Winter in western Oregon isn't cold so much as committed. It picks a drizzle in November and sticks with it until spring (my rain jacket and I are now on a first-name basis). The good news is that the winter birds in Oregon don't mind one bit. While a lot of the country goes quiet, Oregon fills up: Golden-crowned Sparrows arrive from Alaska and Canada, Varied Thrushes drop down out of the mountains, swans and geese pour into the Willamette Valley, and Bald Eagles gather in the Klamath Basin in numbers that look like a typo.
The state bird is part of the winter crowd, too. The Western Meadowlark was chosen by a vote of Oregon schoolchildren and made official by the Legislature in 1927, and according to ODFW, Oregon's wintering meadowlark populations are generally higher than its breeding ones. Many eastern Oregon meadowlarks leave for the winter while others arrive, so the bird singing on your fence post in January may not be the same one you'll hear in June.
Types of Winter Birds in Oregon
There are 3 types of winter birds in Oregon you'll see on this list:
- Resident Oregon Birds – species that live here all year. Some, like Varied Thrushes and Mountain Chickadees, just move downhill when the snow gets deep
- Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that breed farther north or higher up and spend the winter here. This is Oregon's big winter story: sparrows, warblers, kinglets, geese, swans, cranes, and hawks. Look for the big flocks at hot spots like Sauvie Island Wildlife Area, where ODFW suggests September through March for waterfowl and Sandhill Cranes and January through March for Bald Eagles
- Irruptive Species – birds like Pine Siskins and Evening Grosbeaks that show up in big numbers some winters and barely at all in others, depending on seed and cone crops
Each entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in Oregon, and its feeder favorites if it visits feeders. If you're wondering where your summer regulars went, here's where birds go in the winter.
West vs. East: Where Oregon Birds Spend the Winter
Oregon is really two winters stapled together at the Cascades.
West of the Cascades (the coast, Portland, and the Willamette Valley down through southwestern Oregon), winters are mild and wet. Hummingbirds stay all year, Townsend's and Yellow-rumped Warblers show up at suet feeders, and the valley floor turns into a goose buffet. The Bird Alliance of Oregon notes that winter is when the Willamette Valley sees the highest number of raptors, and that flocks of Cackling and Snow Geese can number in the tens of thousands. The coast adds sea ducks and loons offshore, and almost every backyard gets a Varied Thrush at some point.
East of the Cascades (Bend, the Columbia Plateau, the Blue Mountains, the Wallowas, and the high desert), it's colder, drier, and snowier. That's magpie, Mountain Chickadee, and rosy-finch country, with Rough-legged Hawks hunting open fields and swans on any water that hasn't frozen. At Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, most ponds freeze and winter is the quietest season, but hundreds of Tundra Swans gather in November and the first swans and pintails start heading back in February.
If you're birding north of the Columbia this winter, our guide to winter birds in Washington covers the other side of the river.
1. Dark-eyed Junco
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Junco hyemalis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird / Winter Migrant
If one bird owns Oregon feeders in winter, it's the Dark-eyed Junco. In one season of Project FeederWatch's North Pacific rankings, juncos visited about 96% of feeder sites, more than any other bird. Many breed in Oregon's mountain forests and simply drop into the lowlands for winter, where they shuffle around under feeders like the state's most reliable houseguests: here for every meal, never bring anything.
Most Oregon juncos are the "Oregon" form, which is a nice bit of branding. Males have a crisp black hood, a rusty-brown back, and pinkish sides. Females wear a paler, grayer hood and look softer overall. Both have a pale pink bill and white outer tail feathers that flash when they fly.
The Dark-eyed Junco call is a sharp tick or smack, and flocks keep up a constant twittering as they feed.
In Oregon winters, juncos are statewide, from Portland yards to Bend backyards to juniper edges in the high desert, usually in small flocks on the ground.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
2. Northern Flicker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Colaptes auratus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The Northern Flicker is a woodpecker that has mostly given up on wood. It does a lot of its feeding on the ground, probing for ants and beetles, and in winter it adds berries and backyard suet. It ranked second in the same FeederWatch North Pacific list, so you've probably seen one even if you assumed it was a very large, very spotty dove.
Oregon's flickers are the "red-shafted" type, with salmon-red under the wings and tail that flash in flight. They're brown and barred above, spotted below, with a black crescent on the chest and a white rump. Males have a red mustache stripe, while females don't.
The Northern Flicker call is a loud, ringing kyeer, plus a rapid wick-wick-wick that carries a long way through bare winter trees.
In Oregon winters, flickers are statewide in yards, parks, open woods, and farm edges, on both sides of the Cascades.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
3. Black-capped Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile atricapillus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The Black-capped Chickadee is a tiny omnivore that runs on seeds, suet, and hidden insect eggs. It grabs one seed at a time from a feeder and flies off to eat or hide it, which is either very disciplined or very paranoid.
It has a black cap and bib, white cheeks, a soft gray back, and buffy sides. Males and females look alike.
The Black-capped Chickadee call is the namesake chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and the more dee notes it adds, the more worked up it is. The song is a clear, whistled fee-bee.
In Oregon winters, Black-capped Chickadees are common in the Willamette Valley and around Portland, especially in deciduous trees along rivers, and they're found in many lowland areas east of the Cascades too.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
4. Chestnut-backed Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile rufescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The Chestnut-backed Chickadee is the Pacific Northwest's own chickadee, dressed for the region in tasteful earth tones. It forages high in conifers for insects and seeds and joins mixed winter flocks with kinglets, nuthatches, and Bushtits.
It has a dark brown cap, white cheeks, and a rich chestnut back and sides. Males and females look alike.
The Chestnut-backed Chickadee call is a higher, raspier, faster chick-a-dee than the Black-capped's, a bit like the same song played on a scratchy record.
In Oregon winters, look for it in conifer forests from the coast through the Coast Range and Cascades, and in shady, wooded neighborhoods in Portland, Salem, and Eugene.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
5. Spotted Towhee
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Pipilo maculatus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The Spotted Towhee is a big, flashy sparrow that feeds by jumping forward and kicking backward with both feet at once, which flips leaves out of the way. It sounds like someone rummaging through the bushes because, technically, someone is.
Males have a jet-black hood and back with white spots on the wings, rusty sides, and a white belly. Females have the same pattern, but their hood and back are dark brown. Both have red eyes.
The Spotted Towhee call is a rising, catlike mew or chweee, and the song is a short buzzy trill.
In Oregon winters, towhees are common west of the Cascades in brushy yards, blackberry tangles, and woodland edges, and they're found in brushy spots east of the mountains too.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground
6. Song Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Melospiza melodia
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The Song Sparrow is one of the most widespread sparrows in Oregon, eating seeds and insects close to the ground in thick cover. Western Oregon's Song Sparrows tend to be dark and richly colored, which fits a bird that spends half its life in wet brush.
It's brown and streaky with a gray face, a thick brown stripe off the bill, and heavy streaks on the breast that often meet in a central spot. Males and females look alike.
The Song Sparrow call is a nasal chimp. It sings even on mild winter days, a few clear notes followed by a jumbled trill.
In Oregon winters, Song Sparrows are statewide in brushy wetlands, streamsides, hedgerows, and backyards with shrubs.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground
7. Golden-crowned Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Zonotrichia atricapilla
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Golden-crowned Sparrow is the bird that tells you winter has officially started in western Oregon. It breeds in Alaska and western Canada and spends the colder months here, foraging in flocks on the ground for seeds, buds, and the occasional new shoot from your garden.
In winter, it has a dull yellow patch on the front of the crown, edged by a variable amount of black, with a gray-brown face and a streaky brown back. By spring, the crown turns bright gold with bold black borders. Males and females look alike.
The Golden-crowned Sparrow song is three sad, falling whistles, and the call is a flat tsip.
In Oregon winters, look for it west of the Cascades in brushy yards, hedgerows, and park edges, often mixed in with White-crowned Sparrows and juncos.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground
8. Fox Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Passerella iliaca
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Fox Sparrow is a chunky sparrow that forages towhee-style, hopping and kicking through leaf litter for seeds and insects. In western Oregon, most of the ones you'll see in winter are the dark "Sooty" type, which comes down from breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
Sooty Fox Sparrows are dark chocolate-brown above with dense, smudgy spots on the breast that run together in the middle. Males and females look alike.
The Fox Sparrow call is a sharp smack or chink. It doesn't sing much in winter, but the song is a rich, whistled warble.
In Oregon winters, look for it in dense, shady undergrowth and under feeders in wooded yards west of the Cascades.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips scattered under shrubs
9. Anna's Hummingbird
- Family – Trochilidae
- Species – Calypte anna
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The Anna's Hummingbird is the reason Oregonians keep a nectar feeder up in January. It lives here year-round, eating nectar, sap, and tiny insects, and survives cold nights by dropping into torpor, a sort of energy-saving deep sleep. (That's also my plan for January, but I lack the commitment.)
Males have an iridescent rose-red crown and throat that flashes in the light, with a green back and gray chest. Females are green above and grayish below, often with a small red spot in the middle of the throat.
The male's song is a thin, scratchy series of notes, and in courtship he climbs high and dives, ending with a loud chirp made by his tail feathers. The call is a sharp chip.
In Oregon winters, Anna's Hummingbirds are common in yards west of the Cascades, especially in Portland, the Willamette Valley, and along the coast, and they've become regular in some towns east of the mountains too.
Feeder favorites: sugar water (1 part white sugar to 4 parts water, no dye), kept from freezing on cold nights
10. Varied Thrush
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Ixoreus naevius
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird / Winter Migrant
The Varied Thrush is about as Oregon as a bird gets: it shows up on foggy mornings and sounds like a sound effect from a ghost movie. It breeds in damp, mature conifer forests and moves into the lowlands and backyards in winter, eating fallen fruit, berries, and seeds.
Males are slate-blue above with a bright orange throat, eyebrow, and wing bars, plus a black band across the chest. Females have the same pattern in browner, softer tones with a faint or missing breast band.
The Varied Thrush song is one long, buzzy, eerie whistle on a single pitch, then a pause, then another on a different pitch. The call is a low chuck.
In Oregon winters, look for it on the ground in wooded yards, parks, and forests west of the Cascades, especially when snow pushes birds down from higher up. It's shy, so it often feeds under shrubs rather than out in the open.
Feeder favorites: sunflower chips, millet, and fruit on the ground
11. American Robin
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Turdus migratorius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The American Robin doesn't leave Oregon in winter. It just changes its whole personality, switching from earthworms to berries and traveling in loose, roaming flocks that strip a holly or madrone tree and move on.
Robins have a gray-brown back, a warm orange breast, and a white eye ring. Males tend to have a darker head and deeper orange breast, while females are paler.
The American Robin call in winter is mostly a low tut-tut and a sharp peek. The cheerful spring song comes back by late winter.
In Oregon winters, robins are statewide wherever there's fruit, from suburban yards with ornamental berries to riverside thickets and juniper woodlands in central Oregon.
Feeder favorites: chopped apples, softened raisins, mealworms
12. Steller's Jay
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Cyanocitta stelleri
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The Steller's Jay is a loud, crested, deep-blue jay of conifer forests. It eats seeds, nuts, berries, insects, and the occasional egg, and it will haul off peanuts faster than you can refill the feeder.
It has a charcoal-black head and tall crest, blending into deep blue wings and tail. Males and females look alike.
The Steller's Jay call is a harsh shook-shook-shook and a scolding rattle, and it does a convincing Red-tailed Hawk impression that clears a feeder in seconds.
In Oregon winters, look for it in conifer forests statewide and in wooded neighborhoods from Portland to Bend.
Feeder favorites: peanuts, black oil sunflower, suet
13. California Scrub-Jay
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Aphelocoma californica
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The California Scrub-Jay is the crestless blue jay of Willamette Valley yards and oak woods. It buries acorns and seeds all fall and digs them up in winter, with a memory that's frankly better than mine for passwords.
It's bright blue above with a brownish back patch, a gray-white throat bordered by a partial blue necklace, and pale gray underparts. Males and females look alike.
The California Scrub-Jay call is a harsh, rising shreep, often repeated, plus a dry rattle.
In Oregon winters, it's common in the Willamette Valley, southwestern Oregon, and along the Columbia Gorge, in oak woods, yards, and parks.
Feeder favorites: peanuts, black oil sunflower
14. Black-billed Magpie
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Pica hudsonia
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird (east of the Cascades)
The Black-billed Magpie is a long-tailed, black-and-white corvid with a lot of opinions. It eats almost anything, including insects, seeds, carrion, and leftovers, and it's one of the easiest ways to tell you've crossed over to the east side.
It's crisp black and white with a long, iridescent green-blue tail and wings that flash white patches in flight. Males and females look alike, though males are a bit larger.
The Black-billed Magpie call is a rapid, harsh chek-chek-chek and a questioning mag? note.
In Oregon winters, magpies are common east of the Cascades in farm country, river bottoms, and towns. They're rare west of the Cascades.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, kitchen scraps (skip the bread)
15. Mountain Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile gambeli
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird (Cascades and east)
The Mountain Chickadee is the east-side chickadee, living in pine and fir forests and moving lower in harsh winters. It eats insects, seeds, and conifer seeds, and caches food like its relatives.
It looks like a Black-capped Chickadee that drew on a white eyebrow: a black cap broken by a white stripe above the eye, a black bib, and gray body. Males and females look alike.
The Mountain Chickadee call is a hoarse chick-a-dee-dee, and the song is a sweet, falling, three- or four-note whistle.
In Oregon winters, look for it in ponderosa pine country around Bend, Sisters, and La Pine, and in the Blue Mountains and Wallowas, often at feeders.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
16. Bushtit
- Family – Aegithalidae
- Species – Psaltriparus minimus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The Bushtit is a tiny gray puffball with a long tail that travels in chattering flocks of a dozen or more. They swarm a suet feeder, empty it a little, then all leave at once, like a tour group that just heard the bus horn.
It's plain gray-brown with a long tail and a stubby bill. The easiest way to tell males from females is the eye: males have dark eyes, while females have pale yellow eyes.
The Bushtit call is a constant, soft tsit-tsit chatter that keeps the flock together.
In Oregon winters, Bushtits are common west of the Cascades in yards, parks, and shrubby edges, and they also live in juniper and sagebrush country east of the mountains.
Feeder favorites: suet, especially suet blocks they can cling to
17. Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta canadensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird / Irruptive
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a small, busy bird that climbs headfirst down tree trunks and wedges seeds into bark to hack them open. It loves conifer seeds, and numbers can swing a lot from year to year with the cone crop.
Males are blue-gray above with a black cap, a bold black eye line under a white eyebrow, and a rusty-cinnamon breast. Females have a grayer cap and paler underparts.
The Red-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank-yank, often described as a tiny tin horn.
In Oregon winters, look for it statewide in conifer forests and in yards with big firs or pines.
Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower
18. Downy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates pubescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in Oregon, small enough to pick insect larvae out of weed stems and thin twigs. It joins mixed flocks with chickadees and nuthatches in winter and is a regular at suet feeders.
It's black and white with a white back stripe and a short, stubby bill. Oregon's western birds often look a little grayer underneath. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head, and females don't.
The Downy Woodpecker call is a soft pik and a descending, whinnying rattle.
In Oregon winters, Downies are statewide in deciduous trees along rivers, parks, orchards, and backyards.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
19. Acorn Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Melanerpes formicivorus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird (local, oak woodlands)
The Acorn Woodpecker lives in family groups that drill hundreds of holes in a single tree or utility pole and stuff each one with an acorn. It's basically a pantry with a security team. In winter, the group lives off those stored acorns.
It has a clownish face: black around the bill, a white forehead and throat, pale eyes, and a red cap. Males' red caps run right up to the white forehead, while females have a black band between the white and the red.
The Acorn Woodpecker call is a loud, laughing waka-waka-waka.
In Oregon winters, look for it in oak woodlands in the Willamette Valley and southwestern Oregon. Around Corvallis, it's common near the Benton County fairgrounds.
Feeder favorites: suet, and the occasional sunflower seed if your yard is near their oaks
20. House Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The House Finch is a seed-eating finch that has fully embraced suburban life. It's one of the most common feeder birds in Oregon, usually arriving in groups and staying until the tube feeder is empty.
Males have a red head, breast, and rump, with brown streaks on the sides. The red can range from orange to almost yellow depending on diet. Females are plain gray-brown with blurry streaks and no strong face pattern.
The House Finch song is a long, cheerful warble that often ends in a rising, buzzy note. The call is a short cheep.
In Oregon winters, House Finches are statewide in towns, farms, and suburbs.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer
21. Lesser Goldfinch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus psaltria
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird
The Lesser Goldfinch is a small, bright finch that has been doing very well in western Oregon. It eats seeds of weeds, thistles, and garden flowers and will happily camp out on a nyjer feeder.
Oregon's males have a black cap, olive-green back, and bright yellow underparts, with white patches in black wings. Females are plain olive above and dull yellow below, with no black cap.
The Lesser Goldfinch call is a sweet, plaintive tee-yee, and its song often mimics other birds.
In Oregon winters, look for it in the Willamette Valley, southwestern Oregon, and around Portland, in weedy fields, gardens, and backyards.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
22. Pine Siskin
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus pinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species
The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky finch that wanders widely in search of conifer seeds. Some winters it floods Oregon feeders by the dozen, and other winters you'll wonder if you imagined it.
It's brown and heavily streaked with a thin, pointed bill and flashes of yellow in the wings and tail. Males usually show more yellow than females.
The Pine Siskin call is a rising, buzzy zreeee that sounds like someone zipping up a very small jacket.
In Oregon winters, siskins can show up statewide, in conifer forests, alder groves, and feeders. Clean feeders often in big siskin winters, because crowded flocks can spread salmonellosis.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
23. Evening Grosbeak
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Coccothraustes vespertinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species
The Evening Grosbeak is a stocky finch with a huge, pale bill built for cracking big seeds. It wanders in noisy flocks and turns up at feeders unpredictably, so a winter with grosbeaks feels like winning a small raffle.
Males are golden yellow with a dark head, a bright yellow eyebrow, and black wings with a large white patch. Females are silvery gray with a yellowish wash on the neck and black-and-white wings.
The Evening Grosbeak call is a loud, ringing cleer or peeer, often given by the whole flock.
In Oregon winters, look for it in conifer forests and mountain towns in the Cascades, Blue Mountains, and Wallowas, and in some winters at lowland feeders on both sides of the state.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower on a platform feeder
24. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Leucosticte tephrocotis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Visitor (uncommon, northeastern Oregon)
The Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch spends summer near snowfields on high peaks and comes down in winter to forage on windswept fields and roadsides for seeds. Flocks can be big, swirling, and gone again before you've focused your binoculars.
It's warm brown with a gray band on the back of the head, a black forehead, and pink washes on the belly, wings, and rump. Males are brighter and pinker, while females are duller with less pink.
The Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch call is a husky chew, often repeated by the flock in flight.
In Oregon winters, it's an uncommon east-side specialty, most often in the open, snowy country of northeastern Oregon around the Wallowas.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower and sunflower chips, sometimes at feeders in mountain towns
25. Townsend's Warbler
- Family – Parulidae
- Species – Setophaga townsendi
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Visitor (western Oregon)
The Townsend's Warbler is one of the nicest surprises of a western Oregon winter: a bright yellow-and-black warbler at your suet feeder in January. Most warblers leave for the tropics, but some Townsend's stay along the Pacific coast and in the Willamette Valley, eating insects in conifers and suet when bugs are scarce.
Males have a black throat, a black cheek patch outlined in yellow, and black streaks on yellow sides. Females and young birds have a yellow throat and an olive cheek patch, with lighter streaking.
The Townsend's Warbler call is a sharp, thin tsip. It rarely sings in winter.
In Oregon winters, look for it in conifers in Portland, the Willamette Valley, and along the coast, often with chickadees and kinglets.
Feeder favorites: suet, especially soft no-melt suet doughs
26. Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Family – Parulidae
- Species – Setophaga coronata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of the hardiest warblers in North America, able to digest the waxy berries most other warblers can't. That lets it spend winter in Oregon on wax myrtle, juniper, and other berries, plus whatever insects it can catch on mild days.
Both forms winter here: "Audubon's" with a yellow throat and "Myrtle" with a white throat. In winter, both are brownish-gray with a bright yellow rump patch and yellow on the sides. Males are a bit crisper and brighter, and females are browner.
The Yellow-rumped Warbler call is a flat, distinctive chek.
In Oregon winters, look for it west of the Cascades in parks, riverside trees, coastal shrubs, and yards.
Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms
27. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Family – Regulidae
- Species – Corthylio calendula
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a tiny, hyperactive insect-eater that flicks its wings constantly, like it's had one espresso too many (same). It breeds in Oregon's mountain forests and farther north, then spends winter in the lowlands hunting tiny insects and spiders on twigs.
It's olive-green with a broken white eye ring and a white wing bar next to a dark bar. Males have a red crown patch that's usually hidden and only flares up when they're excited. Females have no red.
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet call is a husky, two-part ji-dit.
In Oregon winters, look for it statewide in the lowlands, especially west of the Cascades in parks, shrubby edges, and yards.
Feeder favorites: suet, now and then
28. Cedar Waxwing
- Family – Bombycillidae
- Species – Bombycilla cedrorum
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird (nomadic)
The Cedar Waxwing is a sleek, crested bird that moves in tight flocks from one fruiting tree to the next. In winter, it lives mostly on berries, so a flock might empty your mountain ash on Tuesday and vanish by Wednesday.
It's soft brown fading to gray, with a black mask, a pale yellow belly, a yellow-tipped tail, and waxy red tips on the wing feathers. Males and females look alike, though males often have a slightly darker, larger black chin.
The Cedar Waxwing call is a very high, thin sreee that's easy to miss if you don't know to listen for it.
In Oregon winters, look for flocks statewide wherever there's fruit, including Portland parks and Sauvie Island.
Feeder favorites: fruit trees and shrubs, plus a bird bath
29. Western Meadowlark
- Family – Icteridae
- Species – Sturnella neglecta
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Oregon State Bird (resident)
The Western Meadowlark is Oregon's state bird and a winter regular in open country. It walks through fields probing for insects and seeds, and in winter it often forms loose flocks.
It's streaky brown above with a bright yellow throat and belly and a black "V" across the chest. Males and females look alike, though females are a little duller.
The Western Meadowlark song is a rich, flute-like, bubbling phrase you'll start hearing on mild days in late winter. The call is a low chuck and a dry rattle.
In Oregon winters, look for it in pastures, grass seed fields, and farmland in the Willamette Valley and in the open grasslands and farm country east of the Cascades.
30. Cackling Goose
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Branta hutchinsii
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Cackling Goose looks like a Canada Goose that got shrunk in the dryer, and the Willamette Valley is one of its big winter homes. It grazes in grass fields and pastures in huge, noisy flocks. The Goonies taught us that Goonies never say die. Cackling Geese have taught me they never say anything quietly.
It has a black neck and head with a white chin strap, a stubby bill, and a short neck. Males and females look alike. Look for Canada Geese mixed in, including the dark "Dusky" Canada Goose, which William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect wintering habitat for.
The Cackling Goose call is a high-pitched, yelping lirik, much higher than a Canada Goose's honk.
In Oregon winters, look for it in the Willamette Valley at Finley, Ankeny, and Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuges, at Sauvie Island, and in farm fields between them.
31. Snow Goose
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Anser caerulescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Snow Goose arrives from the Arctic in flocks that can number in the thousands. Watching one lift off a field is like watching a snow globe get shaken in reverse.
Most are white with black wingtips and a pink bill with a dark "grin" patch. A dark form, the "Blue Goose," has a white head and a gray-brown body. Males and females look alike.
The Snow Goose call is a high, nasal whouk, and a big flock is loud enough to hear long before you see it.
In Oregon winters, look for it at Sauvie Island, in the Willamette Valley, and in the Klamath Basin and other south-central Oregon wetlands.
32. Tundra Swan
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Cygnus columbianus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Tundra Swan breeds on Arctic tundra and spends the winter in Oregon wetlands and flooded fields. It feeds by tipping forward and reaching down with its long neck for plants, roots, and waste grain.
It's all white with a black bill, and many adults have a small yellow spot in front of the eye. Young birds are grayish. Males and females look alike. The larger Trumpeter Swan also winters in Oregon in smaller numbers and lacks the yellow spot.
The Tundra Swan call is a high, whooping, slightly musical woo-woo, often given by the whole flock.
In Oregon winters, look for it at Sauvie Island, Fernhill Wetlands near Forest Grove, the Klamath Wildlife Area, and at Malheur in early winter.
33. Sandhill Crane
- Family – Gruidae
- Species – Antigone canadensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (most pass through, some winter)
The Sandhill Crane is a tall, gray bird with a red forehead and a call you'll hear long before you spot the flock. Most of Oregon's cranes pass through in fall and spring, but some stay through winter in the lowlands, feeding on waste grain, roots, and invertebrates in fields and wetlands.
It's gray, sometimes stained rusty from mud, with a long neck and a bare red patch on the crown. Males and females look alike.
The Sandhill Crane call is a rolling, wooden garoo-oo-oo rattle that carries for miles.
In Oregon winters, Sauvie Island is the most reliable spot near Portland. In the east, the first cranes start returning to Malheur in late winter.
34. Bald Eagle
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Oregon Bird / Winter Migrant
The Bald Eagle is a fish-eating raptor that also takes ducks and scavenges carrion, which is why winter eagles follow the waterfowl. Oregon's resident eagles are joined in winter by eagles from farther north.
Adults are dark brown with a white head and tail and a heavy yellow bill. Young eagles are mottled brown and white and take about five years to get the full look. Females are larger than males.
The Bald Eagle call is a surprisingly thin, high chittering, nothing like the scream movies use.
In Oregon winters, the main event is the Klamath Basin on the Oregon-California border, which hosts the largest concentration of Bald Eagles in the contiguous United States, with numbers peaking in mid-February and more than 1,000 eagles in some years. Closer to Portland, Sauvie Island is good from January through March.
35. Rough-legged Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Buteo lagopus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Rough-legged Hawk breeds in the Arctic and spends winter hunting voles and mice in open fields across Oregon. It often hovers in place over a field, which is unusual for a big hawk, and it has feathered legs right down to the toes, an 80s leg-warmer look it never grew out of.
It has a small bill, long wings, and a white tail base with a dark band at the tip. Light birds show dark patches at the wrists under the wings. Females usually have a solid dark belly band, while males tend to look more mottled across the chest with more bands on the tail.
The Rough-legged Hawk call is a downslurred, catlike scream, but it's mostly quiet in winter.
In Oregon winters, look for it on fence posts and power poles over open fields in the Willamette Valley and east of the Cascades, including Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area near La Grande, where ODFW lists it as a winter raptor.
Birds of Oregon in Winter: FAQ
What are the most common birds in Oregon in winter?
At feeders, the most common birds in Oregon in winter are Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Flickers, Black-capped Chickadees, House Finches, Spotted Towhees, American Robins, Song Sparrows, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Pine Siskins, and Steller's Jays. Away from feeders, Oregon birds in winter are dominated by waterfowl: Cackling and Snow Geese, swans, and ducks in the Willamette Valley, Sauvie Island, and the Klamath Basin.
What birds come to Oregon for the winter?
Golden-crowned and Fox Sparrows, Townsend's and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Cackling and Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, Rough-legged Hawks, and extra Bald Eagles all arrive for the season. Varied Thrushes and rosy-finches come down from the mountains rather than from the north. If you head east into Idaho, our guide to winter birds in Idaho picks up where the high desert leaves off.
Do hummingbirds stay in Oregon in the winter?
Yes. The Anna's Hummingbird lives in western Oregon year-round and is increasingly seen east of the Cascades too. Keep a clean nectar feeder up all winter and bring it inside on freezing nights, or swap in a thawed one in the morning.
Where are the best places to see birds of Oregon in winter?
For geese, swans, and cranes, go to Sauvie Island near Portland and the Willamette Valley refuges (Finley, Ankeny, and Baskett Slough). For eagles, the Klamath Basin is hard to beat, especially in mid-February. On the east side, try Ladd Marsh for winter hawks and Malheur for swans in early winter. For songbirds, your own backyard is honestly a top-tier hotspot.
Is the Western Meadowlark in Oregon in the winter?
Yes. Oregon's state bird is here year-round, and its wintering numbers are generally higher than its breeding numbers. Look in open fields and pastures in the Willamette Valley and the farmland and grasslands east of the Cascades.
Do I need a heated bird bath in Oregon?
Probably not west of the Cascades, where hard freezes are short. A shallow dish you already own, refilled on cold mornings, does the job, and our guide on how to keep a bird bath from freezing in winter covers the easy tricks. East of the mountains, where freezes last for days, a heated bath is worth it.
What Oregon birds have you seen this winter?
Share them on the Sparkbird App, where Oregon birders can compare notes on swan flocks, eagle counts, and whose yard got the Varied Thrush first. Available in the Apple App Store.
And if it rains on every bird walk you plan this winter, take comfort in the Varied Thrush. It showed up anyway, and it doesn't even own a raincoat.
Happy Birding.
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