Towheeblog

Here are five borderline cases. birds you might find down along the Arizona/Mexico border as long as the US government doesn’t pave the whole area and then spray with Agent Orange.  These photos were taken by birder Peter Enticknap on a recent sojourn there.

Click on any image to enlarge.

There birds are Arizona Woodpecker, Hepatic Tanager, Yellow-eyed Junco with back to the camera, the cardinal’s cuz–Pyrrhuloxia, and Gambel’s Quail.  The latter (Gambel) was an explorer and doctor who found several western species that were new to science.  He died from an epidemic during the California Gold Rush.  He was not yet 30 years old.

All these five species are resident, breeding species in southeastern Arizona.