Idaho has a wide variety of backyard birds. And In this article, I’ll list and explain all the backyard birds of Idaho in Detail.
Note: If you’re short on time I have compiled a table of all the backyard birds with identification and their Diet. You can also read about these birds in detail below.
| Backyard Birds Of Idaho | Length | Weight | Identification(Color) | Diet/Favorite Food |
| American Robin | 23-28 cm | 77 gm (2.7 oz) | These birds have black heads and backs with a hint of red or orange on their breast. | Mostly insects, berries, earthworms. In early summer, insects make up the majority of the diet; they also feed on many earthworms, snails, spiders, and other invertebrates. |
| Mourning Dove | 22-36 cm | 120 gm (4.2 oz) | Soft brown in color with hints of black on the wings. | Millet, black sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, peanut hearts. |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 24cm/37cm | 85 gm (2.9oz) | All black only with a bright red and yellow patch on the top of their wings. The female is pale brown. | Mixed grains. |
| Song Sparrow | 12-17 cm | 19 gm (0.67oz) | Brown-streaked birds are well known for singing all day just in order to attract mates during the season. | They eat a wide variety of insects like caterpillars, beetles, midges, spiders, and earthworms, along with buckwheat, raspberries, sunflower, wild cherries, wheat, and rice. |
| European Starling | 22 cm | 58-100 gm (2.04- 3.5oz) | These birds are stocky black, with a purple, green and blue hue. These birds are famous for their aggressive behavior. | They eat insects like flies, beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, and spiders, along with fruits like cherries, holly berries, mulberries, Virginia Creeper, sumac, blackberries, and even seeds and grains. |
| American Goldfinch | 11-13 cm | 14 gm (0.49oz) | They are quite popular, with bright yellow and black colors in males. The female counterparts however tend to be dull brown in shade. | Mostly seeds, some insects. Diet is primarily seeds, especially those of the daisy (composite) family, also those of weeds and grasses, and small seeds of trees such as elm, birch, and alder. Also eats buds, the bark of young twigs, maple sap. |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 12-16 cm | 19 gm(0.67oz) | These are dark-eyed variants of Sparrows. These birds are long-distance migratory birds. | Black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts. |
| Black-billed Magpie | 17.7-23.6 in (45-60 cm) | 5.1-7.4 oz (145-210 g) | This is a black and white bird with blue-green iridescent flashes in the wing and tail. | Mostly eat fruits, grains, insects, and small animals |
| Northern Flicker | 30-35 cm | 120 gm(4.23oz) | Large woodpeckers, with a size in between crows and Robins, with brown body color and black spots, bars and crescents all over their bodies along with a red nape. They also have hints of yellow on their bodies as well. | Black oil sunflower seeds are their favorite. |
| House Finch | 14 cm | 19-22 gm (0.67-0.77oz) | These birds have a redhead and breast in the males and a brown streak of colors in females. They are generally noisy and move in flocks. | Seeds, buds, and fruits like thistle, cactus, cherries, apricots, plums, blackberries, figs, and strawberries. |
| Black-Capped Chickadee | 10-15 cm | 12 gm (0.42oz) | Small bird with a big round head. They have black caps and beaks, white cheeks, with a gray back, wings, and tail. | They eat seeds, different berries, insects, suet, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, and spiders. |
| Barn Swallow | 15-20 cm | 17-20 gm (0.59-0.70oz) | These are small birds in a combination of deep blue, black, and reddish-brown. Their tails have long outer feathers. | Ground-up eggshells are their favorite. |
| Western Tanager | 6.3-7.5 in (16-19 cm) | 0.8-1.3 oz (24-36 g) | This is a yellow bird with black wings and an orange-red head. | This bird mostly eats insects, some fruit, and berries |
| Brown-Headed Cowbird | 19-22 cm | 43 gm (1.51oz) | The male version of these birds has black bodies and brown heads, with short tails and thick heads. Females are all brown with slight streaks. | Mostly seeds and insects. Seeds (including those of grasses, weeds, and waste grain) makeup about half of the diet in summer and more than 90% in winter. The rest of the diet is mostly insects, especially grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars, plus many others, also spiders and millipedes. |
| Brewer’s Blackbird | 8.3-9.8 in (21-25 cm) | 2.1-3.0 oz (60-86 g) | Males have a complete glossy black body with a staring yellow eye and a blue sheen on the head. Females are pale brown with dark wings and tails. | Mostly insects, seeds, and berries |
| Cedar Waxwing | 16 cm | 32 gm (1.12oz) | These birds with a pale brown head, chest, and crest, are elegant and extremely social. They have a pale shade of yellow on their bellies. A narrow black mask on their faces. | They feed on small fruits like serviceberry, dogwood, juniper, winterberry, and hawthorn. |
| Chipping Sparrow | 13-15 cm | 12 gm (0.4oz) | Slender long-tailed birds that have a gray belly and a streaked back with a rusty crown and blackish eyeliners. | They largely feed on insects. |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | 32 cm | 150-260 gm (5.29-9.17oz) | These birds are light brownish-gray with hints of white near their tails, which is square in shape. These birds are found wherever there are plenty of seeds. | These birds mainly eat a wide variety of seeds along with some insects and any edible berries, oats, corn, Black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds. |
| House Sparrow | 14-18 cm | 24-40 gm (0.84-1.41oz) | These birds are extremely common and would literally eat out of your hand. They are mostly found in busy areas close to human existence. | They feed on all grains and seeds, like birdseed, millet, corn, and sunflower seeds along with discarded food. |
| House Wren | 11-13 cm | 11 gm(0.38oz) | Small brown birds with dark wings and tails and pale throats. | Insects like spiders, beetles, earwigs, brush piles caterpillars. |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | 12 cm | 10 gm(0.35oz) | These birds are blue-gray in color with black stripes and rusty undersides. | Black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, mealworms, suet feeders |
| American Crow | 40-53 cm | 320-620 gm (11.28-21.86oz) | These birds are large with all black bodies. They are found on treetops, beaches, and towns. | Earthworms, seeds, insects, fruits, fish, young turtles, clams, eggs, mussels, and nestlings of different species of birds. |
| Pine Siskin | 4.3-5.5 in (11-14 cm) | 0.4-0.6 oz (12-18 g) | These birds are brown and very streaky with subtle yellow edgings on wings and tails. | Mostly seeds, vegetable matter, Fruits, and insects |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 14 cm | 12.5 gm (0.44oz) | Gray with flashes of yellow, with slightly brownish tones in females. | Insects and fruits like wax myrtle and bayberry. |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 5.9-6.3 in (15-16 cm) | 0.9-1.0 oz (25-28 g) | This bird has an overall pale gray color with black and white patches on the head. With pale pink and yellow bill. | This bird majorly eats seeds of weeds and grasses and also insects |
| Western Meadowlark | 6.3-10.2 in (16-26 cm) | 3.1-4.1 oz (89-115 g) | This bird has a yellow underbody with intricately patterned brown, black, and buff upper body. The bright yellow breast is covered with V black cross. | This bird’s diet consists of mostly seeds and insects. |
| Yellow Warbler | 4.7-5.1 in (12-13 cm) | 0.3-0.4 oz (9-11 g) | This bird has an overall yellow body. Male and Female have flash yellow patches on the tail. | Mostly insects and berries. |
Backyard Birds Of Idaho In Different Seasons
Summer birds
- American Robin 54%
- Mourning Dove 34%
- Red-winged Blackbird 30%
- Yellow Warbler 29%
- Song Sparrow 26%
- European Starling 23%
- American Goldfinch 22%
- Black-billed Magpie 22%
- Northern Flicker 22%
- House Finch 21%
Winter birds
- Dark-eyed Junco 47%
- Black-billed Magpie 39%
- Northern Flicker 37%
- House Finch 33%
- European Starling 28%
- Black-capped Chickadee 26%
- Song Sparrow 26%
- American Robin 25%
- House Sparrow 21%
- American Goldfinch 18%
Backyard Birds Of Idaho In Detail
American Robin
American Robins are distinguished by their reddish-orange breasts and black feathers on the head, back, wings, and tail. Their beaks are large and sharp, and their wings are white with white borders.
They are woodland creatures who like to live outside. They are herbivores in their native environment, eating berries, leaves, and insects.
If you want to attract American Robins to your backyard then feed them sunflower seeds, suet and peanut hearts, fruit, and mealworms. You can either use a ground feeder or a platform feeder.
You can also grow Berry-bearing trees and shrubs such as juniper, sumac, hawthorn, and dogwood.
Mourning Dove
The mourning dove belongs to the Columbidae family of birds. The mourning bird is also known as a rain dove, a marsh dove, a turtle dove, and, most popularly, a mourning dove.
It is currently quite popular across the Southeast, as well as in Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, California, and Ontario, Canada. Large cities, meadows, farm regions, parks, resorts, and even residential neighborhoods are visited.
If you want to attract Mourning Doves to your yard then feed them black sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, and peanut hearts. You can use ground or platform feeders.
Red-winged Blackbird
The Red-winged blackbird has an all-black plumage with bright red and yellow shoulder patches. In comparison to the males’ streaky brown coloring, women seem bland.
During mating season, males will fiercely defend their territory, even attacking anyone who comes too close to nests. They gather in a huge number during winter.
If you want to attract Red-winged blackbirds to your yard then spread mixed grain and seeds on the ground
Song Sparrow
The song sparrow is a little bird endemic to the Americas. It is unquestionably one of the most abundant, diverse, and adaptable native bird species in the United States.
It’s amazing to think that if this beautiful bird decides to make our backyard its permanent home, we may be the first to see it. Their favorite environments include tree bark, rocks, logs, and even steep rocky outcrops.
If you want to attract song sparrows to your backyard then feed them black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and nyjer on platform feeders.
European Starling
When inspected carefully, European Starlings may be recognized by their purple-green plumage. It covers their entire body, but their long, straight yellow bills are what set them apart.
They shed their gleaming plumage in the winter and replace it with a brown coat flecked with white spots.
This kind of bird may be found practically anywhere. They thrive in man-made environments like farms, villages, and cities.
These birds consume a broad variety of foods. When they aren’t eating insects, they eat berries, seeds, grains, and other things.
American Goldfinch
The American goldfinch, sometimes known as the goldfinch, is a beautiful little bird. They’ve been known to travel long distances each year, with some going as far north as southern Mexico and as far south as the eastern side of the Canadian border.
They enjoy marshes, backyards, meadows, forests, brushlands, fields, hedgerows, long grasses, and oaks. They thrive among spruce and oak trees, as well as creeks, rivers, and streams.
To attract more American Goldfinches, plant thistles, and milkweed in your yard. Their favorite meals are sunflower and Nyjer seed, and they are drawn to most bird feeders.
Dark-eyed Junco
Little dark-eyed birds prefer gardens with few open spaces, such as meadows, where they may feed on a wide variety of vegetation.
The most common meal for these birds is the seed, particularly sunflower seeds, although nectar and even caraway appear to be effective favorites as well.
To attract more Dark-eyed Juncos to your backyard feeders, try black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts. Both platform feeders and ones scattered on the ground are successful.
Black-billed Magpie
Black-billed Magpies are loud, black and white birds that are bigger than Jays and have long tails with blue-green iridescent flashes in the wing and tail.
They do not migrate and may be found in meadows and grasslands, as well as other open places, grazing on fruit and grain, as well as beetles and grasshoppers.
They have also been observed killing small animals such as squirrels and voles, as well as raiding bird nests for eggs, nestlings, and even carrion.
Black-billed Magpies will be frequent in your backyards in search of suet, black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, fruit, suet, millet, and milo.
Northern Flicker
Northern Flickers are approximately the size of a robin or a crow and have brownish plumage with black spots, bars, and crescents, as well as red on the neck.
The undersides of the tail and wing feathers of eastern birds are dazzling yellow, whilst those of western species are red. They can be seen on the ground searching for ants and beetles in woods and forest margins.
Northern Flickers will flock to your garden feeders if you give them suet and black oil sunflower seeds.
House Finch
The House Finch has a medium-sized body and a medium-length notched tail. It is conical in form. The heads, breasts, and backs of males are blood-red.
Small flocks can be spotted on wires, tree branches, and plants. At the moment, they are most frequent in both rural and urban areas.
Black oil sunflower seeds or nyjer seeds in tube or platform feeders may attract House Finches to backyard feeders.
Black-capped Chickadee
The back, wings, and medium-sized tail of the Black-Capped Chickadee are light grey with a white border in the shape of minute feathers.
This bird is distinguished by a buff-colored white breast and underbelly, a black bib with a white face, and a huge black cap that reaches just below the eyes.
The birds’ beaks are small and conical, with black conical tips. This bird prefers wooded regions, but it may endure brush or bushes in dense vegetation.
Marshes are also preferred by the Black-capped Chickadee if they provide suitable cover.
This bird prefers peanuts and peanut butter as a feeder diet, although it also likes Black Oil Sunflower seeds and suet.
Barn Swallow
A barn swallow’s wings and tail are dark blue, with a reddish-brown underside and face. The long outer feathers of the tail form a deep fork.
They breed over the bulk of North America before migrating to Central and South America to reproduce. They are frequently seen flying above meadows, farms, and fields in search of insects, and they make mud nests in man-made buildings such as barns.
To attract additional Barn Swallows, utilize nest boxes or cups, as well as ground-up eggshells on a platform feeder.
Western Tanager
The head of a Western Tanager has a fiery orange-red color, with a yellow body and black wings. They may be seen nesting in the northern states and then migrating south during the winter.
Despite their vivid colors, they grow in open conifer woods and remain concealed in the canopy. The red color is most likely due to the Western Tanagers’ consumption of insects that create a pigment that they cannot make themselves.
Dried fruit, chopped oranges, and other fruits from bird feeders might attract Western Tanagers.
Brown-headed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird males have brown heads, black bodies, short tails, and large heads. Females are brown with a sprinkling of stripes.
They are frequently seen as a nuisance since they consume the eggs of smaller songbirds in order to put their own eggs in the nest and have the bird nurture their young.
They spawn across much of North America’s north and west before moving south, however, they spend the entire year in the Eastern and Southern states, as well as along the Pacific Coast.
They feed mostly on grass and weed seeds and may be found in grassland and forest borders, pastures, and backyards.
Brewer’s Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbirds are medium-sized blackbirds with a glossy black coat in the males and a plain brown coat in the females, with purple on the head and greenish iridescent on the body.
They breed in central states before moving to the southern United States and Mexico, although they remain in western states after migrating.
Brewer’s blackbirds may be found in a wide range of environments, including grasslands, marshes, meadows, forests, and beaches, as well as parks, fields, and backyards.
They consume largely seeds and grains, but they will also eat insects and whatever else they may find.
Brewer’s blackbirds visit backyards to eat on-ground feeders of hulled sunflower seeds, cracked maize, and millet.
Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwings are graceful sociable birds with pale brown heads, chests, and crests that fade to grey on the back, wings, and tail.
Their belly is pale yellow, with a brilliant yellow tip. They feature a tight black mask over their eyes, as well as brilliant red wingtips.
They spend the entire year in the north and the winter in the south. They have a high-pitched cry and live in berry bushes, forests, and beside streams.
Plant natural trees and shrubs with tiny fruit, such as serviceberry, dogwood, juniper, winterberry, and hawthorn, to attract Cedar Waxwings to your yard. You may also experiment with fruit on platform feeders.
Chipping Sparrow
Chipping Sparrows are distinguished by long, thin tails, a greyish belly, a brown and black-streaked back, a rusty cap, and a black eye line. In the winter, the colors are more muted.
They breed over the majority of North America and Canada before migrating to Mexico, Florida, or farther south for the whole year.
They can be spotted in small groups on open terrain and will visit backyards in search of different varieties of birdseed.
Eurasian Collared-Dove
They are light brownish-grey in color with white patches on the tail and seem similar to Mourning Doves, but they are larger, with a black half collar at the nape of the neck, and a square tail rather.
They avoid deep woods in favor of areas near humans where seeds are abundant, such as backyard feeders and farms. Eurasian Collared-Doves eat a variety of seeds and grains, as well as berries and insects.
Ground feeders with millet, oats, cracked corn, and Black oil sunflower seeds or hulled sunflower seeds might attract more Eurasian-Collared-Doves, although they may also approach platform or hopper feeders.
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is another successful immigrant species that has become one of the most common birds.
They’re common near houses and structures, and because they’re rather gentle, they’ll feed right off your palm. They are pests since they are non-native, yet they will still be seen in backyards if they are not fed.
Most bird seeds, including millet, maize, and sunflower seeds, can attract more House Sparrows to your backyard feeders.
House Wren
House Wrens are little brown birds with dark banded wings and tails and a whiter neck. House Wrens breeds in different states before traveling to the extreme south and Mexico for the winter.
House Wrens may be highly aggressive about nesting locations, harassing even larger birds, and even dragging eggs and young out of the desired nest site.
You may attract more House Wrens to your backyard by leaving heaps of brush on a nest box.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatches have a reddish underbelly and a blue-grey body with black and white stripes on the head.
They spend the entire year in northeastern and western states. Red-breasted Nuthatches can be seen scavenging for cones in coniferous woodlands, and they do come to backyard feeders.
Black oil sunflower seeds, suet feeders, peanuts, and mealworms can all help to attract additional Red-breasted Nuthatches to your yard.
American crow
The American Crow’s plumage is vibrantly colored. This is one of the most frequent birds in the region, and it can be spotted in practically any place.
According to birdwatchers, these birds have been spotted mating on trees near highways and even in people’s backyards.
The nectar from flowers is a great supplement to their diet. They’re one of the most active bird species, which means they’re continually seeking fresh food.
If you want to attract American Crows to your backyard then sprinkle some peanuts and seeds on the ground.
Pine Siskin
Pine Siskins are tiny birds with brown wing and tail streaks and yellow wing and tail streaks. They have a small pointed beak, a forked tail, and pointed wings.
Pine Siskins consume seeds from conifers, but they also eat immature buds and seeds from grasses and weeds, as their name indicates.
If you want to attract Pine Siskins to backyards then feed them thistle, nyjer, black oil sunflower seeds, and suet.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Winter is spent by the yellow-rumped warbler in southern treetops and weedy habitats. The breeding plumage is blue-grey on top with black flanks and breast, yellow on the rump, and yellow on the sides in the spring. In the winter, both species have grey-brown tops and creamy cream bottoms.
They can be found in coniferous or mixed forests in the western Alps during the breeding season. In the winter, open areas with fruiting shrubs and scattered trees.
Yellow-rumped Warblers can be attracted to your yard using sunflower seeds, suet, raisins, and peanut butter.
White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrows are huge grey sparrows with long tails and short bills, as well as prominent black and white stripes on their heads.
White-crowned Sparrows can be found foraging on weed and grass seeds, as well as fruit such as elderberries and blackberries, in weedy fields, along roadsides, woodland borders, and in yards.
Sunflower seeds and other types of seeds dropped by other birds at feeders can be used to attract additional White-crowned Sparrows to your yard.
Western Meadowlark
Western Meadowlarks have beautiful yellow bellies and delightful voices. This is most likely what makes them so popular, so much so that they are the official bird of six states.
Western Meadowlarks are blackbird relatives, roughly the size of a Robin, with brown and white upperparts and a black V-shaped band across the brilliant yellow breast that goes grey in winter.
Use hulled sunflower seeds and cracked corn on ground feeders to attract more Western Meadowlarks to your yard.
Yellow Warbler
Yellow Warblers are bright yellow birds with a yellow-green back and chestnut stripes on the breast that are common during the summer.
Yellow Warblers can be spotted hunting on insects such as caterpillars, midges, beetles, bugs, and wasps in thickets and along field boundaries near streams and wetlands.
Warblers are tough to attract to your yard since they are shy and generally eat insects. Suet, oranges, and peanut butter, as well as berries and natural plants that attract insects, can be used to attract Yellow Warblers.
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