Backyard Birds of Nevada
Nevada runs from the Sierra Nevada’s eastern slope across basin-and-range sagebrush to the Mojave desert — a Silver State feeding station works twelve months a year. Sixteen portraits are pinned on the map below, right where each species is most characteristic. Hover any portrait to see its name, tap to jump to its profile, then open its photo gallery and play its call.
Jump to a Species
The state bird — the Mountain Bluebird — leads the list, followed by feeder regulars, desert specialties, and hummingbirds. Every entry links to a full species guide.
Backyard Birds in Nevada: A Year-Round Seasonal Identification Guide
Quick Answer: Birding a Nevada Backyard
Nevada is the driest state in the nation, which makes backyard birding a 12-month pursuit built on water. Anchor birds are year-round residents led by the Mountain Bluebird (the state bird since 1967), Mountain Chickadee, Juniper Titmouse, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, Bushtit, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Mourning Dove, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Anna’s Hummingbird (southern Nevada), Gambel’s Quail, Bewick’s Wren, and American Goldfinch. Summer adds Costa’s Hummingbirds; winter brings White-crowned Sparrows. In Nevada, a dripping birdbath outdraws any feeder — water is the whole game.
Meet the 110 Backyard Birds of Nevada
The state bird leads the list, followed by year-round regulars, winter visitors, and summer breeders. Every card opens a photo gallery, plays a real field recording, and links to the full species guide. Use the seasonal filter bar above to narrow the list.
📍 Reno
Mountain Bluebird
Sialia currucoidesA 6.3–7.9-inch bluebird the color of a high-country sky — males are cerulean blue all over, females soft gray-blue. Mountain Bluebirds hover-hunt insects over Nevada’s open meadows and sage flats, and accept nest boxes on open ground far from trees.
📍 Carson City
Mountain Chickadee
Poecile gambeliThe chickadee of the high country (4.3–5.5 inches): black bib and cap like its eastern cousins, but with a bold white eyebrow stripe slicing through the black. Mountain Chickadees are year-round residents of Nevada’s conifer forests and faithful visitors to mountain feeders all winter.
📍 Dayton
Juniper Titmouse
Baeolophus ridgwayiA small 5.3–6-inch gray bird with a tiny crest — the unadorned spirit of the pinyon-juniper woods. Juniper Titmice live year-round in Nevada’s dry foothills, prying seeds and insects from juniper bark, visiting sunflower feeders, and nesting in old woodpecker holes.
📍 Gardnerville
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma woodhouseiiThe interior West’s scrub-jay (11–11.8 inches): duller blue than its California cousin, with a gray back and pale throat. Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays live year-round in Nevada’s pinyon-juniper belt and towns, caching piñon nuts by the thousand each fall — and remembering most of the hiding places.
Recording via Wikimedia Commons / xeno-canto
Read Full Guide →
📍 Elko
Bushtit
Psaltriparus minimusA tiny 3.7–4.3-inch gray puffball with a long tail — plain, busy, and never alone. Bushtits roam Nevada in twittering flocks of 10 to 40, hanging upside down on twigs and suet cages. One minute your feeder is empty; the next it’s wearing a dozen Bushtits; then they’re gone.
📍 Henderson
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Dryobates scalarisA small desert woodpecker (6.3–7.1 inches) with black-and-white barring up the back — the ladder — a striped face, and (on males) a red crown. Ladder-backs work Nevada mesquite, cactus, and fence posts for insects, and visit suet feeders in dry yards. The western counterpart of the Downy Woodpecker.
📍 Sparks
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratusA big 11–12-inch woodpecker in brown-barred plumage with a black bib and spotted belly; eastern birds flash golden wing linings and a red nape crescent. Flickers spend much of their time on the ground lapping up ants, and drum on Nevada gutters at dawn in spring — loud, but it’s a love song.
Recording via Wikimedia Commons / xeno-canto
Read Full Guide →
📍 Mesquite
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macrouraA plump, gentle 9.1–13.4-inch dove in soft gray-brown with a long pointed tail edged in white. Named for its mournful cooing, it whistles sharply on takeoff. Mourning Doves feed beneath Nevada feeders in every season and nest astonishingly early — sometimes with snow still on the ground.
📍 Las Vegas
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanusA 5.1–5.5-inch finch: males washed strawberry-red on head, breast, and rump; females plainly streaked. House Finches spread across the East in the 1990s and now crowd Nevada tube feeders year-round, warbling long songs that end in an up-slurred veer.
📍 Pahrump
Lesser Goldfinch
Spinus psaltriaA tiny 4.5-inch finch: males are bright yellow below with a black cap and black (western) or green (eastern) back; females are olive-yellow. Lesser Goldfinches ride Nevada flower stalks like acrobats and mob Nyjer feeders in cheerful flocks, chattering sweeet calls as they feed.
📍 Boulder City
Anna’s Hummingbird
Calypte annaThe West’s year-round hummingbird (3.9–4.3 inches): males wear an iridescent rose-pink hood that blazes in sunlight; females are green with spotted throats. Anna’s Hummingbirds don’t migrate — they live in Nevada yards all year, even through frosts, and sing a scratchy, buzzy song from exposed perches, unusual among hummingbirds.
📍 Fallon
Costa’s Hummingbird
Calypte costaeThe desert hummingbird (3–3.5 inches): males wear an iridescent violet-purple cap and flared gorget like a tiny mustache-and-helmet. Costa’s breed in Nevada’s desert washes and sage suburbs, visiting nectar feeders and flowering desert plants — then pull off spectacular U-shaped dive displays.
📍 Winnemucca
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrysA crisp 5.9–6.3-inch sparrow: gray face and body with a bold black-and-white bicycle-helmet crown. White-crowned Sparrows winter across Nevada yards and fields, hopping in mixed flocks under feeders, and singing a clear, whistled song that changes dialect from valley to valley.
📍 Ely
Gambel’s Quail
Callipepla gambeliiThe desert quail (9.8–11.4 inches): gray with a forward-curling black plume, scaled belly, and — on males — a black face and rusty cap. Gambel’s Quail scurry through Nevada yards in coveys, erupting into cover at a shadow and calling chi-CA-go from fence posts; spring parades of puffball chicks are a desert delight.
📍 Fernley
Bewick’s Wren
Thryomanes bewickiiA slim 5.1-inch wren, brown above and grayish below with a bold white eyebrow and a long white-cocked tail. Bewick’s Wrens hunt insects through Nevada brush piles and fence lines, singing a variable, musical song — and they readily move into backyard nest boxes.
📍 Battle Mountain
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristisBreeding males are lemon-yellow with a jet-black cap and wings; winter birds are soft olive-drab. Goldfinches mob Nyjer socks across Nevada in every season, nesting late in summer when thistle seed ripens. Their bouncy flight and po-ta-to-chip call are unmistakable.
More Backyard Birds in Nevada +94 species
Every other species from our backyard bird library that regularly occurs in Nevada — each with its own photo gallery, playable call, and full species guide. Browse 16 per page using the dots below.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Whole corn, peanuts, and a shallow water pan on open ground.
Feeder: Perches on fences; nest boxes on poles in open country.
Feeder: Soaked raisins, mealworms, and a ground-level birdbath.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet and table scraps on a big open platform; bold and clever.
Feeder: Sugar-water feeders and a fine misting feature.
Feeder: Sunflower seeds at a sturdy platform feeder in summer.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Grain and crumbs on ground platforms in open western yards.
Feeder: Sugar-water feeders near red tubular flowers.
Feeder: Suet smeared on tree bark; spirals up trunks for hidden insects.
Feeder: Cracked corn and grain on the ground; a nest parasite.
Feeder: Grape jelly, halved oranges, and sugar water in summer.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Cracked corn scattered near dense cat-proof shrubs.
Feeder: In-shell peanuts and acorns on platform feeders.
Feeder: Sugar-water feeders; North America’s smallest bird.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Cracked corn, sunflower chips, and a shallow water dish.
Feeder: Sunflower chips at mountain-town feeders; loves a water dish.
Feeder: Berry-producing trees and a fountain or moving water.
Feeder: Fine seed mix and grass seed scattered on open ground.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Rarely visits feeders; appreciate these giants from the window.
Feeder: Not a feeder guest — it hunts the birds at your feeders.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: White millet scattered on the ground or a snow-cleared platform.
Feeder: Suet cakes, peanut bits, and black oil sunflower.
Feeder: Large grains on big platform feeders; spreading fast.
Feeder: Suet and crumbs; use starling-resistant caged feeders.
Feeder: Sunflower pieces and cracked corn; double-scratches in leaf litter.
Feeder: Suet and nectar feeders in desert yards with saguaros.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Grape jelly, halved oranges, raisins, and dense shady shrubs.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet blocks and whole peanuts; favors larger trees near feeders.
Feeder: Berry-producing shrubs and a ground birdbath in shady yards.
Feeder: Nectar feeders and oranges near palms in warm suburbs.
Feeder: Cracked corn, millet, and crumbs; nests in cavities and crevices.
Feeder: Nest boxes with 1-inch holes; eats insects, not seed.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: White millet and fine sunflower chips near brushy slopes.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet, fruit slices, and dense berry-producing shrubs.
Feeder: Suet crumbs; occasionally sips at hummingbird feeders.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Nyjer and fine sunflower chips; irrupts to feeders in dense flocks.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet and crushed nuts; communal winter flocks in pine towns.
Feeder: Sunflower seeds on open platforms; visits erratically with cone crops.
Feeder: Suet, black oil sunflower, and peanut bits at tube feeders.
Feeder: Suet and fruit; tends sap wells on birches and conifers.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Sunflower, millet, and corn — arrives in loud flocks.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Hunts small feeder birds in winter; give feeders escape cover.
Feeder: Mixed seed and white millet near brushy edges; loves a birdbath.
Feeder: Coarse seed mixes on a ground platform near dry thickets.
Feeder: Whole peanuts, suet, and large nuts at mountain cabins.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Mealworms and a nest box facing open ground.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Tree-cavity style nest boxes; listen for the bouncing-ball call.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet, whole peanuts, and sunflower; walks headfirst down trunks.
Feeder: Cracked corn and large seeds on open platforms; loves water.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet cakes, berries, and peanut butter smeared on bark.
The Nevada Seasonal Feeder Calendar
🌱 Spring
March – MayMountain Bluebirds return to nest boxes in March — Nevada’s earliest and most welcome migrant. Hang nectar feeders by April; quail chicks parade through southern yards by May. Keep water features full: spring is windy and dry, and a dripping bath draws migrants.
☀️ Summer
June – AugustNevada heat rules everything: change hummingbird nectar every 1–2 days (it ferments fast above 100°F), shade seed feeders, and keep a dripping birdbath running — water outdraws every feeder in the driest state in America. Bluebirds raise second broods in mountain valleys.
🍂 Autumn
September – NovemberMountain birds drift to the valleys. White-crowned Sparrows and juncos arrive in October; hummingbird feeders stay busy in southern Nevada. Stock seed and suet, and watch for goldfinch and siskin flocks building at Nyjer.
❄️ Winter
December – FebruaryTwo Nevadas in winter: the south is mild and busy — Anna’s Hummingbirds, quail, and finch flocks all season — while northern Nevada freezes hard, and suet plus a heated birdbath carry chickadees, nuthatches, and magpies through.
Frequently Asked Questions: Backyard Birding in Nevada
- The State Bird: The Mountain Bluebird — Nevada’s state bird since 1967 (Idaho chose it first, in 1931) — returns to nest boxes in March, sky-blue over the sagebrush.
- Water Is Everything: Nevada is the driest state in the nation — a dripping birdbath attracts more species than any feeder, every month of the year.
- Two Nevadas: Southern Nevada (Mojave) hosts Gambel’s Quail, Costa’s Hummingbirds, and wintering Anna’s; northern Nevada (Great Basin) hosts chickadees, magpies, and hard freezes.
- The Scrub-Jay: Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay rules the pinyon-juniper belt — it caches piñon nuts by the thousand and remembers most of them.
- The Map: The pinned map at the top of this page shows where each of the 16 featured birds is most characteristic; every pin jumps to a profile with photos, a playable call, and a full guide link.
- Best Single Upgrade: A dripping birdbath plus a ground platform with millet — quail, doves, towhees, and sparrows, twelve months a year.
Nevada Birding Checklist
Region: Nevada — 110 Backyard Species