The Verde Valley Is Important for Birds and Birders
The Verde River, lifeblood of Central Arizona, is one of the last rivers in the Southwest that flow year-round. Along its course, it journeys through majestic red rock and basalt canyons, supporting one of the country’s rarest habitats: the cottonwood/willow gallery forest.
The middle stretch of the Verde River courses through the well-watered and aptly named Verde Valley – Verde means green in Spanish. The Verde Valley is unique since many of the tributaries that begin in higher terrain emerge in the valley as perennial streams flowing through the communities of Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Sedona, Cornville, Lake Montezuma, and Camp Verde.
The Verde Valley’s waterways connect diverse life zones from 3,000’-6,000′ including pine-fir forests, oak woodlands, pinyon-juniper forests, Sonoran desert scrub, and riparian. The Verde River’s vast watershed is habitat for one of the largest concentrations of resident and migratory birdlife anywhere in the Southwest.
Birding Trail Map
The Verde River Watershed in Central Arizona, and in particular the Verde River Valley, is a hot destination for birdwatching and outdoor recreation.
This birding trail map highlights some of the best and most accessible birding spots associated with the Verde River Valley. Visit the Interactive Story Map for more details on each location. Click Here!
All Time Bird List
Learn about birds in the Verde Valley and surrounding areas of Northern Arizona.
The list below provides links for each bird seen at the VVBNF over the last 10 years. The link takes you to the Cornell Institute of Ornithology web site called “All about Birds“. This website provides detailed scientific information about thousands of birds from all around the world.
Swans, Geese, Ducks
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
American Wigeon
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Red-crested Pochard
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Common Loon
Pheasant, Quail
Ring-necked Pheasant
Gambel’s Quail
Grebes, Cormorants
Eared Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe.
Clark’s Grebe
Western Grebe
Neo-Tropic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Herons, Bitterns, Ibis
Least Bittern
Black-crowned Night Heron
Green Heron
Cattle Egret
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
White-faced Ibis
WoodpeckersPipits
Vultures
California Condor
Turkey Vulture
Hawks, Eagles, Allies
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Golden Eagle
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Common Black Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk
Swainson’s Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin
Prairie Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
ShrikesSilky-Flycatchers
Rails, Coots
Virginia Rail
Sora
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Common Gallinule
Cranes
Plovers
Semi-palmated Plover
Killdeer
Avocets, Sandpipers, Dowitchers
American Avocet
Willet
Greater Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Marbled Godwit
Western Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson’s Snipe
Least Sandpiper
Common Snipe
Wilson’s Phalarope
Gulls, Terns
Bonaparte’s Gull
California Gull
Pigeons, Doves
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
White-winged Dove
Eurasian Collard Dove
Cuckoos
Greater Roadrunner
Owls
Barn Owl
Great Horned Owl
Goatsuckers
Lesser Nighthawk
Swifts
White-throated Swift
Hummingbirds
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Costa’s Hummingbird
Anna’s Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Broad-billed Hummingbird*
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Kingfishers
Belted Kingfisher
Woodpeckers
Acorn Woodpecker
Lewis’ Woodpecker
Gila Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Williamson’s Sapsucker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Tyrant Flycatchers
Western Wood Pewee
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Pacific-Slope Flycatcher
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Cassin’s Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Shrikes
Loggerhead Shrike
Vireos
Bell’s Vireo
Gray Vireo
Hutton’s Vireo
Plumbeous Vireo
Cassin’s Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Crows, Jays
Steller’s Jay
Western Scrub Jay
Pinyon Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Larks
Swallows
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Northern–Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Chickadees, Titmice
Bridled Titmouse
Juniper Titmouse
Mountain Chickadee
Warblers
Olive Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Virginia’s Warbler
Lucy’s Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle’s & Audubon’s)
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Hermit Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Grace’s Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Common Yellowthroat
Painted Redstart
Red-faced Warbler
Tanagers
Summer Tanager
Hepatic Tanager
Western Tanager
Emberizids
Green-tailed Towhee
Canyon Towhee
Abert’s Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Rufus-crowned Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Brewer’s Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Black-chinned Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Sage Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Cardinals
Black-headed Grosbeak
Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak
Lark Bunting
Lazuli Bunting
Blackbirds
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Brewer’s Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bronzed Cowbird
Hooded Oriole
Bullock’s Oriole
Scott’s Oriole
Finches
Cassin’s Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Lesser Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak
Old World Sparrows
House Sparrow
