- Home
- Roosevelt Lake Birding
Go Birding At
Roosevelt Lake
Birding at Roosevelt Lake
Birding at Roosevelt lake and the Tonto National Monument can only be described as “Birding Bliss” When you first arrive the best place to start your adventure is at a place called Windy Point. Blackbirds, finches and sparrows seemingly flutter around the parking lot like a moth to a flame. great blue herons flap slowly over the water, while vultures and hawks soar overhead looking for their next meal. In the surrounding brush birders will see and hear Gambel’s Quail. And to make it all perfect, there very few people around.
Click on the button below for a list compiled by the National Parks Service. For directions to these ares go to either Roosevelt Lake and surrounding area and trails or the Tonto National Monument area and trails. Below is a short list of common seen species.
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Length: 9"
Wing-span: 22"
Diet: Insects and small animals
American Kestrals are one of the smallest falcons and most colorful raptors. Males have a blue head and wings which contrasts with the rusty-red back and tail. Females are red on the wings, back, and tail. They are solitary and hunt within a small range.
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Polipotila melanura
Length: 4.5"
Wing-span: 5.5"
Diet: Small Insects
This tiny songbird has a thin, straight bill, and a long tail. They are gray overall with a white eyering, and a black tail. They are a darker gray above with paler gray underparts. Their call is a dry hissing pssh sound and a very harsh tssh-tssh-tssh series.
Black-throated Sparrow
Amphizspiza bilineata
Length: 5.5"
Wing-span: 7.75"
Diet: Insects and seeds
This relatively small sparrow has brown plumage, black throat and breast, and a white eyebrow. Juveniles do not have the black throat. The call is a dry hissing pssh and tssh-tssh-tssh series. Their song is a jumble of high chirps and warbles.
Cactus Wren
Campylohynchus brunneicapillus
Length: 8.5"
Wing-span: 11"
Diet: Insects and fruit
The Cactus Wren is a large, chunky bird with a long heavy bill, a long, rounded tail, and short, rounded wings. They are a speckled brown bird with bright white eyebrows. They often build ovals nests in cacti. Their call is a low hallow kot given in a series. Their song is a log, chugging, unmusical series of krrr krrr krr.
Canyon Towhee
Pipilo fuscus
Length: 9"
Wing-span: 11.5"
Diet: Seeds, fruit, insects
These large, warm-brown sparrows have fairly long tails, chunky bodies, and short rounded wings. They have a short, thick bill. They are commonly seen on the ground in the parking lot and underneath shrubs. Their call is a nasal tinny kidl or kilt. Their song is a simple, methodical, slow trill of short whistled notes: kild ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti kill.
Canyon Wren
Catherpes mexicanus
Length: 5.75"
Wing-span: 7.5"
Diet: Insects and spiders
This small songbird has a brown body, a white throat, and a long, thin bill. They usually climb around on rack faces looking for food. Their call is a high ringing buzz jink. Their song is a cascading series of clear whistles ending with nasal hissing noises. View this beautiful bird in the beautiful area of Roosevelt.
Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Length: 8.75"
Wing-span: 12"
Diet: Seeds, fruit, insect larvae
Cardinals are a fairly large, long-tailed bird with a short, very thick bill and prominent crest. Adult males are uniquely colored, with a bright red body, a black face, and an obvious, pointed crest. Adult females are similarly shaped, but are pale brown.
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Length: 24"
Wing-span: 53"
Diet: Opportunist Feeders
This massive, entirely black bird has a thick neck and shaggy throat feathers. In flight, ravens have long, wedge-shaped tails. They are larger than crows with longer and narrower wings. Their common call is a deep baritone croak brrrronk.
Costa's Hummingbird
Calypte costae
Length: 3.5"
Wing-span: 4.75"
Diet: Nectar, insects
Adult males have a purplish crown and long flared throat feathers. On the adult female, the throat and underparts are dingy white to pale gray and a pale "eyebrow". Their call is a very high, musical chip. Their song is a very high, thin, rising, and falling buzz.
Curve-bill Thrasher
Toxostoma curvirostre
Length: 11"
Wing-span: 13.5"
Diet: Forages on the ground
This dull grayish brown bird is a large, long-tailed songbird. It has a long, thing, slightly down-curved bill. Its call is a distinctive, sharp, liquid whistle wit-WEET-wit. Its song is similar to other thrashers, but rather harsh, crisp. quit and weet.
Gamble's Quail
Callipepla gambelii
Length: 10"
Wing-span: 14"
Diet: Seeds, leaves, insects
This quail is plump, short-tailed, and has grayish plumage. Both adult males and females have the prominenet tear-drop shaped head plume or double plume. Males give a repeated nasal pup waay pop with a short clipped final note call.
Gila Woodpecker
Melanerpes urophyialis
Length: 9.25"
Wing-span: 16"
Diet: Insects, fruit, seeds, lizards
This medium to large woodpecker has a barred black-and-white back, and a brown face and neck. Adult males have a red cap. They are a characteristic bird of saguaro cactus forests. Their call is a loud harsh quirrrr. They drum long and steady.
Gilded Flicker
Colaptes chrysoides
Length: 11"
Wing-span: 18"
Diet: Insects, fruits, seeds
This medium to large woodpecker is grayish brown, with a barred pattern on top and spotted pattern below. They have a black crescent on their chest. While in flight, their white rump and yellow wing patches are obvious. Their call is a long series of long wik-wik-wik note
House Finch
Carpodactus mexicanus
Length: 6"
Wing-span: 9.5"
Diet: Seeds, fruit, and other insects
These small-bodied birds have fairly large beaks and somewhat long, flat heads. Their wings are short, making their tail seem long by comparison. Adult males are red around the face and upper breast, with a brown back, belly, and tail. Adult females are not red; they are a plain grayish-brown.
Lesser Goldfinch
Carduelis pstaltia
Length: 4.5"
Wing-span: 8"
Diet: Seeds
These tiny, stub-billed songbirds have long, pointed wings, and short, notched tails. Adult males are a bright yellow below a black cap and white patches on their wings. Adult females have olive colored backs, dull yellow underparts, and black wings marked by two whitish wingbars.
Phainopepla
Paihopepla nitens
Length: 7.75"
Wing-span: 11"
Diet: Berries
The phainopepla is a slender, long-tailed, round-winged bird with red eyes and a shaggy crest. Adult males are shiny black with white wing patches; adult females are grayish with white edging on all wing feathers. Their call is a low questioning hoi. Their song is a series of disjointed, short, warbled phrases that may be grating in quality. Find this beautiful bird in the Roosevelt Lake area.
Rock Wren
Salpinctes obsoleuts
Length: 6"
Wing-span: 9"
Diet: Insects and other arthropods
This small songbird has a pale gray back, faintly striped throat, a long tail, and a long, thin bill. They often stand on top of a bock and bounces (as if doing deep knee-bends) while giving a ringing call. Their call is a ringing buss pdzeeee which can be heard from a great distance. Their song is series of buzzy, trilled, ringing phrases which are repeated three to six times in regular rhythm.
Say's Phoebe
Sayornis saya
Length: 7.5"
Wing-span: 13"
Diet: Insects
This slender, long-tailed flycatcher appears to have a large head for a bird of its size. They are a pale brownish color on their back with a cinnamon belly, a blackish tail and a gray breast. Their call is a low, plaintive, whistled pdeer or tueee. Their song is a series of relatively low, whistled phrases pidiweew and pidireep. View this very pretty bird in the Roosevelt Lake area on your next birding trip.
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Length: 26"
Wing-span: 67"
Diet: Carrion
They are large dark birds with long, broad winds. They are dark colored with pales flight feathers giving them a two-toned appearance. They have a featherless red head and pale bill. While flying, they teeter. They make soft hissing and clucking noises which are seldom heard.
Verdin
Auriparus flaviceps
Length: 4.5"
Wing-span: 6.5"
Diet: Small insects, fruit, nectar
Verdins are a small bird that is a dull gray with a yellow face and chesnut shoulder. Their call is a clear tschep and rapid chip notes. Their song is a three-note whistle, tee tyew too, with the second note higher. View this beautiful bird in the Roosevelt Lake area on your next birding trip.
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Length: 7"
Wing-span: 9.5"
Diet:
This large sparrow has a small bill and a long tail. They are a plan, pale-gray bird with a very bold black-and-white strip on the head and a pale pink or yellow bill. Their call is a sharp plink. Their song varies regionally, but often contains a series of buzzy trills on different pitches: feeee odi odi zeee zaaaa.
