Upland Birds
Upland birds live in forests, brushlands, and prairies
where there is cover. Examples are grouse, quail, and
pheasants. Upland birds are found throughout North
America.
Range Maps
All animal descriptions are accompanied by a map showing
the animal's habitat range. The maps are color-coded
as follows:
| |
Summer Range |
| |
Winter Range |
| |
All-Year Range |
|
| Chicken,
Greater Prairie |
 Credit: Tom J. Ulrich |
 |
| Chicken-like with barred body and short black tail; male displays black feathers on sides of neck. Inflates yellow-orange air sacs during courtship. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in tall-grass prairies. Makes cackling and clucking sound; male makes booming sounds during courtship. Nests in depressions; 7 - 17 olive-colored eggs with dark marks. |
| Chicken,
Lesser Prairie |
Credit: Tom J. Ulrich |
 |
| Slightly smaller and paler than greater prairie chicken. Inflates orange-red air sacs during courtship. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in short-grass prairies. Makes cackling and clucking sound; male makes booming sounds during courtship. Nests in depressions; 11 - 13 yellowish eggs with brown marks. |
| Chukar |
Credit: Tom J. Ulrich |
 |
| Light brown back with gray head and chest;
white below; white face and neck outlined in black; black
and white stripes on sides; bright red on edge of tail. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in rocky hills and canyons. Makes a “chuck-chuck-chuck” call.
Nests in rocks or brush; 8 - 15 white eggs
with brown spots. |
| Crow,
American |
Credit: F. Eugene Hester |
 |
| Stocky, all-black bird with fan-shaped
tail. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives almost anywhere except deserts and pine forests. Makes a “caw-caw” call. Nests in trees; 4 - 6 green-colored eggs with brown spots. |
| Dove, Eurasian Collared |
 |
 |
| Large, pale gray-tan dove introduced from Europe with black half-collar on its nape. |
Habitat and Habits:
Urban, suburban, and agricultural areas where grain is available. Herbivorous. Bears two young which fledge at 15-19 days old. |
| Dove,
Mourning |
Credit: Texas Parks & Wildlife |
 |
| Light grayish-brown; lighter below; wings are darker; tail has tipped outer feathers. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in dry uplands, grain fields, thickets of shrubs or trees, shrublands, and deserts. Unmated male makes a “ooahoo-oo-oo-oo” sound. Breeding male and female make a short “ooahoo” call. Nests in trees; two white eggs. |
| Dove,
White-Winged |
Credit:Texas Parks & Wildlife |
 |
| Light grayish-brown; white line along edge of closed wing. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in dry grasslands with shrubs and small trees. Makes a soft “who-cooks-for-you” call. Nests in tree branches; 1 - 4 creamy white eggs. |
| Gallinules |
 |
 |
| Medium-sized with huge yellow feet, purple-blue plumage, greenish back, and red and yellow bill. Pale blue forehead shield, and white undertail. Young birds are brown. Often walks over lily pads while feeding. Flies short distances with legs dangling. |
Habitat and Habits:
Breeds in swamps and marshes in southeastern U.S. and tropical regions of Central America and Caribbean. Most American birds are migratory, wintering south to Argentina. Often flies short distances with legs dangling. Nests in floating structures in a marsh; 5 - 10 buff-colored eggs with brown spots. |
| Grouse,
Blue |
Credit: Tom J. Ulrich |
 |
| Male is gray with orange-yellow or red
comb over eye; yellow skin on neck; gray band at end
of dark tail. Female is brown with dark tail. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in coastal rain forest and just below mountain
timberline. Makes a “whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop” call.
Nests in shelter of stumps or rocks; 5 - 10
cream-colored eggs with brown spots. |
| Grouse,
Ruffed |
Credit: Tom J. Ulrich |
 |
| Brown to grayish-brown, with black ruffs
(sides of neck). Chicken-like in form with slight crest. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in forests with dense undergrowth and brushy areas. Alarm call is a sharp “quit-quit”; female makes soft clucking sound. Nests under brush; 9 - 12 buff-colored eggs. |
| Grouse,
Sage |
Credit: Tom J. Ulrich |
 |
| Grayish-brown; black below. Male has long
pointed tail and white breast; inflates yellowish-green
air sacs during courtship. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in open country and sagebrush plains. Makes a cackling
sound; male makes bubbling sounds during courtship.
Nests in depressions, usually under sagebrush; 6 - 9
olive-colored eggs with light brown spots. |
| Grouse,
Spruce |
Credit: Tom J. Ulrich |
 |
| Male has grayish-brown body; black throat
and breast; red comb over eye. Female has brown body
with black bars below. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in coniferous forests. Male makes a low-pitched “krrrrk,
krrrk, krrk” sound; female makes low clucking sound.
Nests on ground; 8 - 11 buff-colored eggs,
possibly with brown spots. |
| Partridge,
Gray (Hungarian) |
Credit: Alan G. Nelson |
 |
| Chicken-like with gray body; rust-colored
face and throat; brown stripes on wings; rust-colored
tail visible in flight. Male has large brown patch below. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in open farmlands and in trees separating farms.
Makes a hoarse “kee-uck” call; cackles
rapidly when flushed. Nests in depressions hidden in
vegetation; 10 - 20 olive-colored eggs. |
| Pheasant,
Ring-Necked |
Credit: Texas Parks & Wildlife |
 |
Credit: Pennsylvania Game Commission |
Large, chicken-like bird. Male is gold-colored with white neck band; green and purple iridescent head; red wattle around eyes. Hen is dull brown with dark flecks on wings and back. Both have long tail feathers.
Habitat
and Habits:
Lives in farmlands near woods. Male makes “skwagock” cackle; female “kia-kia” sound. Flies for short distances. Nests in grasses and shrubs; 10 - 12 brownish-green eggs. |
| Pigeon
(Rock Dove) |
Credit: Tom J. Ulrich |
 |
| Most often dark gray head, iridescent neck, and dark bars on wings. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in cities, parks, bridges, and steep cliffs. Male and female make a “coo-coo” sound when breeding. Nests on building ledges, rafters, and barn beams;
1 - 2 white eggs. |
| Pigeon,
Band-Tailed |
Credit: Brian E. Small |
 |
| Dark gray; purple below; broad
light band on end of square tail; white crescent on back
of head; black tip on end of yellow bill. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in coniferous forests and oak or pine-oak woodlands.
Makes an owl-like “whoo-hoo” call. Nests
in trees; one white egg. |
| Quail,
Northern Bobwhite |
Credit: Texas Parks & Wildlife |
 |
| Brown; male with white eyebrow and throat, dark streak across eyes; female with buff-colored eyebrow and throat. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in fields, farmlands, and open woodlands. Makes a wide variety of calls, including “bob-white.” Nests in ground; 12 - 14 white eggs |
| Quail,
California (Valley) |
Credit:Tom J. Ulrich |
 |
| Male is gray with a grayish-blue chest
and scaled appearance below; black face outlined in white;
brown crown; black topknot with 6 feathers. Female is
brown with scaled appearance below; smaller black topknot. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in brush in foothills and in live oak canyons.
Makes a loud “ka-kah-ko” call. Nests in
depressions; 12 -16 cream-colored eggs with golden
brown spots. |
| Quail,
Gambel's |
Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service, J. & K. Hollingsworth |
 |
| Pale gray; black face outlined in white; back of head is rust-colored; teardrop-shaped topknot. Female is brown; buff-colored neck and smaller topknot. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in desert-like shrublands. Makes “coo-cut” and “chi-ca-co-coo” call. |
| Quail,
Montezuma (Mearns') |
Credit:Texas Parks & Wildlife |
 |
| Male is rust and brown with white streaks on back; black and white pattern on face; rust-colored crest. Female is rust and brown above and buff below. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in pine and oak woodlands. Call is a soft trilling whistle. |
| Quail,
Mountain |
Credit:Brian E. Small |
 |
| Brown back with gray head, neck, and chest;
rust-colored throat; rust-colored sides with white stripes;
long, straight, black head feathers. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in mountains and in brushy areas and thickets.
Makes a loud “kyork” or “woook” call.
Nests in hidden depressions; 8 - 12 light
red eggs. |
| Quail,
Scaled |
Credit:Texas Parks & Wildlife |
 |
Light to medium gray; black tips on feathers appear as scales; white crest.
|
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in arid grassland and scrub. Male and female make a “pey-cos” call. Nests in grass or shrubs; 9 - 16 creamy white eggs. |
| Raven |
 |
Large, black birds, Heavy beak, “V” or wedge-shaped tail, and shaggy throat feathers. May be most intelligent bird.
Habitat and Habits:
refers wooded or coastal area near open land. Omnivorous. Mate for life, clutch of 3-5 eggs. |
| Turkey,
Wild |
Credit: Texas Parks & Wildlife |
 |
Credit: Pennsylvania Game Commission,
Hal Korber |
Large, long-legged bird with dark, iridescent body; featherless, reddish head. Male is larger and more iridescent than female.
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in open woodlands, brush country, thickets of shrubs or trees, river bottoms, and hardwoods. Lives up to 12 years. Polygamous males. Mating call is a gobble; normal calls are clucks, putts, and purrs. Nests in depressions; 6 - 20 whitish eggs. |
| Woodcock,
American |
Credit: Tom J. Ulrich |
 |
| Brownish with lighter buff breast; large, lighter-colored head; short neck; large dark eyes. Very long, straight bill. |
Habitat and Habits:
Lives in woods and thickets near open areas. Makes a “peeent” sound. Nests in depressions in ground; four buff-colored eggs with brown markings. |
| North
American Flyways |
North American Flyways
There are four major North American flyways—the
Pacific, the Central, the Mississippi, and the Atlantic
Flyways. The migration route is from the northern breeding
grounds to the southern wintering grounds. The lanes
of heaviest concentration conform very closely to major
topographical features, following the coasts, mountain
ranges, and principal river valleys. Except along the
coasts, the flyway boundaries are not always sharply
defined. |
Pacific Flyway
Central Flyway
Mississippi Flyway
Atlantic Flyway |
