Birds of the Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert covers southeastern California, southern Nevada, the southwestern part of Utah and northwest Arizona. The Mohave is home to a wide variety of birds. The feeding habits of these desert birds are broken into four distinct groups. Herbivores are birds that eat vegetables, seeds and flowers. Insectivores eat nothing but insects. Omnivores eat vegetables and meat, and carnivores are birds of prey and eat nothing but meat, whether dead or alive.

  1. Herbivores

    • One of the desert's most spectacular herbivorous birds is the Costa's Hummingbird. The Costa's Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the desert and only grows to 3 to 3 1/2 inches in length. This hummingbird feeds on all flowers and small insects, and are common in the summer in the Mojave Desert. Their breeding is done in trees, shrubs and vines that are at least 5 feet above the ground and away from water sources. After breeding, during the fall, they migrate in an upward slope, along the southern coast, and their primary habitat is a desert wash, edges of the desert riparian, desert shrubs and other desert trees that provide cover. Other herbivores native to the Mohave Desert include the quail, the great-tailed grackle, western scrub-jay and house finch.

    Insectivores

    • The cactus wren is an insectivore. It is 7 to 9 inches long. It is easily located, with its loud and harsh voice, and is native to southwestern states southwards to central Mexico. It is usually found around yucca, mesquite or saguaro. The ladder-backed woodpecker drills for insects and beetles in trees, cacti, shrubs and yucca. It lives in dead parts of any type of wood such as fences, utility poles, trees or shrubs. Loggerhead shrike lives in the lowlands and foothills of California and feeds mostly on insects, but will also eat reptiles or amphibians.

    Omnivores

    • The raven is found in the California region of the Mohave Desert. It eats small animals such as rabbits and mice along with bird eggs, seeds, grains, berries, nuts and insects. It roosts in a colony in trees. This fan-tailed jet-black 24-inch bird is the cousin of the crows, which are omnivores that reside in California and high elevations of the Sierra and Mojave Desert all year round. Traveling in pairs they often eat carrion but are also known to eat lizards, snakes and insects. The red-tailed hawk is considered an omnivore since it will eat plants, fish and insects. It will search for mice by soaring in the air, then pouncing on its prey.

    Carnivores

    • The great horned owl resides year-round in the Mojave Desert, but will wander after nesting. They have excellent hearing and exceptional vision in low light. They eat small mammals such as rat, skunks and small birds. One of the biggest carnivores in the Mojave Desert is the turkey vulture. This big red-headed bird can be seen migrating in groups through the desert with their 6-foot wing span. They feed on rotten carcasses and carrion, and will prey on small animals, too.