Deserts

A showcase of jays, quail, buntings, and more from the desert Southwest.

View Slideshow
A male pyrrhuloxia perched on a dead cholla cactus
Pyrrhuloxia at Dawn
A Lucy's warbler standing on a red ocotillo flower
Lucy's Warbler
A hooded oriole standing on ocotillo flowers
Hooded Oriole
A lucy's warbler standing on a blooming ocotillo
Lucy's Warbler
A cactus wren on top of a cactus at sunset
Sonoran Sunset
A male Gila woodpecker on a tree trunk
Gila Woodpecker
A female Gila woodpecker on an old tree trunk
Gila Woodpecker
A cactus wren on a cholla cactus.
Cactus Wren
A cactus wren standing on top of a cholla cactus
Cholla Topper
A cactus wren at the top of a dead cholla cactus
Cactus Wren
A curve-billed thrasher standing on a cactus branch with sage.
Curve-billed Thrasher
A cactus wren on a branch with sage.
Cactus Wren
A male ladder-backed woodpecker on a dead cholla cactus branch.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
A male painted bunting perched in the crag of a small tree branch in Texas.
Painted Bunting
A female painted bunting on a thin branch with lichens in Texas.
Study in Green
A male painted bunting on a thin tree branch in Texas.
Texas Tricolor
A green jay on a velvet mesquite branch.
Green Jay
A green jay perched on a cactus in the Texas desert.
Cactus Inspection
A greater roadrunner on a dead saguaro cactus in the Arizona desert.
Roadie's Roost
Curve-billed Thrasher
Curve-billed Thrasher
A male Gambel's quail sitting on a dead cactus branch in Arizona
Gambel's Quail
A male Gambel's quail on the sandy ground in Arizona
Gambel's Quail
A crested caracara holds a mouse in its beak in a Texas field.
Hors-d'oeuvre
A male Gambel's quail sitting on top of an old cactus in the Arizona desert.
Gambel's Quail
A northern crested caracara in Texas, crouched over an old tree stump and a stand of cactus.
The Stare
A northern crested caracara in Texas on a dead branch with prickly pear cactus
Northern Crested Caracara
A male northern cardinal on a cactus in Texas.
Northern Cardinal
A female cardinal on a thin branch in Texas.
Female Northern Cardinal
A female pyrrhuloxia at the top of a dead cactus in the Arizona desert.
Pyrr-fect Sunrise
A male golden-fronted woodpecker on a tree branch in Texas
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
A female golden-fronted woodpecker in Texas, clinging to a slender stem.
Woodpecker Pastel
A female golden-fronted woodpecker clinging to an aloe plant in Texas
Lean Back
A female pyrrhuloxia perched at the top of a thin lichen-covered branch in overcast light.
Pyrrhuloxia
Pyrrhuloxia
Pyrrhuloxia
A male pyrrhuloxia on an old brown stick with a brown desert background.
Pyrrhuloxia
A juvenile ladder-backed woodpecker on a dead cholla cactus in Arizona
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
A long-billed thrasher perched on a branch, surrounded by blooming clover, in Texas.
Long-billed Thrasher
A green jay perched among desert flowers in Texas.
Green Jay
A close-up shot of a greater roadrunner in Arizona.
Greater Roadrunner
A roadrunner standing next to a blooming prickly pear in the Arizona desert.
Roadrunner and Nopal Cactus
A northern mockingbird perched on a branch against a green background in Texas.
Northern Mockingbird
A white-winged dove on a dead cactus branch.
White-winged Dove