Nature Tracker

Eats: Omnivorous. Diet varies widely with location and season.

Migration: The Sandhill Crane nesting in the north migrate long distances (some cross the Bering Straits every spring and fall, en route to and from nesting grounds in Siberia). Summer/nesting: Habitat varies with region, but usually nests around marshes or bogs, either in open grassland or surrounded by forest.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: In winter, the Greater White-fronted Goose mostly eats seeds and waste grain in fields, also grazes on new growth.

Migration: A long-distance migrant. Summer/nesting: Marshes, prairies, fields, lakes, bays; tundra in summer.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: The diet of a Snow Goose is almost entirely plant material.

Migration: Migrates long distances, in flocks, often flying very high. Summer/nesting: Tundra (summer), marshes, grain fields, ponds, bays.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Variable depending on season and habitat.

Migration: Migrates in flocks. Summer/nesting: In summer in open country such as prairie, marsh, or tundra, in vicinity of shallow water.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: The diet of a Northern Pintail is made up mostly of plant material in fall and winter, especially seeds of grasses, sedges, pondweeds, and others, and waste grain in fields.

Migration: Migrates in flocks. Summer/nesting: Summers in wide variety of open habitats, including prairies, farmland, northern tundra, near bodies of water.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: The diet of the Green-winged Teal is quite variable with season and location. Feeds especially on seeds of grasses, sedges, pondweeds, many others.

Migration: After breeding, adults may go through annual molt near nesting area or may move hundreds of miles in late summer before going through flightless stage of molt. Summer/nesting: In summer, open country near shallow freshwater lakes and marshes.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Omnivorous. Eats mostly plant material, including stems, leaves, and seeds of pondweeds, sedges, grasses, and many others, also much algae.

Migration: Some populations probably permanent resident, others migratory. Summer/nesting: For breeding season requires fairly shallow fresh water with much marsh vegetation.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: The Black-necked Stilt feeds on very small creatures that live on or near surface of water, including many flies, beetles, and other insects, shrimp, crayfish, snails; sometimes eats tadpoles or tiny fish.

Migration: Vacates most inland areas in winter, moving to coasts, and some may migrate well to the south. Summer/nesting: For nesting, requires bare open ground near water, with little vegetation.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: The diet of a Long-billed Dowitcher probably varies with season.

Migration: From breeding range in far northwest, many migrate southeast to reach Atlantic seaboard. Summer/nesting: The Long-billed Dowitcher breeds in far north on wet, hummocky tundra.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Mostly insects.

Migration: Migratory in north, may be permanent resident in south. Summer/nesting: Most successful nesting areas, however, have some shallow water or other good feeding area for the chicks.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: In the breeding season, a Greater Yellowlegs probably feeds mostly on insects and their larvae.

Migration: Usually migrates in small flocks. Summer/nesting: Open marshes, mudflats, streams, ponds; in summer, wooded muskeg, spruce bogs.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Mostly fish. Aside from fish, also eats crustaceans, frogs, salamanders, snakes, aquatic insects. In open fields may catch grasshoppers, rodents.

Migration: Withdraws in winter from northern breeding areas, wintering only where waters remain open. Summer/nesting: Usually nests in trees or shrubs near water, sometimes in thickets some distance from water, sometimes low in marsh.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Highly variable and adaptable. The Great Blue Heron eats mainly fish, but also frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes, insects, rodents, and birds.

Migration: Northern populations east of the Rockies are migratory, some going to the Caribbean, Central America, or northern South America. Summer/nesting: Nests in trees or shrubs near water, sometimes on the ground in areas free of predators.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: The White-faced Ibis feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, as well as those living in damp soil. Eats many crayfish and earthworms.

Migration: Present all year in southern California and coastal Texas and Louisiana; migratory elsewhere.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Mostly small mammals and birds. Diet varies with location and season.

Migration: Some southern birds may be permanent residents, but northern ones migrate. Summer/nesting: Often found in marshes, especially in nesting season, but sometimes will nest in dry open fields.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Varied, includes small mammals, birds, and reptiles. The Red-tailed Hawk diet varies with location and season.

Migration: Northern Red-tailed Hawks may migrate far to the south, while many at central or southern latitudes (especially adults) are permanent residents.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Mostly fish when available, including salmon, herring, catfish, carp, and many others.

Migration: Migratory behavior in Bald Eagle varies across North America populations, varying with age, breeding location and climate, and winter prey availability; many migratory movements align with salmon migrations in Pacific Northwest and Alaksa.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: The White-tailed Hawk eats mostly small rodents. Specializes on small rodents that are active by day in open country, particularly voles and house mice.

Migration: The White-tailed Kite has no regular migration, but wanders widely. Summer/nesting: Main requirements seem to be trees for perching and nesting, and open ground with high populations of rodents.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Varied, mostly mammals and birds. Mammals make up the majority of the Great Horned Owl diet in most regions.

Migration: No regular migration, but individuals may wander long distances in fall and winter, some of them moving southward. Summer/nesting: In breeding season, the Great Horned Owl avoids tundra and unbroken grassland, since it requires some trees or heavy brush for cover.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Mostly insects and seeds.

Migration: Present throughout the year in many areas. Summer/nesting: The Red-winged Blackbird breeds in marshes, brushy swamps, and hayfields; it also forages in cultivated land and along edges of water.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: The Marsh Wren feeds on a wide variety of insects, including beetles, flies, moths, caterpillars, ants, grasshoppers, and many others.

Migration: Probably migrates at night. Summer/nesting: Breeds in many fresh and brackish marsh situations, usually with a large area of cattails, bulrushes, or cordgrass; also in other kinds of low rank growth along shallow water.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: The diet of a Black Phoebe consists almost entirely of insects.

Migration: Mostly a permanent resident, but departs in fall from highest elevations and from northern edge of its range in southwestern United States. Summer/nesting: Rarely found away from vicinity of water, which may be natural streams or ponds, or irrigation ditches or even water troughs; water ensures the availability of mud for nests.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: Mostly insects, some berries. Diet is mostly insects, especially in summer. Feeds on many flies, beetles, winged ants, and others.

Migration: Migrates north relatively early in spring. Summer/nesting: May breed in any kind of open or semi-open area that provides both nesting sites and a good supply of flying insects.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Eats: The diet of the White-crowned Sparrow consists mostly of seeds, other vegetable matter, and insects.

Migration: Some populations of the White-crowned Sparrow on the Pacific Coast are permanent residents; those from northern and mountain regions are strongly migratory. Summer/nesting: The White-crowned Sparrow thrives in varied breeding habitats, but always in brushy places, such as dwarf willow thickets at the edge of tundra, bushy clearings in northern forests, scrub just below the timberline in mountains, chaparral, and well-wooded suburbs along the Pacific Coast.

Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds