Blue Finch

Small, plump, tanager-like sparrow, dull olive above with pale grayish-white throat and yellow wash on underparts. Thick bill. Sexes alike. Quite rare in foothill forest, typically at lower elevations than Common Chlorospingus (but significant overlap). Look for pairs with mixed-species flocks, usually foraging in the canopy.

Very similar to Red-winged Blackbird. Male entirely glossy black with red shoulder patch bordered by white, not yellow. Female dark brown and streaky, larger and darker than any sparrow. Lacks warm tones to plumage, unlike female Red-winged Blackbird. For both sexes, note relatively thin, sharp bill. Found in marshes and adjacent fields; breeds in colonies. Undergoing significant population decline due to habitat loss. Song is nasal and low-pitched, not as complex or as musical as Red-winged.

Spectacular large jay, very local and endemic to mountains of northwest Mexico, where mainly occurs in pine-oak forest. Usually found in small groups, roving high to low through the forest, often in association with flocks of the smaller Steller’s Jay. Unmistakable and striking, with stiff bushy crest (tuft), yellow eyes, black-and-white head pattern, and broad white tail tip. Immature has duller face with shorter crest and blue patch below eyes. Varied calls may attract attention.