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| Several birds nest in saguaros in south-central Arizona. |
some of Saguaro National Park’s most famous birds on the Desert Ecology Trail.
The short 0.3-mile
The short 0.3-mile
lollipop trail sits in the park’s eastern Rincon Mountain District just
off of popular Cactus Forest Drive. It’s a
perfect walk for young children to experience and learn about desert ecology.
To reach the trailhead, from Interstate 10 in Tucson exit onto East Speedway Boulevard and head east. Turn right/south onto Freeman Road then left/south onto Old Spanish Road. Next, enter the park by turning left/east onto Cactus Forest Drive. The park’s eight-mile road eventually becomes a one-way. A parking pullout for the trail is on the right/west. After parking, cross the road to the trailhead.
The wide, paved trail loops through the desert, following the Javelina Wash part of the way. Barrel cactus, chain fruit cactus, creosote, mesquite, palo verde, prickly pear cactus, teddy bear cholla, and of course the saguaro line the route.
Apartment building
The saguaro is a good place to focus your attention if looking for birds. The plant is like an apartment building for native wildlife, providing homes to a variety of birds, such as the Harris’s hawk, Gila woodpecker, and the tiny elf owl.
With a chocolate brown bottom and head and bright brown wings, the Harris's hawk resides throughout the saguaro forest. It can reach up to 20 inches long. Unlike most other hawk species, it lives and hunts in groups. Several non-breeding adults help feed and defend the breeding pair’s young. During a hunt, some in the group will flush prey out of brush so another may catch it in the open. The Harris’s hawk dines on lizards, rabbits, rodents, snakes and other birds.
The Gila woodpecker, with a red stripe atop its forehead, nests inside saguaros. Pecking a cavity between the cactus’ skin and inner rub, this hole serves as excellent protection from predators while also remaining cool. Abandoned holes often are taken over by kestrels, purple martins, and elf owls. The Gila woodpecker eats berries, cactus fruit, and insects.
The world’s smallest owl – the elf owl – measures a mere 5.75 inches long. Its diet likewise consists of small creatures, specifically insects and arthropods, that it hunts at night. Because of their nocturnal lives, they can be difficult to spot. Further, they’re only in the park from March to October, as they winter in Mexico.
Additional favorite pads
Watch the cholla for cactus wrens. They build their nests on the cholla, as few predators are willing to risk being stabbed by the cactus’ needles for a meal of young chicks.
Arizona’s state bird, the cactus wren likely will seek you out. It possesses a curious nature and boasts a rough, abrasive call that is difficult to miss. Stretching up to 8.5 inches long, the mottled brown bird with white stripe over its eyes and long beak, raises several broods a year. For meals, it prefers arthropods, fruit, insects and seeds.
Look for plants with the parasite desert mistletoe on it to spot phainopepla.
Phainopepla will be easy to identify. The male is a shiny black with a crest and red eyes; the female is brown but also has red eyes. The mistletoe provides shelter and its berries food for the small songbird. Phainopepla plays a key role is spreading mistletoe as the seeds are dispersed by passing through the bird’s digestive system. The bird also eats insects.
Roadrunners, the iconic bird of the American Southwest, also live along the trail. They rarely fly but are fast runners, hitting speeds of 15 mph as they use their tail as a rudder. Adults can stretch up to 23 inches in length with almost as wide of a wingspan. A predator, they eat lizards, small birds, small mammals, and snakes, but also will gobble down fruit and seeds if available.
Other common birds...
Three other species you might spot on the Desert Ecology Trail are rufous-winged sparrows, verdins, and Cooper’s hawks.
Rufous-winged sparrows usually can be spotted around mesquite and desert hackberry or areas with good grass cover. Rusty brown to gray with dark streaks and pale gray underneath, it’s small for a sparrow but has a long tail. In the United States, they live only in south-central Arizona, as most of its range is in north-central Mexico. They mainly eat caterpillars and grasshoppers during the summer than switch to mainly eating seeds in the winter.
The tiny verdin measures a mere 4.5 inches at most with a wingspan that’s just slightly longer. The male builds several spherical nests with the female selecting one to lay her eggs. Its light gray body sports a yellow face with a red spot on the wing. Verdins are only distantly related to other Western Hemisphere birds, so they are believed to have hitchhiked their way here from Europe or Asia, where they are common.
Cooper’s hawks are about the size of a crow. Adults sport tan barring on the breast and a dark cap on the head; several dark lines cross their long, rounded, long tail with a white band on the tip. Their dark red-orange eyes see differently than human eyes; browns and grays – the color of their prey – stand out while green hues are filtered out. They are incredibly strong; their large yellow talons carry the punch of 150-200 pounds per square inch; in comparison, an average healthy man has a PSI of 110. Their favorite meals are squirrels and rabbits.
...and a couple of rarities
A total of 107 bird species call Saguaro National Park home. Among them are two species found in only a few other locations across the United States – the vermilion flycatcher and the whiskered screech owl. One threatened species, the Mexican spotted owl, also calls the national park home.
Other common birds found throughout the park include Gambel’s quail, great horned owls, hummingbirds, kestrels, ravens, and turkey vultures. Mexican jays, Northern goshawks, yellow-eyed juncos, typically can be seen at the park’s higher elevations.
The best time for bird sightings is usually early morning and early evening.
There’s no shade on the short trail, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat. Leashed dogs are allowed.
To reach the trailhead, from Interstate 10 in Tucson exit onto East Speedway Boulevard and head east. Turn right/south onto Freeman Road then left/south onto Old Spanish Road. Next, enter the park by turning left/east onto Cactus Forest Drive. The park’s eight-mile road eventually becomes a one-way. A parking pullout for the trail is on the right/west. After parking, cross the road to the trailhead.
The wide, paved trail loops through the desert, following the Javelina Wash part of the way. Barrel cactus, chain fruit cactus, creosote, mesquite, palo verde, prickly pear cactus, teddy bear cholla, and of course the saguaro line the route.
Apartment building
The saguaro is a good place to focus your attention if looking for birds. The plant is like an apartment building for native wildlife, providing homes to a variety of birds, such as the Harris’s hawk, Gila woodpecker, and the tiny elf owl.
With a chocolate brown bottom and head and bright brown wings, the Harris's hawk resides throughout the saguaro forest. It can reach up to 20 inches long. Unlike most other hawk species, it lives and hunts in groups. Several non-breeding adults help feed and defend the breeding pair’s young. During a hunt, some in the group will flush prey out of brush so another may catch it in the open. The Harris’s hawk dines on lizards, rabbits, rodents, snakes and other birds.
The Gila woodpecker, with a red stripe atop its forehead, nests inside saguaros. Pecking a cavity between the cactus’ skin and inner rub, this hole serves as excellent protection from predators while also remaining cool. Abandoned holes often are taken over by kestrels, purple martins, and elf owls. The Gila woodpecker eats berries, cactus fruit, and insects.
The world’s smallest owl – the elf owl – measures a mere 5.75 inches long. Its diet likewise consists of small creatures, specifically insects and arthropods, that it hunts at night. Because of their nocturnal lives, they can be difficult to spot. Further, they’re only in the park from March to October, as they winter in Mexico.
Additional favorite pads
Watch the cholla for cactus wrens. They build their nests on the cholla, as few predators are willing to risk being stabbed by the cactus’ needles for a meal of young chicks.
Arizona’s state bird, the cactus wren likely will seek you out. It possesses a curious nature and boasts a rough, abrasive call that is difficult to miss. Stretching up to 8.5 inches long, the mottled brown bird with white stripe over its eyes and long beak, raises several broods a year. For meals, it prefers arthropods, fruit, insects and seeds.
Look for plants with the parasite desert mistletoe on it to spot phainopepla.
Phainopepla will be easy to identify. The male is a shiny black with a crest and red eyes; the female is brown but also has red eyes. The mistletoe provides shelter and its berries food for the small songbird. Phainopepla plays a key role is spreading mistletoe as the seeds are dispersed by passing through the bird’s digestive system. The bird also eats insects.
Roadrunners, the iconic bird of the American Southwest, also live along the trail. They rarely fly but are fast runners, hitting speeds of 15 mph as they use their tail as a rudder. Adults can stretch up to 23 inches in length with almost as wide of a wingspan. A predator, they eat lizards, small birds, small mammals, and snakes, but also will gobble down fruit and seeds if available.
Other common birds...
Three other species you might spot on the Desert Ecology Trail are rufous-winged sparrows, verdins, and Cooper’s hawks.
Rufous-winged sparrows usually can be spotted around mesquite and desert hackberry or areas with good grass cover. Rusty brown to gray with dark streaks and pale gray underneath, it’s small for a sparrow but has a long tail. In the United States, they live only in south-central Arizona, as most of its range is in north-central Mexico. They mainly eat caterpillars and grasshoppers during the summer than switch to mainly eating seeds in the winter.
The tiny verdin measures a mere 4.5 inches at most with a wingspan that’s just slightly longer. The male builds several spherical nests with the female selecting one to lay her eggs. Its light gray body sports a yellow face with a red spot on the wing. Verdins are only distantly related to other Western Hemisphere birds, so they are believed to have hitchhiked their way here from Europe or Asia, where they are common.
Cooper’s hawks are about the size of a crow. Adults sport tan barring on the breast and a dark cap on the head; several dark lines cross their long, rounded, long tail with a white band on the tip. Their dark red-orange eyes see differently than human eyes; browns and grays – the color of their prey – stand out while green hues are filtered out. They are incredibly strong; their large yellow talons carry the punch of 150-200 pounds per square inch; in comparison, an average healthy man has a PSI of 110. Their favorite meals are squirrels and rabbits.
...and a couple of rarities
A total of 107 bird species call Saguaro National Park home. Among them are two species found in only a few other locations across the United States – the vermilion flycatcher and the whiskered screech owl. One threatened species, the Mexican spotted owl, also calls the national park home.
Other common birds found throughout the park include Gambel’s quail, great horned owls, hummingbirds, kestrels, ravens, and turkey vultures. Mexican jays, Northern goshawks, yellow-eyed juncos, typically can be seen at the park’s higher elevations.
The best time for bird sightings is usually early morning and early evening.
There’s no shade on the short trail, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat. Leashed dogs are allowed.
TOPO MAP
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| Click for larger version. |
Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.
