested deep in a forking tree branch often along riparian areas.

Of Saguaros, Woodpeckers and Owls

The most prominent plant in the Sonoran Desert region of Southeast Arizona is the Saguaro Cactus. You will not have to search too long among these giants to find holes excavated by Gila Woodpeckers and Gilded Flickers. These thick skulled, energetic and easily observed species excavate burrows deep into the cactus and use these hollows as nesting cavities. The cavities are abandoned by the Woodpeckers and Flickers after one year and subsequently used by secondary nesters which include two species of tiny owls. Both the Elf Owl and Ferruginous Pygmy Owl are under 7 inches tall and nest primarily in abandon Woodpecker and Flicker holes. These hollows supply highly protective nesting sites for these owl species. Unfortunately, in the case of the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, protected nest sites are not enough and this species is now endangered and has all but disappeared from Arizona with only a handful of individuals remaining. Long term drought and habitat loss from a growing human desert population are thought to be the main causes of this decline. Elf owls which migrate to Mexico for the winter have more stabilized populations.

Just to name a few:

Loons
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Common Loon

Grebes
Least Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Homed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe

Storm-Petrels
Least Storm-Petrel

Tropicbirds
Red-billed Tropicbird

Pelicans
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican

Cormorants & Darters
Neotropic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga

Frigatebirds
Magnificent Frigatebird

Bitterns & Herons
American Bittern
Least Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Reddish Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Ibises & Spoonbills
White Ibis
White-faced Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill

American Vultures & Storks
Wood Stork
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
California Condor

Swans, Geese & Ducks
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Ross's Goose
Canada Goose
Brant
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Garganey
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck

Kites, Hawks & Eagles
Osprey
Swallow-tailed Kite
White-tailed Kite
Mississippi Kite
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Northern Harrier
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Gray Hawk
Common Black-Hawk
Harris's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
White-tailed Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle

Caracaras & Falcons
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel
Merlin
Aplomado Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Prairie Falcon

Turkeys & Quail
Wild Turkey
Scaled Quail
Gambel's Quail
N. "Masked" Bobwhite
Montezuma Quail

Rails, Gallinules & Coots
Black Rail
Clapper Rail
Virginia Rail
Sora
Purple Gallinule
Common Moorhen
American Coot

Cranes
Sandhil Crane
Whooping Crane

Plovers & Jacanas
Black-bellied Plover
American Golden-Plover
Pacific Golden Plover
Snowy Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Mountain Plover
Northern Jacana

Stilts & Avocets
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet

Sandpipers & Allies
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Willet
Wandering Tattler
Spotted Sandpiper
Whinbrel
Long-billed Curlew
Hudsonian Godwit
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Dunlin
Stilt Sandpiper
Ruff
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Red Phalarope

Skuas, Gulls, Terns & Skimmers
Parasitic Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger
Laughing Gull
Franklin's Gull
Bonaparte's gull
Heermann's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Western Gull
Sabine's Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Elegant Tern
Common Tern
Arctic Tern
Forster's Tern
Least Tern
Black Tern
Black Skimmer

Pigeons & Doves
Rock Dove
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove

Parrots

Thick-billed Parrot

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis
Black-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Greater Roadrunner
Groove-billed Ani

Barn & Typical Owls
Barn Owl
Flammulated Owl
Western Screech-Owl
Whiskered Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
Elf Owl
Burrowing Owl
Spotted Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl

Nighthawks & Nightjars
Lesser Nighthawk
Common Nighthawk
Common Poorwill
Buff-collared Nightjar
Whip-poor-will

Swifts
Black Swift
Chimney Swift
Vaux's Swift
White-throated Swift

Hummingbirds
Broad-billed Hummingbird
White-eared Hummingbird
Berylline Hummingbird
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Magnificent Hummingbird
Plain-capped Starthroat
Lucifer Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Costa's Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Bumblebee Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Allen's Hummingbird

Trogons
Elegant Trogon
Eared Quetzal

Kingfishers
Belted Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher

Woodpeckers
Lewis's Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker
Gila Woodpecker
Williamson's Sapsucker
Yellow-belied Sapsucker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Downy-Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Arizona Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Red Shafted
Yellow Shafted
Gilded Flicker

Tyrant Flycatchers & Becard
N Beardless-Tyrannulet
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Greater Peewee
Western Wood-Peewee
Eastern Wood-peewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Hammond's Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Buff-breasted Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Eastern Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Vermillion Flycatcher
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Nutting's Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Cassin's Kingbird
Thick-billed Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Rose-throated Becard

Shrikes
Loggerhead Shrike
Northern Shrike

Vireos
White-eyed Vireo
Bell's Vireo
Black-capped Vireo
Gray Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Plumbeous Vireo
Cassin's Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Hutton's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Yellow-green Vireo

Jays, Crows & Ravens
Steller's Jay
Blue Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Mexican Jay
Pinyon Jay
Clark's Nutcracker
American Crow
Chihuahuan Raven
Common Raven

Larks
Horned Lark

Swallows
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow
Barn Swallow

Chickadees & Titmice
Mountain Chickadee
Mexican Chickadee
Bridled Titmouse
Juniper Titmouse

Verdins & Bushtits
Verdin
Bushtit

Nuthatches & Creepers
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper

Wrens
Cactus Wren
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Carolina Wren
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren

Dippers
American Dipper

Kinglets & Gnatcatchers
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Black-capped Gnatcatcher

Thrushes
Northern Wheatear
Eastern Bluebird
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
Rufous-backed Robin
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Aztec Thrush

Mockingbirds, Thrashers & Allies
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Sage Thrasher
Brown Thrasher
Bendire's Thrasher
Curve-billed Thrasher
Crissal Thrasher
LeConte's Thrasher
Blue Mockingbird

Starlings
European Starling

Wagtails & Pipits
Red-throated Pipit
American Pipit
Sprague's Pipit

Waxwings
Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing

Silky Flycatchers
Phainopepla

Wood & Olive Warblers
Olive Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Virginia's Warbler
Lucy's Warbler
Crescent-chested Warbler
Northern Parula
Tropical Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Audubon's form
Myrtle form
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Hermit Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Grace's warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-White warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Wilson's warbler
Canada Warbler
Red-faced warbler
Painted Redstart
Slate Throated Redstart
Fan-tailed Warbler
Rufous-capped Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat

Tanagers
Hepatic tanager
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Western Tanager
Flame-colored Tanager

Emberizines
Green-tailed Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Eastern Towhee
Canyon Towhee
Abert's Towhee
Rufous-winged Sparrow
Cassin's Sparrow
Botteri's Sparrow
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Five-striped Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Brewer's Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Black-chinned Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Sage Sparrow
Lark Bunting
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Baird's Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Red forms
Slate-colored forms
Sooty forms
Thick-billed forms
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Harris's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Slate-colored form
Oregon forms
Pink-sided forms
Gray-headed forms
Red-backed forms
White winged forms
Yellow-eyed Junco
McCown's Longspur
Lapland Longspur
Chestnut-collared Longspur
Snow Bunting

Cardinals, Grosbeaks & Allies
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Yellow Grosbeak
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting
Indigo Bunting
Varied Bunting
Painted Bunting
Dickcissel

Icterines
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Black-vented Oriole
Orchard Oriole
Hooded Oriole
Streak-backed Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Bullock's Oriole
Scott's Oriole

Cardueline Finches
Pine Grosbeak
Purple Finch
Cassin's Finch
House Finch
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
Lawrence's Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak

Old World Sparrows
House Sparrow

Guides are trained and experienced to facilitate you with a positive experience. We can and will adapt to your needs and desires.

Come trek with Southwest Trekking, The Professional Guide Service.

We supply everything needed, transportation, water, snacks, beverages and an experienced, trained, knowledgeable guide.