Nevada has a diverse range of backyard birds. And In this article, I’ll list and explain all the backyard birds of Nevada 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 in Nevada | Length | Weight | Identification(Color) | Diet/Favorite Food |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 5.9-6.3 in (15-16 cm) | 0.9-1.0 oz (25-28 g) | The overall body color of this bird is pale-gray. With a black and white pattern on the head and a pale yellow bill | The majority of this bird’s diet consists of different types of seeds |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Northern Flicker | 30-35 cm | 120 gm (4.2oz) | 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. |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 14 cm | 12.5 gm (0.4oz) | Gray with flashes of yellow, with slightly brownish tones in females. | Insects and fruits like wax myrtle and bayberry. |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 12-16 cm | 19 gm (0.6oz) | These are dark-eyed variants of Sparrows. These birds are long-distance migratory birds. | Black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts. |
| 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. |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 9-11 cm | 6.8 gm (0.23oz) | These are small songbirds, olive green in shade with a striking red crown. | They feed on hulled sunflower seeds, mealworms, and peanuts. |
| Song Sparrow | 12-17 cm | 19 gm (0.60z) | 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. |
| House Sparrow | 14-18 cm | 24-40 gm(0.8-1.4 oz) | 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. |
| Great-tailed Grackle | 15.0-18.1 in (38-46 cm) | 3.7-6.7 oz (105-190 g) | This bird has an iridescent black body with piercing yellow eyes, and black bills and legs. | Mostly insects, fruits, seeds, and nuts |
| Spotted Towhee | 17 cm (6.7 in) and 21 cm (8.3 in) | 33 g (1.2 oz) and 49 g (1.7 oz) | This new-world sparrow has a long, dark, fan-shaped tail with a round body, bright red eyes, and dull pink legs | This bird mostly eats insects, seeds, berries |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm) | 1.5-1.8 oz (42-50 g) | This bird has a glossy black plumage and a rich brown head. | This bird mostly eats seeds and insects. |
| Lesser Goldfinch | 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm) | 0.3-0.4 oz (8-11.5 g) | This bird has a bright yellow lower body with a glossy black or dull greenback. With white patches on the wings. | They mostly eat seeds and grains. |
| Verdin | 4.5 in (11 cm) | 0.2-0.3 oz (5-8 g) | This bird has a gray body, a bright yellow head, and a rufous shoulder patch | This bird mostly eats insects and small invertebrates. |
| 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. |
| Say’s Phoebe | 6.7 in (17 cm) | 0.7-0.8 oz (21-22 g) | This bird has a pale brownish-gray upper body with a blackish tail, a cinnamon belly, and a gray breast. | Mostly eats insects and berries. |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | 32 cm | 150-260 gm | These birds are light brownish-gray with hints of white near their tails, which are 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. |
| Northern Mockingbird | 21-26 cm | 47-51 gm (1.6-1.7oz) | Small heads and long tails, with gray-brown body color. They have white wing bars. | Hawthorns, mulberries, blackberry brambles. |
Backyard Birds Of Nevada In Different Seasons
Summer Backyard Birds
- Mourning Dove 28%
- American Robin 25%
- House Finch 18%
- Spotted Towhee 16%
- Brown-headed Cowbird 15%
- Red-winged Blackbird 15%
- Western Meadowlark 14%
- Western Kingbird 14%
- Brewer’s Blackbird 13%
- Northern Flicker 13%
Winter Backyard Birds
- White-crowned Sparrow 46%
- House Finch 32%
- Northern Flicker 30%
- Yellow-rumped Warbler 29%
- Mourning Dove 27%
- Dark-eyed Junco 25%
- European Starling 22%
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet 22%
- American Robin 20%
- Song Sparrow 19%
Backyard Birds Of Nevada In Detail
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.
They 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.
White-crowned Sparrows breed in Alaska and northern Canada before migrating south to the lower 48 states and Mexico for the winter. Some may, however, stay all year in a narrow area along the Pacific Coast and west.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract White-crowned Sparrows then feed them sunflower seeds and other types of seeds at any type of bird feeder.
Mourning Dove
Doves, the size of a robin, are common in backyards and can be spotted perched on telephone wires or in groups in trees.
I see them on my tray feeder from time to time, but they are more commonly sighted walking around on the ground. Mourning Doves are primarily grey, with black spots on top and a delicate peachy color underneath.
Doves visit seed feeders regularly but prefer to scour the ground for spilled seeds.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract them consider using a ground feeder with a seed mix or simply sprinkling seeds on the ground.
House Finch
It was originally a Western bird, but it is now distributed across the United States. Other types of red finches exist, but house finches are the most likely to be seen in residential areas.
The House Finch is around 6 inches long from beak tip to tail tip. He has a medium-sized build and a medium-length notched tail. With a conical head.
Males have a blood-red head, breast, and rump. Small flocks are visible on wires, treetops, and shrubbery. These places were formerly deserts and grasslands. They are now most common in rural and urban areas.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract House Finches to backyard feeders then use black oil sunflower seeds or nyjer seeds in tube feeders or platform feeders.
American Robin
Their breasts are reddish-orange, and they have black feathers on their head, back, wings, and tail. Their beaks are huge and pointed, and their wing edges are white.
They are fearsome birds that prefer to reside in the woods. They are herbivores in their natural environment, eating berries, leaves, and insects.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract American Robin then feed them sunflower seeds, suet, peanut hearts, fruit, and mealworms either dispersed on the ground or on a platform feeder. You can also grow berry-bearing trees and shrubs such as juniper, sumac, hawthorn, and dogwood.
Northern Flicker
Northern Flickers are huge woodpeckers that are roughly the size of a robin or a crow, with brownish coloration with black patches, bars, and crescents, as well as red on the neck.
The undersides of the tail and wing feathers of eastern birds are brilliant yellow, whereas those of western species are red.
They can be seen on the ground in woodlands or forest margins hunting for ants and beetles. Those that breed in Canada or Alaska move to the southern states, although they can be seen throughout the lower 48 all year.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract Northern Flicker to your backyard then feed them suets and black oil sunflower seeds.
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
The yellow-rumped warbler is a typical winter visitor to southern treetops and weedy areas. They are not as large as juncos or House Finches. With a shorter tail, plumpness, and no neck.
The breeding plumage is blue-gray on top, black on the sides and breast, yellow on the rump, and yellow on the sides in the spring. In the winter, both species exhibit grey-brown top plumage and creamy cream bottom plumage.
During the breeding season, they can be found in the western Alps coniferous or mixed woodlands. 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.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract Yellow-Rumped Warbler then feed them sunflower seeds, suet, raisins, and peanut butter.
Dark-Eyed Junco
The dark-eyed junco is a tiny and handsome New World sparrow that lives in central to southern Canada and northern the United States.
Little dark-eyed birds seem to prefer gardens with small open spaces, such as meadows, where they may graze on a wide variety of plant species.
The most common feed for these birds is the seed, mainly sunflower seeds, although nectar and even caraway appear to be effective favorites as well.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract Dark-eyed Junco to your backyard then try feeding them black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts. You can either use a platform feeder or those that are spread on the ground are suitable.
European Starling
The European starling, often known as the common starling in the United Kingdom, is a medium-sized passerine bird that belongs to the Sturnidae family of the avian order songbirds.
European starlings are bulky blackbirds with iridescent tones. These birds, who are considered a pest by some because of their aggressive nature, fly in big loud flocks and may be observed sitting in groups on top of trees or soaring over fields in flocks.
Starlings mostly consume insects such as beetles, flies and caterpillars, earthworms, and spiders. They also consume fruit such as cherries, holly berries, mulberries, Virginia Creeper, sumac, and blackberries, as well as grains and seeds.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract European Starlings then feed them black oil sunflower seeds, suet, cracked corn, and peanuts.
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are little olive-green songbirds with a beautiful red crown that is normally flat and difficult to notice, but fantastic if you do.
They breed in Canada and the western highlands before wintering in the southern and southwestern states and Mexico. They are also visible during migration when they are in large numbers.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are fast-moving, silent birds that dart through the foliage of lower branches of shrubs and trees in search of spiders and insects.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract Ruby-crowned Kinglet then feed them hulled sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, and mealworms either in suet feeders or in platform feeders.
Song Sparrow
The song sparrow is a little bird that is only found in the Americas. It is unquestionably one of the most numerous, diverse, and adaptable native bird species.
It’s amazing to think that if this magnificent bird decides to make our backyard its home, we may be among the first to see it. They may be found in a variety of environments, including tree bark, rocks, logs, and even steep rocky outcrops.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract Song Sparrows to your backyard then feed them black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and nyjer either on platform feeders or dispersed on the ground.
House Sparrow
The house sparrow is a lovely bird that may be found all throughout North America. A large number of House sparrows have been identified in Canada, northern Germany, and Russia.
Like most members of its genus, the house sparrow has a tiny incisor beak that it utilizes to break open fruits and pick at little seeds.
Unlike most other birds, the house sparrow has a high level of intelligence. They are social species that form lifelong couples rather than mating. In the spring, they nest in trees, but in the fall, they return to their natal holes.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract House Sparrow then feed them millet, maize, and sunflower seeds.
Great-Tailed Grackle
Male Great-tailed Grackles have long tapering tails and are long and slender blackbirds. Males have iridescent black skin and piercing yellow eyes.
Females are equally long-legged and thin, but they are dark brown on the back and lighter brown underside, have more slender tails, and are roughly half the size of males.
They may be found in agricultural and urban regions in the west and mid-west, often where humans are. They will occasionally consume small animals and reptiles, as well as eggs and nestlings.
How to Attract Them: Great-tailed Grackles can be observed parading over your lawn and are drawn to seeds dropped from feeders above.
On platform feeders or huge hopper feeders, they will also consume black oil sunflower seeds, cracked maize, and millet.
Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhees are big sparrows with black heads, throats, and backs in males and brown backs in females.
Males and females both have reddish-brown sides, white bellies, and white patches on their wings and back. They are roughly the size of a Robin and have lengthy tails.
Spotted Towhees can be seen scratching about in dense tangles of bushes for insects such as beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars, wasps, and bees. They consume acorns, berries, and seeds as well.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract Spotted Towhees to your backyard then black Oil Sunflower seeds, Hulled Sunflower seeds, Cracked Corn, Millet, and Milo either on the platform feeders or on ground feeders.
Brown-Headed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird males have black bodies and brown heads, short tails, and hefty heads. Females are brown with little striping all throughout.
They are frequently seen as a nuisance since they destroy the eggs of smaller songbirds in order to place their eggs in the nest and have the bird raise their offspring.
They breed across most of North America’s north and west before migrating south, although they spend the entire year in the Eastern and Southern states, as well as along the Pacific Coast.
They are found in grassland and forest margins, fields, and backyards, and feed mostly on grass and weed seeds.
Lesser Goldfinch
The Lesser Goldfinch is a little yellow and black songbird with long pointed wings and a short notched tail. Females have olive backs and a duller yellow underside.
Large flocks of Lesser Goldfinches can be found in open settings such as thickets, weedy fields, woodland clearings, parks, and gardens.
They forage on seeds, particularly sunflower seeds, as well as elderberry and coffeeberry fruits and cottonwood, willow, sycamores, and alder buds.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract Lesser Goldfinch to your backyard then feed them Sunflower seeds and nyjer in tube feeders or platform feeders.
Verdin
Verdins are little desert birds with a small yellow head, a grey back, and a lighter underbelly. They have long tails and little chestnut spots on their shoulders.
Verdins are found in desert scrub and in steep-sided valleys known as arroyos, which are home to trees and plants such as acacias, junipers, hackberry, willows, and oaks. They live along the southern border and in Mexico.
Insects and spiders such as caterpillars, wasps, and bees, as well as fruit such as palm fruit, hackberry, and mesquite, make up their diet. They may also consume floral nectar.
How to Attract Them: Hummingbird feeders, floral bushes, and any fruit-bearing natural trees or shrubs they like, such as acacia or juniper, will help you attract more Verdins to your yard.
Red-Winged Blackbird
Red-winged blackbirds have all-black plumage and vivid red and yellow shoulder patches. In comparison to the streaky brown coloring of the males, the females are somewhat drab.
During mating season, males will fiercely defend their territory, even battling anyone who comes too close to nests.
They cluster in large flocks numbering in the millions during the winter. Red-winged Blackbirds may be found all throughout the country.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract Red-winged blackbirds to your yard, scatter mixed grain and seeds on the ground either on tube feeders or platform feeders.
Say’s Phoebe
Say’s Phoebes are thin, long-tailed flycatchers with brownish-gray upperparts, a cinnamon abdomen, grey breast, and a blackish tail.
Say’s Phoebes like dry open areas, including badlands, canyons, and desert borders. These birds breed in Alaska, northwest Canada, and the northern United States before migrating south to the southern United States and Mexico.
Say’s Phoebes are flycatchers that primarily feed on insects such as beetles, crickets, bees, and flies.
They frequently nest on buildings and can be observed sitting on fence posts, surrounding buildings, or in the nest beneath an eave.
How to Attract Them: Install a nest box or a shelf attached to a structure to encourage nesting, and grow native trees and shrubs to attract more Say’s Phoebes to your backyard.
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Eurasian Collared-Doves are an invasive species that arrived in the 1980s and has since spread over the majority of the country.
They are light brownish-gray with white patches on the tail and resemble Mourning Doves, except they have a black half collar at the nape of the neck. Eurasian Collared-Dove has a squared tail.
They prefer habitats around people where seeds are abundant, such as backyard feeders and farms, and are not found in dense woodlands.
How to Attract Them: If you want to attract Eurasian-Collared-Doves feed them millet, oats, cracked corn, and Black oil sunflower seeds or hulled sunflower seeds either on the ground feeders or on a platform feeder.
Northern Mockingbird
Mockingbirds get their name from their ability to copy other birds’ tunes. According to scientists, a male mockingbird may learn up to 200 different songs throughout his lifetime.
These medium-sized backyard birds have grey and white feathers and lengthy tail feathers that make them stand out. They like to reside in dense bushes and might be aggressive towards intruding birds.
Northern Mockingbirds are common in backyards, although they rarely visit bird feeders.
How to Attract Them: You can attract them by fruit-bearing plants or a birdbath.
Related Articles You May Like