Backyard Birds of Oregon
Oregon runs from the rainy coast across the Willamette Valley to the high desert east of the Cascades — a Beaver 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
Anna’s Hummingbird — the tiny year-round resident that stays through Oregon winters — leads the list, followed by feeder regulars and winter flocks. Every entry links to a full species guide.
Backyard Birds in Oregon: A Year-Round Seasonal Identification Guide
Quick Answer: Birding a Oregon Backyard
Oregon’s Cascade divide creates two birding worlds — wet forest west, high desert east — and backyard birding works 12 months a year. Anchor birds are year-round residents led by Anna’s Hummingbird (which winters in Oregon yards), Chestnut-backed and Black-capped Chickadees, Bushtits, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Steller’s and California Scrub-Jays, American Robins, Song Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, California Quail, and Dark-eyed Juncos. Winter adds Golden-crowned Sparrows and Varied Thrushes. (The state bird, the Western Meadowlark, sings from open fence posts rather than feeders.) In western Oregon’s rain, mold is the enemy — weather guards and weekly cleaning are essential.
Meet the 109 Backyard Birds of Oregon
The hummingbird 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.
📍 Portland
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 Oregon yards all year, even through frosts, and sing a scratchy, buzzy song from exposed perches, unusual among hummingbirds.
📍 Salem
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Poecile rufescensThe Pacific coast chickadee (3.9–4.7 inches): rich chestnut back and flanks, black bib, and white cheeks — a little jewel of the fog belt. Chestnut-backs live year-round in Oregon’s conifer and mixed woods, visit suet and seed feeders, and travel with winter flocks of kinglets and nuthatches.
📍 Pendleton
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillusA tiny 4.7–5.9-inch acrobat with a black cap and bib, white cheeks, and buffy flanks. Chickadees are the bold first visitors to any new feeder, grabbing one seed and flying off to cache it. Listen for the chick-a-dee-dee-dee call that gives the bird its name — and the clear two-note fee-bee whistle of spring.
📍 Eugene
Bushtit
Psaltriparus minimusA tiny 3.7–4.3-inch gray puffball with a long tail — plain, busy, and never alone. Bushtits roam Oregon 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.
📍 Bend
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensisA compact 4.3-inch nuthatch: blue-gray above, rusty below, with a bold white eyebrow stripe. Red-breasted Nuthatches live in Oregon’s conifer belt year-round and irrupt southward in cone-poor winters, hitching down tree trunks headfirst and calling a tin-horn yank-yank.
📍 Corvallis
Downy Woodpecker
Dryobates pubescensNorth America’s smallest woodpecker (5.5–6.7 inches) is a Oregon backyard regular in every season. Black-and-white checkered wings, a clean white stripe down the back, and a tiny stubby bill separate it from the larger Hairy Woodpecker; males wear a small red patch on the nape.
Recording via Wikimedia Commons / xeno-canto
Read Full Guide →
📍 Hillsboro
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 Oregon gutters at dawn in spring — loud, but it’s a love song.
Recording via Wikimedia Commons / xeno-canto
Read Full Guide →
📍 Astoria
Steller’s Jay
Cyanocitta stelleriA gorgeous 11.5–12.6-inch jay: black crest and head melting into deep blue body — the crested jay of the West. Steller’s Jays dominate Oregon mountain and coastal yards, caching peanuts, imitating hawks to clear feeders, and announcing everything with a rattling shack-shack-shack.
📍 Medford
California Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma californicaA bold 11–11.8-inch jay: azure blue above, gray-white below, with a white throat and no crest. Scrub-jays are the personalities of Oregon suburbs — they cache thousands of acorns each fall (and remember most of them), scold cats, and land on your shoulder for peanuts if you let them.
📍 Albany
American Robin
Turdus migratoriusThe familiar 7.9–11-inch thrush: gray above, brick-red below, yellow-billed. The dawn chorus over a Oregon lawn is built on its cheerily-cheerup phrases. Robins nest on porch lights and ledges, and big winter flocks descend on holly and hackberry trees across the state.
📍 Newport
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodiaA streaky 4.7–6.7-inch sparrow with breast streaks converging into one bold central spot and a long rounded tail it pumps in flight. Song Sparrows sing their bright three-note-and-a-trill song from Oregon marsh edges, creek willows, and garden hedges nearly year-round.
📍 Grants Pass
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatusA striking 6.7–8.3-inch sparrow: black hood, white-spotted back, rusty flanks, and red eyes — the western counterpart of the Eastern Towhee. Spotted Towhees double-scratch in Oregon leaf litter, singing a buzzy tow-hee from shrubs and visiting ground feeders near cover.
📍 Ashland
California Quail
Callipepla californicaA plump 9.4–10.6-inch quail with a forward-curling black head plume, scaled belly, and (on males) a bold black face. California Quail — the Golden State’s state bird — scurry through Oregon yards in coveys, bursting into cover at a cat’s shadow and calling chi-CA-go from fence posts.
📍 Klamath Falls
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalisThe classic snowbird: a 5.5–6.3-inch sparrow with a slate-gray hood set cleanly against a white belly, white outer tail feathers flashing in flight. Juncos pour into Oregon each October and double-scratch for millet under feeders until April — the surest sign of winter.
📍 Roseburg
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapillaA big 7.2–8.3-inch sparrow, gray-brown with a gold forehead patch bordered in black (brightest in spring). Golden-crowned Sparrows winter along the Pacific slope, scratching under Oregon shrubs with White-crowned flocks and singing a plaintive, descending oh-dear-me.
📍 Ontario
California Towhee
Melozone crissalisA big 8.3–9.8-inch sparrow, plain warm brown with a rusty undertail and face shading — the unglamorous workhorse of California yards. California Towhees scratch in leaf litter with double-footed hops under Oregon shrubs, mate for life, and defend territories with sharp metallic chink calls.
More Backyard Birds in Oregon +93 species
Every other species from our backyard bird library that regularly occurs in Oregon — 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: Whole corn, peanuts, and a shallow water pan on open ground.
Feeder: Nyjer (thistle) socks and fine sunflower chips year-round.
Feeder: Perches on fences; nest boxes on poles in open country.
Feeder: White millet and fine cracked corn on ground or platform.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet crumbs and brush piles or wood stacks for cover.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet and table scraps on a big open platform; bold and clever.
Feeder: Sunflower seeds at a sturdy platform feeder in summer.
Feeder: Whole in-shell peanuts and coarse sunflower on a large tray.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Grain and crumbs on ground platforms in open western yards.
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: Sugar-water feeders; North America’s smallest bird.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
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: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Not a feeder guest — it hunts the birds at your feeders.
Feeder: Large grains on big platform feeders; spreading fast.
Feeder: Suet and crumbs; use starling-resistant caged feeders.
Feeder: Striped sunflower on big platform feeders — arrives in hungry flocks.
Feeder: Sunflower pieces and cracked corn; double-scratches in leaf litter.
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: Suet blocks and whole peanuts; favors larger trees near feeders.
Feeder: Berry-producing shrubs and a ground birdbath in shady yards.
Feeder: Black oil sunflower at tube feeders; nests in hanging baskets.
Feeder: Cracked corn, millet, and crumbs; nests in cavities and crevices.
Feeder: Nest boxes with 1-inch holes; eats insects, not seed.
Feeder: Sunflower seeds and suet; appreciates a water dish in arid yards.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: White millet and fine sunflower chips near brushy slopes.
Feeder: Nyjer socks and sunflower chips; feeds in tight twittering flocks.
Feeder: Mealworms; nest boxes in open meadows with clear sightlines.
Feeder: Suet, sunflower, and pine seeds at mountain feeders.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: White millet and cracked corn on the ground or a low platform.
Feeder: Suet, sunflower seeds, and nuts in oak woodlands.
Feeder: Suet crumbs; occasionally sips at hummingbird feeders.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Large suet feeders mounted on a board or big trunk.
Feeder: Sunflower seeds and mountain ash berries in winter; tame at feeders.
Feeder: Nyjer and fine sunflower chips; irrupts to feeders in dense flocks.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Black oil sunflower, especially at tube feeders, in winter and spring.
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 and fruit; tends sap wells on birches and conifers.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
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: Sugar-water feeders; fiercely territorial — hang several apart.
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: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Sunflower chips on the ground and berry bushes in winter.
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: Sunflower chips and white millet on the ground near brush.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Nuts, sunflower, and dry corn on open platforms.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet cakes, berries, and peanut butter smeared on bark.
The Oregon Seasonal Feeder Calendar
🌱 Spring
March – MayRufous Hummingbirds pass through in March and April; robins sing before dawn, and chickadees inspect nest boxes. Keep Anna’s feeders full and add more. Western Oregon’s spring rains mold seed fast: use weather guards and smaller trays, and scrub feeders monthly with a 10% bleach solution.
☀️ Summer
June – AugustChange hummingbird nectar every 2–3 days and keep the birdbath clean. Goldfinches nest late, in July, when thistles go to seed; watch for streaky juveniles at feeders. In dry eastern Oregon, a dripping birdbath outdraws every feeder — water is the summer magnet.
🍂 Autumn
September – NovemberThe Pacific flyway hugs the coast. Golden-crowned Sparrows and Varied Thrushes arrive in October; watch berry bushes for Cedar Waxwings. Stock seed and suet ahead of the wet season — this is when year-round residents learn where your feeders are.
❄️ Winter
December – FebruaryPrime feeding season. Suet, black oil sunflower, and Nyjer serve chickadees, nuthatches, flickers, and finch flocks. Anna’s Hummingbirds stay all winter — bring nectar in on freezing nights or use a feeder warmer. Varied Thrushes work the leaf litter after every storm.
Frequently Asked Questions: Backyard Birding in Oregon
- The Winter Hummingbird: Anna’s Hummingbirds don’t migrate — they live in Oregon yards all year, even in snow. Keep one nectar feeder up and thawed all winter.
- The State Bird: The Western Meadowlark (state bird since 1927) sings from fence posts over open country rather than visiting feeders — plant native grasses and you’ll hear it.
- Two Chickadees: Chestnut-backed rules the wet west side; Black-capped rules the dry east — and they overlap along the Cascades. Your feeder may host both.
- Mold, Not Cold: Western Oregon’s rain spoils seed faster than its mild winters do — weather guards, small trays, and weekly cleaning matter most.
- 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 suet cage plus a Nyjer feeder — chickadees, nuthatches, flickers, and goldfinches, twelve months a year.
Oregon Birding Checklist
Region: Oregon — 109 Backyard Species